This posting is the second of a three-part series on What parents need to know about Advanced Placement (AP). . . but didn’t know to ask!
In last week’s posting, we addressed the #3 Most common response about AP. Now, for this week, we provide 2 tips to address the
#2 Most common response about AP
Tip 1: Read the fine print on AP credit granting
Every college is different when it comes to granting AP credit. If your teen is taking AP to advance in a topic area or challenge themselves, that’s a good thing. If your teen is merely taking AP for the sake of getting college credit, that’s a nuanced thing!
Check out the language of AP credit from this college:
AP US History
Score: 4 or 5
*Must complete a History course at Bowdoin with a minimum grade of B. If a student has scores for more than one exam (ie. AP European History), only 1 total credit will be awarded.
Bowdoin received about 6,700 applications last year. So, it’s likely that of the 1M + high school students applying to college this year, that Bowdoin is not on your teen’s college list. Whatever college is on their list, please check the guidelines for granting AP credit. The guidelines vary by college and their website should provide the details for granting AP credit.
Tread carefully with skipping any introductory college course
In some cases, a student may be able to skip an introductory course if they earn a 3” or higher on an AP test.
Pause.
Think about this option a bit more . . . . It could actually work to the student’s disadvantage to skip an introductory college-level course. The introductory college courses are typically very different from your AP course in high school. (One of the reasons that AP is being revamped.) Skipping an introductory course can turn out to be a setback for the student’s GPA and confidence in freshman year.
Next week, we will cover part three of this three-part series on What parents need to know about Advanced Placement (AP) . . . but didn’t know to ask!
