AP Classes

Throughout high school I never took them because I disliked being an overachiever. I get As in normal classes without ever studying. The extra effort in AP classes does not appeal to me. Also I will get stereotyped as an overachiever (hate those people). Are they really necessary to get into a decent college? Everyone I asked this about are like "JUST DO IT," without explaining to me the importance of taking AP classes.

Please tell me the tangible benefits of taking AP. I don't feel like giving up my gaming to study unless its for a good cause.

Well, first off, college would be cheaper since you don't have to pay for those classes since you already took AP.

Well, first off, college would be cheaper since you don't have to pay for those classes since you already took AP.

You got a good point there but I have no idea what I want to do in life. The AP classes I select might be completely useless for my future career.

You're taking a College class in Highschool, basically. Since everyone there is an overachiever, the class is much faster paced. If you hoar the courses in High School - I knew a kid who took like 12 - you can skip Freshmen year at most colleges. :|

You're taking a College class in Highschool, basically. Since everyone there is an overachiever, the class is much faster paced. If you hoar the courses in High School - I knew a kid who took like 12 - you can skip Freshmen year at most colleges. :|

I see, again, this is a matter of faster graduation in college. What about the acceptance process? Do I need AP classes to get into a better college? Or will the good ones reject my application since I didn't take any?

Most colleges you have to take basic United States History and such. You can't skip it altogether...unless you take AP.

Of course, some people will argue that you're going to have to take even harder classes in college and stuff.

Looks better on your transcript, anyways, assuming you did well in the course.

AP Classes won't affect your application beyond "oh, they took this instead of reg", as far as I know. It will get you out of taking the same class twice. Say Calc is a basic req for your school. Would you rather do it twice? (Once as a senior in HS and once as a Fresh in College) or once, in HS?

AP Classes won't affect your application beyond "oh, they took this instead of reg", as far as I know. It will get you out of taking the same class twice. Say Calc is a basic req for your school. Would you rather do it twice? (Once as a senior in HS and once as a Fresh in College) or once, in HS?

The schools I want to go to are all University of California (UC) schools. I read a bunch of the statistics of the accepted people. The people who took 8 or more semesters (4 years+) of AP classes generally have a higher acceptance rate than people who took less than 8 semesters of AP courses.

The schools I want to go to are all University of California (UC) schools. I read a bunch of the statistics of the accepted people. The people who took 8 or more semesters (4 years+) of AP classes generally have a higher acceptance rate than people who took less than 8 semesters of AP courses.

People who take 8+ are also over achievers, and probably run a 4.0 GPA with 50 hours of Community Service.
Correlation isn't causation.

People who take 8+ are also over achievers, and probably run a 4.0 GPA with 50 hours of Community Service.
Correlation isn't causation.

Who would you rather take? A kid who has an 95 in APUSH or a kid who has a 95 in regular U.S. History, considering everything else is the same?

Who would you rather take? A kid who has an 95 in APUSH or a kid who has a 95 in regular U.S. History, considering everything else is the same?

AP Classes won't affect your application beyond "oh, they took this instead of reg", as far as I know. It will get you out of taking the same class twice. Say Calc is a basic req for your school. Would you rather do it twice? (Once as a senior in HS and once as a Fresh in College) or once, in HS?

Taking AP won't hurt your chances, but not taking it won't kill you either.

People who take 8+ are also over achievers, and probably run a 4.0 GPA with 50 hours of Community Service.
Correlation isn't causation.

Really? In my Spanish 3 class, most of the kids in there have at taken at least 5 AP classes already. It made me feel very dumb to be in that class. Speaking of which, 50 hours of Service made me LOL. *didn't bother to do any here*

Taking AP won't hurt your chances, but not taking it won't kill you either.

Let's hope that's true lol. If it were for clogged schedule I woulda taken AP spanish along with AP gov and econ. But, I'm only taken gov and econ which puts me at only ONE AP class.

IMO, you should forget all about AP classes and don't interfere with your video game schedule. Obviously, there are many more tangible benefits to achieving level 200 in an online MMO than there are to taking advanced placement classes that would allow you to skip courses in college or make your application look more appealing to the admissions staff.

Obviously.

[COLOR="Magenta"]Do not take them.
Waste of time.
Too much work.

Work on scholarships instead, and I promise you you'll make way more money.[/COLOR]

IMO, you should forget all about AP classes and don't interfere with your video game schedule. Obviously, there are many more tangible benefits to achieving level 200 in an online MMO than there are to taking advanced placement classes that would allow you to skip courses in college or make your application look more appealing to the admissions staff.

Obviously.

This isn't even about MS. I enjoy gaming and love my online friendships. Due to personal reasons, AP classes will just make my already-crappy life at school even more frustrating. It will prolong my involvement in a place I do not wish to be at. Games, however, are an escape from this stressful environment.

[COLOR="Magenta"]Do not take them.
Waste of time.
Too much work.

Work on scholarships instead, and I promise you you'll make way more money.[/COLOR]

That I might do. Scholarships are generally grant money given to pay for your college in exchange for writing them some crap right? I think I'm good at that sort of stuff. Maybe I'll spend some effort there. :p

Taking AP classes does more wonders to you, given that you put your time and effort into it.

- Getting credit and/or allowing you to take advanced courses: this is very helpful (especially the credit part), and guarantees (to a certain extent) that you will graduate on time. You did say you're going to UC right? You do know about the massive budget cuts that is impacting both the UC/CSU system? This translates to less general ed. courses being offered.....well I'll let you fill in the blanks here. In short: that's where APs come and save the day.

- Show that you are dedicated to take college-level courses (aka show that you're ready for college): This is probably a big thing now, especially in the coming years. Admission officers want to see that you are taking challenging courses (and succeed in it). You could stand out in the admissions process if you have a few AP's done by the end of junior year (and getting scores of 4 or above)

People that call you "overachievers" are those that are simply jealous of what you're putting yourself up to, or those that are afraid to step up to the academic challenge (I apologize for any hasty generalization I may be making here). But remember though, come college application time, things definitely becomes lucid between those who get into the best schools and those who get into the "eh"/crappy schools. Now ask yourself: Were the "overachiever" taunts effective in the end?

Trust me, APs are very valuable (and it could be a godsend for you). However, that requires a bit of sacrifice on your own end. I myself took the initiative and quit MS so I could focus on my academics (and I've never regretted my decision. Ever). Why would you not give up gaming (as you put it in your own words) and simply do something that could provide many benefits for you in the long run? Academics first, entertainment second.

What the hell are AP Classes? Are they like school in Hard mode?

What the hell are AP Classes? Are they like school in Hard mode?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Classes

More homework, faster paced classes, more white kids being white kids, -almost- free college credit if you do well.

My school doesn't offer non-AP Clac, Physics, Gov & Econ, and more, I'm sure, if I looked.

Taking AP classes does more wonders to you, given that you put your time and effort into it.

- Getting credit and/or allowing you to take advanced courses: this is very helpful (especially the credit part), and guarantees (to a certain extent) that you will graduate on time. You did say you're going to UC right? You do know about the massive budget cuts that is impacting both the UC/CSU system? This translates to less general ed. courses being offered.....well I'll let you fill in the blanks here. In short: that's where APs come and save the day.

- Show that you are dedicated to take college-level courses (aka show that you're ready for college): This is probably a big thing now, especially in the coming years. Admission officers want to see that you are taking challenging courses (and succeed in it). You could stand out in the admissions process if you have a few AP's done by the end of junior year (and getting scores of 4 or above)

People that call you "overachievers" are those that are simply jealous of what you're putting yourself up to, or those that are afraid to step up to the academic challenge (I apologize for any hasty generalization I may be making here). But remember though, come college application time, things definitely becomes lucid between those who get into the best schools and those who get into the "eh"/crappy schools. Now ask yourself: Were the "overachiever" taunts effective in the end?

Trust me, APs are very valuable (and it could be a godsend for you). However, that requires a bit of sacrifice on your own end. I myself took the initiative and quit MS so I could focus on my academics (and I've never regretted my decision. Ever). Why would you not give up gaming (as you put it in your own words) and simply do something that could provide many benefits for you in the long run? Academics first, entertainment second.

Well probably because I want to prevent myself from failing if I suddenly become lazy. During middle school I took hard classes in the 8th grade and failed horribly.Think that did it for me and hard classes. I am always intimidated by any ADVANCED label. I think for me I am in "testing-the-waters stage." Which is NOT good this year, being a soon-to-be Senior I am. For that reason I'm taking 1-2 AP classes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Classes

More homework, faster paced classes, more white kids being white kids, -almost- free college credit if you do well.

So... these are classes with topics you don't normally see in average High School classes? More advanced stuff?