Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level courses offered to high school students. There are currently 38 AP courses in the Arts, English, History & Social Science, Math & Computer Science, Science, and World Languages & Cultures, although not all are offered at all high schools. The curriculum for each of these courses is written by The College Board – the same folks who bring you the SAT exam – and there is an exam for each course in May. Students who score 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) are offered college credits by many of the nation’s colleges and universities. Last May, close to three million students nationwide took more than 5 million AP exams, and their scores were reported to more than 3,300 colleges and universities.
Parents and students often ask, “Are AP courses really necessary?” The answer is both yes and no – depending on the student’s ambitions and college goals. When students apply to college, they are basically in competition with their peers. Most colleges want a geographically well-rounded student body. So college admissions officers will compare all of their applicants from the same high school and favor those with the most impressive academic record based on SAT scores, GPA, and competitive course load. While there is no college in the country that outwardly states a requirement for AP courses, students are well aware that these higher-level courses, that indicate an ability to successful complete college level work, are viewed most favorably by college admission staff.
Spring break is highly anticipated by all students. It’s an escape from the academic pressures of the school year. It’s also the ideal time to visit colleges and start to identify which schools may, or may not, be potential “good fit” colleges.
Typically, colleges schedule their spring breaks in early March while high schools hold them in late March or April. This provides the perfect opportunity for high school students to tour college campuses while classes, activities, and college life are in full swing. By doing so, college bound students can get a good feel for a college and assess whether it meets their academic, social, and lifestyle preferences.
A key criterion evaluated by college admission officers is the competitiveness of an applicant’s high school transcript. Colleges want to see students stretching to take more rigorous classes over the course of their high school years, typically advancing from the “college prep” level to honors and ultimately to AP (Advanced Placement).
When choosing the particular subject areas in which to take more competitive courses, students should certainly take into account their talents and interests. Students who plan to major in a science-related field in college should strive to take AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or both while in high school. It will ultimately boost their college applications and will impart knowledge that will later be helpful in their college studies.
When considering the most prestigious colleges in the United States, the eight Ivy League schools, all located in the northeast, most often come to mind. The first of these elite schools was Harvard, founded in 1636, with Yale following in 1702. Five more of these institutions were established in the mid-1700’s (University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Dartmouth) while Cornell was founded in 1865.
But the term Ivy League wasn’t coined until 1954 when the NCAA athletic conference for Division I was formed. Since then, these elite schools have certainly maintained their athletic rivalries. But a sense of academic competitiveness thrives as well, with many of these institutions claiming bragging rights for the number of U.S. presidents they’ve educated. Harvard: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, Barack Obama. Yale: William Howard Taft, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush. Columbia: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Barack Obama. Princeton: James Madison, Woodrow Wilson. University of Pennsylvania: William Henry Harrison, Donald Trump. (Several presidents attended more than one school.)
More students in the last graduating class than ever before took the SAT exam –more than 2.2 million. Still, many others (nearly 1.8 million) chose the ACT as an alternative exam for college admission.
It’s important for students to realize that all colleges accept either SAT or ACT scores on college applications, and no college requires both. So it’s best for students to choose one test, and then carefully prepare.
Just like the SAT, the ACT has one Reading section and one English section (although it’s called “Writing and Language” on the SAT). The main difference is that the SAT has two Math sections, while the ACT has one Math and one Science section. Both tests offer an optional essay.
The vast majority of elite colleges and universities “invite” thousands of high school students – and sometimes even middle school students – to spend a portion of their summer living on campus, attending classes, and experiencing the life of an undergraduate.
Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, The University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, UCLA, NYU, Duke, Boston College, and scores of other colleges and universities open their campus each summer to teens who later dream of returning for their college experience.
The problem is that the admission process for most summer programs can barely be considered competitive, while the admission process for undergraduate acceptance is truly daunting at many of these same institutions. Often students, and their parents, are under the false impression that attending a summer program for high school students at an elite school will ultimately help them gain acceptance for college. A recent Washington Monthly article, titled “The Pre-College Racket,” reported that, according to professional admissions consultants, attending a pre-college program seldom offers a special benefit or is particularly prestigious on college applications.
There are opportunities for students to graduate from college debt free, but it does require some advanced research and a basic understanding of some financial aid terms.
Money magazine recently published a list of 75 colleges that promise to meet 100% of students’ financial need. What does full need mean? It’s the difference between a family’s ability to pay (based on the FAFSA and sometimes the CSS Profile financial aid form) and a college’s price of attendance. But colleges can meet full need in a variety of ways. Many colleges start with federal student loans and work study and then add on scholarships to reach the monetary need. Other colleges have “no-loan practices,” allowing students to truly graduate debt-free.
