Why don't colleges require AP scores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the SAT, the AP tests have been completely watered down and are a lot less meaningful than they used to be. This is why private schools have stopped bothering.

I am so tired of hearing of these striver kids from Enloe or TJ or wherever who are takin 20 APs including 4 as a freshmen then end up getting rejected by Ivies and ending up at meh state schools.

I personally think they do more harm than good. I understand they are unfortunately a necessary evil to show a student is taking the most rigorous courses, but they are a waste of time. I would rather my kid take the core courses at the university they are going to than placing into super advanced classes with upperclassmen. Unless the goal is to graduate early, being in advanced classes doesn't get you anywhere.

But I digress...

Many of these “striver” kids (as you call them) are brilliant students whose parents immigrants and don’t have enormous financial resources. There is no question they are more academically gifted than most private school kids. I am sure if they were students at your school, they would be top of the class there as well.

I know many of these kids and I am floored by their resilience, insights, knowledge, and sense of humor. I truly think your remarks are insulting and it breaks my heart that people disparage them so easily. You only see that they’re Asian or Indian and so you dismiss them. You have to respect your competition.

And many of them think they are so smart and are playing the game perfectly only to realize that colleges don’t generally care much if you have taken 10 vs 20 APs. They live in their little non-assimilated bubble and hear the occasional success story of the kid with 20 APs who got into MIT and think that will be them and that all of the “losers” who are only taking 5 APs and are “wasting their time” on mainstream XCs, socializing, etc are inferior and won’t get it. But guess who gets in?

They would be better off at a regular hs taking a difficult but normal load and watching tv, playing pickup football in the park and having a job serving ice cream.

On-assimilation bubble?

Is that similar to the private school bubble?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like the SAT, the AP tests have been completely watered down and are a lot less meaningful than they used to be. This is why private schools have stopped bothering.

I am so tired of hearing of these striver kids from Enloe or TJ or wherever who are takin 20 APs including 4 as a freshmen then end up getting rejected by Ivies and ending up at meh state schools.

I personally think they do more harm than good. I understand they are unfortunately a necessary evil to show a student is taking the most rigorous courses, but they are a waste of time. I would rather my kid take the core courses at the university they are going to than placing into super advanced classes with upperclassmen. Unless the goal is to graduate early, being in advanced classes doesn't get you anywhere.

But I digress...

So sorry you are so exhausted. Perhaps you should turn off your screen and take a nap?

[Anonymous]

AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like the SAT, the AP tests have been completely watered down and are a lot less meaningful than they used to be. This is why private schools have stopped bothering.

I am so tired of hearing of these striver kids from Enloe or TJ or wherever who are takin 20 APs including 4 as a freshmen then end up getting rejected by Ivies and ending up at meh state schools.

I personally think they do more harm than good. I understand they are unfortunately a necessary evil to show a student is taking the most rigorous courses, but they are a waste of time. I would rather my kid take the core courses at the university they are going to than placing into super advanced classes with upperclassmen. Unless the goal is to graduate early, being in advanced classes doesn't get you anywhere.

But I digress...

Many of these “striver” kids (as you call them) are brilliant students whose parents immigrants and don’t have enormous financial resources. There is no question they are more academically gifted than most private school kids. I am sure if they were students at your school, they would be top of the class there as well.

I know many of these kids and I am floored by their resilience, insights, knowledge, and sense of humor. I truly think your remarks are insulting and it breaks my heart that people disparage them so easily. You only see that they’re Asian or Indian and so you dismiss them. You have to respect your competition.

And many of them think they are so smart and are playing the game perfectly only to realize that colleges don’t generally care much if you have taken 10 vs 20 APs. They live in their little non-assimilated bubble and hear the occasional success story of the kid with 20 APs who got into MIT and think that will be them and that all of the “losers” who are only taking 5 APs and are “wasting their time” on mainstream XCs, socializing, etc are inferior and won’t get it. But guess who gets in?

They would be better off at a regular hs taking a difficult but normal load and watching tv, playing pickup football in the park and having a job serving ice cream.

lol showing your true colors

“Assimilation” tells me everything I need to know about you.

[Anonymous]

My kid had ZERO APs and not IB either….yet he got in MIT and 2 Ivies…and no, he is not in so elite school in the northeast…this is Texas…white and privileged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

Why do so many private school kids self-study and take the exams even when they didn’t take the course?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I think AP classes can be useful for getting rid of the Gen Eds that they don't bother with in Europe, I am not that excited about my child graduating too early. I'd rather they take good courses with good professors.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

That’s so wrong.

They show the kid knows the material and the HS was rigorous.

In the US:
Less than 9% of kids score a 5 on APLang, 10% on APUSH, less than 20% AP calc.

4s are18%, less than 22%, less than 16%.

That is telling!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

That’s so wrong.

They show the kid knows the material and the HS was rigorous.

In the US:
Less than 9% of kids score a 5 on APLang, 10% on APUSH, less than 20% AP calc.

4s are18%, less than 22%, less than 16%.

That is telling!!!!!

Yep- HS profiles with hardly any 4 or 5s show the kids weren’t prepared all year. A school where the majority of kids are getting 4-5s like another poster mentioned speaks to the level of instruction, the preparedness, et

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

That’s so wrong.

They show the kid knows the material and the HS was rigorous.

In the US:
[/b]Less than 9% of kids score a 5 on APLang, 10% on APUSH, less than 20% AP calc.[b]

4s are18%, less than 22%, less than 16%.

That is telling!!!!!

Yep- HS profiles with hardly any 4 or 5s show the kids weren’t prepared all year. A school where the majority of kids are getting 4-5s like another poster mentioned speaks to the level of instruction, the preparedness, et

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are low level and getting the highest score, 5, is pretty easy.

Colleges know that AP scores are not really helpful for anything from an admissions perspective.

That’s so wrong.

They show the kid knows the material and the HS was rigorous.

In the US:
Less than 9% of kids score a 5 on APLang, 10% on APUSH, less than 20% AP calc.

4s are18%, less than 22%, less than 16%.

That is telling!!!!!

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I think AP classes can be useful for getting rid of the Gen Eds that they don't bother with in Europe, I am not that excited about my child graduating too early. I'd rather they take good courses with good professors.

+1

The elite schools don’t accept AP credits.

My kid at an Ivy got zero credits for the APs (all 5s). They may get you into a higher course- or are noted on your transcript.

If you are coming out with a degree from these schools they want you coming out with their level of prep.

I think that even though you don’t get credit reporting 5s is just another piece to show the schools - along with standardized tests, gpa, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had ZERO APs and not IB either….yet he got in MIT and 2 Ivies…and no, he is not in so elite school in the northeast…this is Texas…white and privileged.

If your school offers them and you don’t take any it’s rare.

If your school doesn’t offer them- of course they don’t expect you to have any.

There is no way a kid applying from a DMV that offers AP courses will be noted as taking the most rigorous course load which is what schools look at. After 7-8APs it doesn’t matter. Even Ivies say 7-8 is fine. My kid had 8 and got into T10s-Ivies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:quality of ap classes varies from school to school so wouldn't be fair.

totally the point. Some kids take 15 APs to list on apps, but can't get past a 3. These classes are very often LESS rigorous than regular classes at private schools.

The whole AP race is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I think AP classes can be useful for getting rid of the Gen Eds that they don't bother with in Europe, I am not that excited about my child graduating too early. I'd rather they take good courses with good professors.

+1

The elite schools don’t accept AP credits.

My kid at an Ivy got zero credits for the APs (all 5s). They may get you into a higher course- or are noted on your transcript.

If you are coming out with a degree from these schools they want you coming out with their level of prep.

I think that even though you don’t get credit reporting 5s is just another piece to show the schools - along with standardized tests, gpa, etc.

Stop spewing this shit.

Only 8 colleges don’t accept AP tests which includes Harvard and Brown.

The rest of the Ivy schools do, though for most they only accept STEM and language and only a 5. Same for Stanford and other Ivy plus.

MIT accepts humanities APs in addition to some STEM.