What are AP classes and why are they important in selecting a High School?

Answer 1

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are classes, usually more rigorous than other high school classes, which culminate in a standardized exam. This exam is recognized nationally, and students who take the courses and receive high scores on the test can generally get college credit for the class. I, for example, took AP English, and waived out of the basic English composition course in College. The reason they are important in selecting a High School is that AP classes are often grades on a 5-point, rather than a 4-point, scale. Thus, a student who takes AP classes and gets As in them can end up with a grade point average over 4.0 (not up to a 5.0, since no high school offers ONLY AP classes), but if the student's school doesn't offer AP classes, the highest GPA possible is a 4.0. That puts these students at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for college, scholarships, etc. Also, as someone who has worked with many college honor students, many of whom have come to college with many AP credits, it can open up their schedules so that instead of taking basic required courses in english, history, math, economics, etc., they can substitute courses of their choosing, so they often end up with multiple majors and minors and still manage to graduate within four years.

Answer 2

AP classes is short for Advance Placement classes. It enables a student at the successful completion of a course and meeting a certain score criteria set by the individual college or university to enter college with a set number of credit hours. In some cases, a student can enter with a full semester completed or more without paying for college tuition and thus saving possibly thousands of dollars on student loans possibly. Subjects include English, Social Studies, mathematics, and science. And typically, they are very tough since they are supposed to be the equivalent of a college course or very close. I have included some futher reading on the subject below.

Answer 3

Other folks have already explained what AP is. I thought I'd mention that an alternative to look for is schools that offer IB program. IB stands for International Baccalaureate. Like AP courses, IB courses count toward college credits. The difference is that the IB program also counts toward credit in many foreign universities, and unlike the AP program, where you might just choose/be accepted into a single AP course, most students in an IB program take a full series of IB courses.

Answer 4

Having AP classes doesn't necessarily say anything about the quality of the high school because these classes could still be poorly taught. However, I would encourage taking these classes because I'm about to graduate from college in 3 years because of all my AP credits.

Answer 5

AP stands for Advanced Placement. Students who take these courses can, at the completion, take an exam and receive college credit if they do well enough. High schools that offer them, GENERALLY SPEAKING, are of better quality than those that do not.

Answer 6

AP CLASSES ARE A HIGHER ADVANCEMENT CLASS THAT ALLOW STUDENT TO CHALLENGE MINDS DAILY. BEING N A AP CLASS HELPS U 2 GET N COLLEGE EASIER

Answer 7

They're advance placement and more challenging than the regualr or even honors classes. They help prepare you better for college.