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Geek Culture / AP Workload

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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 06:29
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So next year I'm going to be a junior in high school, and my schedule is looking like this so far:

-AP English Language
-AP Physics C
-AP European History
-AP Biology
-AP Chemistry
-Two easy electives

...plus Calculus I and II at a local community college.

Now I'm normally a very fast learner, so I'm not that concerned with the material covered in these classes so much as the workload. How much homework do most AP classes give every night?

I figured we have a lot of high school students here, many of whom are probably in several AP classes, so they could give me an idea of the workload.

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Xarshi
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 07:02
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Does your school not offer an AP Calculus class? My school offers two AP calculus courses, both of which cover Calculus 1 and 2. Unless you didn't have room.

Generally, from what I've gathered, AP classes tend to give a decent amount of homework every night.

However, my AP Computer Science class hardly qualifies as a standard AP class. So that just shows that AP classes don't have to have a large amount of homework (we have next to none as long as you program the stuff in class).

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jasonhtml
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 07:40
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well, imo taking 3 AP science classes + 2 others is absolute suicide. i took all three, but each in different years. physics C was by far the hardest and the workload is about 2 hours per night (at least, for my school it was). bio was challenging. and i never took AP english or AP euro, but from what i heard they are easy, but time consuming.

another thing to consider is how much those AP classes effect you. i didn't take AP euro because it wouldn't help me at all in college. whereas, the science classes gave me credit towards classes, so now i dont have to take those them (i'm currently a freshman at UCLA).

to sum it up: i think you should drop AP euro because it's a pointless waste of time. that way, u might have enough time and energy to tackle the other 4 APs. this is all my opinion of course, so don't take it as fact. just make sure you don't burn yourself out

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BearCDP
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 11:54 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 11:54
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I remember Junior year pretty much blowing 99% of the time, and I didn't take AP Chem . . .

But then again my little brother's a junior now, and he's laughing at me and claiming he's having a grand time. So, I guess it depends on how well you manage your time.

AP English doesn't have a lot of homework outside of reading usually, since you'll write most essays in-class in preparation for the exam.

Make sure you do your reading for history on time when they're assigned so you get a full grip on what's going on and can talk intelligently about it. At least for AP U.S. History, they have these things called document-based questions where you basically write a mini essay about cultural/political/whatever forces influencing events/movements/whatevers. If you have a grasp of how things went down in your own head it's a lot easier to write these. I made the mistake of cramming the reading and it bit me in the butt.

Oh, and Calc I will start to get easy, but don't get comfortable, Calc II is a monster.

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Peter H
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 12:04 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 12:05
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If you're really smart, then only take AP classes if they give you college credit.

College classes aren't that hard, and if you're just going to have to take physics, biology, and chemistry all over again once you get to college then what is the point?

On the other hand having college credits going into college is nice. Gives you freedom to take a lighter load or do whatever you want.

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BearCDP
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 12:08
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Quote: "If you're really smart, then only take AP classes if they give you college credit."


That's another thing to consider. I took AP English Language and Literature. Turns out that while the English department talked up how great it is to pass out of English classes, turns out that our state university only accepted one or the other, you couldn't double up on both to get out of multiple courses (I can't remember if AP English counts toward a semester or a year of college English).

What's even worse is when I showed up to my advisement appointment at New York University, turns out they don't take any AP English credit and I had to take their awful writing class anyway.

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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 15:15 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 15:17
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Quote: "Does your school not offer an AP Calculus class? My school offers two AP calculus courses, both of which cover Calculus 1 and 2. Unless you didn't have room."


Ya, I didn't have any room and it's needed for AP Physics. I think I'm going to drop AP Bio and replace it with AP Calc, and I'm not totally sure as to whether I'll take AP Chem--AP Physics C is the only AP science that I *really* want to take.

Quote: "College classes aren't that hard, and if you're just going to have to take physics, biology, and chemistry all over again once you get to college then what is the point?

On the other hand having college credits going into college is nice. Gives you freedom to take a lighter load or do whatever you want."


Yeah, that's the goal. AP Physics C is the equivalent of a freshmen course in an engineering or physics program.

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MikeS
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 17:17
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My advice to you is to work very very hard. If you can get through the course load and get sufficient passing scores on the AP tests in May two things will happen for you.

1.) You will probably get done with the year early, depending on your school, as most AP tests are taken in early May.

2.) Your freshmen year of college, you will knock out a semester(or about two quarters) worth of courses, and can begin studying your major earlier! (And saving quite a bit of money!)

As far as homework goes, you will have quite a bit, but it looks like it will be manageable. I remember thinking that high school work loads were intense, but just wait until you get in college.

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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 17:54 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 17:58
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Quote: "1.) You will probably get done with the year early, depending on your school, as most AP tests are taken in early May."


Yeah, most APs at my school have euchre tournaments, watch movies, etc. for the remaining month after the AP test.

Quote: "2.) Your freshmen year of college, you will knock out a semester(or about two quarters) worth of courses, and can begin studying your major earlier! (And saving quite a bit of money!)

As far as homework goes, you will have quite a bit, but it looks like it will be manageable. I remember thinking that high school work loads were intense, but just wait until you get in college. "


Yeah, if all goes well I should have 13 credits by the time I graduate, and although I know a couple of them may not be accepted by my number one choice (Carnegie Mellon) I'll still have a good 10 or 11 credits that will transfer over.

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Blobby 101
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 18:33
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What's an AP? This is all confusing me a bit xD In England we start Secondary School (often called high school) at 11 but I assume your older than that. Anyway, Good luck with your courses

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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 18:42 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 18:43
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Quote: "What's an AP? This is all confusing me a bit xD In England we start Secondary School (often called high school) at 11 but I assume your older than that. Anyway, Good luck with your courses "


An AP course is an advanced placement class that is taken in high school (four years, from ages 14 or 15 to 18 or 19) and--if you gut sufficient scores on the exam--counts as college (uni in England) credit.

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BearCDP
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 19:14 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 19:14
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Are you looking at Carnegie Mellon's MET program?

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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 20:19
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Actually until just now I had never even heard of it, but it sounds interesting so I'll have to take a look at it. I've been looking mostly at either Comp Sci, considering that's what CMU's most known for, or Physics.

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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 21:18
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I took mostly AP classes in high school, and it was surprisingly easy for me, but that was probably because I didn't take the math or sciences AP courses, only comp sci, english, and history. My schedule Junior year looked like:

-AP English Language
-AP US History
-AP Computer Science 1
-Honors/Pre-AP Sociology/AP Psychology
-Honors/Pre-AP Precalculus
-Honors/Pre-AP Physics
-Honors/Pre-AP Spanish 3

And Senior year:

-AP English Literature
-AP Government/Economics
-AP Computer Science 2
-AP Spanish 4
-Criminal Investigations (blow off elective)


Math and science has never been my strong point, and since they weren't required senior year in high school where I went, I didn't take them, which I regret now that I only just managed to pull off a C+ in Calculus I in college. I think those are the one's that make up most of the workload. Computer Science was hardly an AP class, it was an easy A even if you didn't have previous programming experience, although most colleges won't accept those AP credits, but it was a good GPA booster. English and history really weren't bad either where I went, English was all just reading and a few essays, and history was about the same. I ended up getting 12 credit hours (Government, Economics, US History, and Spanish 4), because I got a 3 on both English exams and needed a 4, which is a decent chunk of classes. One of my friends who took basically every AP class he could managed to get out of 46 credits (about 3 semesters) in college .

So, now that I've told you my entire academic history, I would recommend dropping one of those sciences and replacing it with calculus if you plan on having a chance of doing anything but studying all the time .


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AndrewT
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Posted: 13th Dec 2009 21:26 Edited at: 13th Dec 2009 21:26
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Quote: "So, now that I've told you my entire academic history, I would recommend dropping one of those sciences and replacing it with calculus if you plan on having a chance of doing anything but studying all the time ."


Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to save AP Bio for my senior year, however I'm not sure if I'll replace it with Calc because at my school it takes two full years to get through Calc I and II, whereas if I enroll at a local community college after school I can get all the way through Diff. Eq. before I graduate.

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