[cire]

i think the Princeton Review is

 

[tennisets]

Someone mentioned that APs are pointless and don't get you anywhere in college. That is totally wrong.

Due to taking AP classes I started college with 9 credits (12 credits is a typical year, i.e. 4 classes per quarter/trimester). I got to skip the first two calc classes due to BC, so I'm done with my math requirement (though I obviously still have lots of math in my engineering courses). I got 4 200 level Latin credits (took AP twice) and 2 history credits (US History). Because of that I had to take one class to finish my "theme" requirement instead of seven (I'm tying Roman Civilization into Latin for my theme; gotta have 5 related classes). I also got a credit for AP computer programming but that one doesn't really help me.

So basically, an entire two quarters' worth of classes I do not have to take because of AP credits. That means I have much more freedom in choosing classes, and can take some just for fun and also explore more thoroughly what area of Electrical Engineering I want to go into.

AP credits can definitely help. So there.

 

[tennisets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breakdown what book would be best for AP US History? edit: I think best is opinionated so which book is the most popular?

I like the Barron's books.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JahJahBinks there can only be one valedictorian in a school.

Yep, and you have a gigantic leg up if you're that person. They really like valedictorians/salutorians, especially at generic, middle class, suburban public schools. It's vastly less important if you're at a very highly ranked public/private high school.

Course, the vast majority of people go to the aformentioned public schools, or worse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire i'm just going by what people have told me. i could very well be wrong

You're wrong. There's a lot of misinformation on this. They look at everything.

In HS, my academic specs were pretty good. I was rank 14 out of a 700 person graduating class, I had the highest SAT score in the school (a paltry 1530 compared to some Head-Fier's perfects), 20 hours of A's in college classes, three AP 5's (Calculus BC, English Comp, Biology), an AP 4 (English Lit), but I didn't get a single interview from a top ranked college. Pure and simple, I wasn't a well rounded candidate. They're not looking for people who spend all their time studying, or the people who coast through school strictly on intelligence.

Of the people from our school that did go to highly ranked schools, one was the black salutorian with a 1400 SAT (Harvard), two were sisters who's parents didn't go to college (Cornell, Brown), and a white guy that was the hockey team captain, football team QB, and valedictorian (Rice). The rest of use podunk folks went to Texas A&M or Texas University.

The lesson I learned, and a lot of other people have learned, is don't even bother applying unless you're a well rounded candidate with good grades. Ignore this if: you are a disadvantaged minority, you are economically disadvantaged, your parents' didn't go to/didn't graduate from college.

And really, AP 4's are just fine. Most state colleges will take it as credit for the course, and they don't hurt you at all in admissions. Now 1's and 2's... that's a different story. AP credit is always a good thing. I got 20 credit hours out of the way because of them. With 30 credit hours in a standard college year, I got a total of 1.33 years of college done before I even started.

 

[binkgle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by w1ned Wait, so the AP scores don't help you get into college?

yes, they do help. they look good, they show that you probably know more in a certain subject than someone who only took a normal high school level class, and when in college they can let you skips up semesters.

they each cost $81, they each last ~3 hours, they each come with harder courses during the year, but i think it's really worth it with the given benefits. i also feel better about myself (which is important) knowing that i've put in the extra effort to learn enough to take the test instead of taking the easier class

 

[Trippytiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pne I was in the IB program, which is higher than AP because it is worldwide recognized. It did not help me a single bit in prepping for University. Save yourself the time and grief. In the end it is your work ethic that will help you succeed in college, not some feel good program you take in high school to stroke your ego.

Listen to the man; this is the absolute truth. I coasted through the IB program and did fairly well (5/7 in every IB subject I took; not bad, but not enough to count for credit in any university courses, unfortunately), and now university is killing me. I think I'm on what I've decided to call the scenic route through engineering.

Your marks and AP scores may help you get in to a fancy university, and being able to skip courses can be a good thing, but be careful. You seem to be obsessed with marks and school prestige, but neither of those is a guarantee that you'll be successful once you get in. Don't let yourself be fooled - I did, and I'm paying for it.

 

[marvin]

Yep, don't base taking credit on how well you did on the test. If you don't know the material, DO NOT TAKE THE CREDIT. You're only screwing yourself in the long run.

On the flip side, AP (plus all the other college hours I got during HS) was the only way I finished by BSEE + Biology minor (~180 credit hours total) in 4 years.

 

[Oddball]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oistrakh Since everybody in these days are so competitive, I doubt I'll even make it into Cornell.... Let me guess you got straight 99% in your AP classes which was why you were accepted into Princeton?

Heck no. I've never gotten a 99% in a HS class. [but then again, grading systems vary by school, so it really depends]

I used to buy into the idea that I could predict what colleges I'd get into, but somehow I got accepted by Princeton but rejected by Penn, I consider to be a slightly less selective school. If you would've made me predict my results, I probably would've said the opposite. I have no idea why Princeton accepted me, though I can come up with some potential reasons, I have no definitive answer. I could give you my gpa, class rank, sats, sat iis, resume, etc. etc. for you to pour over, but really, you won't be able to find any solid trends. I'm just one student. All you can do is put out the best side of you that you can and hope that a college thinks you're special. Ivies will tend to reject people based on whims/small reasons because they have such a large pool of good students. Although I'd like to think otherwise, getting accepted/rejected by any certain school isn't an affirmation or denial of your academic ability/worth. It's just a decision made by a certain group of people at a certain time given certain information.

Throughout this college admissions season, I've seen my friends who deserved to get into a certain school get rejected and others who weren't so worthy (imo) get in. I believe that you can't really predict college admissions accurately.

I've been told by admissions officers that AP class grades are usually considered to be more important than the exam results since classes last a year whereas exam grades come from your performance from three hours. Try your best on the tests, but don't freak out about them.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Some colleges now grant credit based on your Head-Fi post count. Have Jude send them a notarized printout with your application.

But seriously, the AP tests are a good thing. During high school, I took three of them and got credit. I also took a class at the local community college and got credit. My grades were a mixed bag, but I had good test scores and tons of extracurricular. Got into my first choice anyhow and, thanks to the AP tests and the class, I picked up a B.A. in seven semesters. No regrets whatsoever. A December graduation makes for a nice break before grad school, too. Which I did. And did again... and might go knock off a fourth degree this fall, too.

Oh yeah, go have some fun while you're in school. Like I said, my grades were a mixed bag all the way. That was, in part, due to the fun. Now, at 33, everything turned out OK. If I had killed myself for a slightly higher GPA, I would have missed out on so much.

And remember this: when you get out in the real world, 90% of your co-workers were not in the top 10% either. And they don't give a rat's hindquarters whether or not you were. No one has ever asked me what my GPA was during an interview.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Hmmm, the way people are talking, I wonder how I managed to attend a "highly ranked" college for undergrad/grad.

I obtained none of these supposedly "required" accolades. From what I can discern:

1) In general, rich people end up attending the "highly ranked" private schools.

2) In general, poorer people end up attending the public schools.

3) There are plenty of smart, but poor, kids.

4) It doesn't really matter, because in the end, the kids with the good test scores and GPA's in college get to attend where ever they want, regardless of the prestige of their undergraduate college. The quality of the graduate program you attend matters far more than your undergraduate training.

-Matt

 

[ScubaSteve87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 Hmmm, the way people are talking, I wonder how I managed to attend a "highly ranked" college for undergrad/grad. I obtained none of these supposedly "required" accolades. From what I can discern: 1) In general, rich people end up attending the "highly ranked" private schools. 2) In general, poorer people end up attending the public schools. 3) There are plenty of smart, but poor, kids. 4) It doesn't really matter, because in the end, the kids with the good test scores and GPA's in college get to attend where ever they want, regardless of the prestige of their undergraduate college. The quality of the graduate program you attend matters far more than your undergraduate training. -Matt

I think people forget one major factor in highly ranked private schools(NOT public) Legacy status is a huge part. They told me when I visited harvard that over 50% ofthe student pop was legacy, they wouldn't give me an exact number. So a bigger factor than race or if your parents went to college or if you are poor....did mom and dad go to the school too. Remeber this is private schools. Legacy doesn't do crap at public. My whole family went to berkeley and my dads Phd advisor was a former director of admissions and still I had a slim to none chance because I was out of state.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 Hmmm, the way people are talking, I wonder how I managed to attend a "highly ranked" college for undergrad/grad.

Heh, there's always the possibility that the application/selection system is completely random.

 

[tennisets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 Hmmm, the way people are talking, I wonder how I managed to attend a "highly ranked" college for undergrad/grad. I obtained none of these supposedly "required" accolades. From what I can discern: 1) In general, rich people end up attending the "highly ranked" private schools. 2) In general, poorer people end up attending the public schools. 3) There are plenty of smart, but poor, kids.

For what it's worth Harvard, Princeton, and Yale (and Northwestern) are all need-blind. They do not take into account applicants' financial situation until after they have been accepted, and then provide 100% need-based aid.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve87 I think people forget one major factor in highly ranked private schools(NOT public) Legacy status is a huge part. They told me when I visited harvard that over 50% ofthe student pop was legacy, they wouldn't give me an exact number.

So just go to Harvard Medical School instead, and establish legacy that way. There's this obsession with the Harvard name that compels many undergraduates toward it because they think that the Harvard name will give them a leg up in graduate/professional school admissions, but you pre-meds keep in mind that many Harvard College alums go off to the same medical schools as people from "lower" schools. Hard for high schoolers to realize....but hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JahJahBinks there can only be one valedictorian in a school.

Unless there are co-valedictorians with the same GPA.