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That makes sense then. I did not see that before. Most schools here have about 99% graduation rate with the exception of the inner city schools which have about 45% graduation rates. We have 96% of our high school graduates going on to 4 year colleges, about 2% going into the military and community colleges and about 2% going into the workforce.
Which is why there is no "right" way, its just what's best for the individual child. I think she mentioned in another thread that she expects her to graduate with a 3.5 gpa (I'm not sure why, as she's only a freshman, I think). But given those same circumstances, (not a top performing school, not a high achiever, probably not going for an elite school), I think her plan for her daughter makes sense. She will graduate with college credit that will probably all transfer if she chooses a state school. AP classes don't make sense for all, but they are a must for those coveting select spots at certain universities, if they are offered to the other students.
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
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Originally Posted by cc0789
Which is why there is no "right" way, its just what's best for the individual child. I think she mentioned in another thread that she expects her to graduate with a 3.5 gpa (I'm not sure why, as she's only a freshman, I think). But given those same circumstances, (not a top performing school, not a high achiever, probably not going for an elite school), I think her plan for her daughter makes sense. She will graduate with college credit that will probably all transfer if she chooses a state school. AP classes don't make sense for all, but they are a must for those coveting select spots at certain universities, if they are offered to the other students.
A 3.5 unweighted GPA gets you into many great private schools, but yes the credit will still carry over most likely as a prerequisite fulfillment.
How about if we don't talk about ivorytickler as if she can't hear us. Even better, how about if we get back to the OP which was specifically asking about freshman taking Human Geography.
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
467 posts, read 712,907 times
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Originally Posted by toobusytoday
How about if we don't talk about ivorytickler as if she can't hear us. Even better, how about if we get back to the OP which was specifically asking about freshman taking Human Geography.
Well, I'm actually in the class right now. If the student has any prior geographical knowledge, then the class will be a cakewalk. It is the easiest of all APs if you like social studies and it is very much common sense.
My freshman year in college I was a chemistry major so I took the intro courses for that. It was the same course the engineering students took. In high school we had up through Calculus so the math class in college was the same (but I tested out of that so I didn't have to take it).
I think the real issue you are having is that your particular educational experiences in high school and college are not at the same level as we are talking about here. It doesn't sound like you had the opportunities in high school that the kids in our area have. It also sounds like your DD's school is in the same boat if they only let 3 kids take the dual enrollment. Again, I would STRONGLY suggest talking to some admissions counselors about your plans, outside of the MI state school system and ask THEM since you don't believe us.
The AP Chem class our kids are taking is harder and more is expected of them, then the classes I had in college (I only took 2 semesters of college Chem). I also have to say that the quality of the teacher makes a huge difference. Our twins have two different AP Chem teachers and our daughter's teacher has MUCH higher expectations then our son's teacher, but they are both very difficult classes. For Dd's first lab this year, I was reading over her lab journal and was thinking "wow, she gets this already". Her notes were very detailed, very comprehensive, she got a 5 out of 10 on that entry. Her teacher has a PhD in chemistry.
Dd has a couple friends that are in the IT program at the University of MN. They have said that their chemistry and calc classes are on par with the AP classes they took in high school (for freshman classes--they are sophomores now). They were VERY happy they had the classes they did.
So WHY did you ask about my experiences??? Just so you could say they aren't typical?
My experience is that high school and collge have been dummied down in the last 30+ years. We did many of the AP labs in my high school chem class. Today, you have to take an AP class to do them. That makes AP the equivalent of yesteryear's non college prep track (I was not a college prep student) and if that's accepted as college credit, Lord help us....
As to college, I went to college in the late 80's and again in the early 2000's. Trust me, it's dummied down just in that time. The most marked difference being that my fellow students couldn't think critically or self assess.
How about if we don't talk about ivorytickler as if she can't hear us. Even better, how about if we get back to the OP which was specifically asking about freshman taking Human Geography.
Well, I'm actually in the class right now. If the student has any prior geographical knowledge, then the class will be a cakewalk. It is the easiest of all APs if you like social studies and it is very much common sense.
Have you read Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond? That's what my HumGeo teacher assigns as the summer reading.
We have a problem with the text right now, enough so that we gave the class a hiatus this year (well that's the official story. Intra-departmental politics played a bigger part with teachers wanting to get all the Honors/AP classes possible due to our new evaluation tool which uses test scores and class grades as the measuring metric.)
So WHY did you ask about my experiences??? Just so you could say they aren't typical?
My experience is that high school and collge have been dummied down in the last 30+ years. We did many of the AP labs in my high school chem class. Today, you have to take an AP class to do them. That makes AP the equivalent of yesteryear's non college prep track (I was not a college prep student) and if that's accepted as college credit, Lord help us....
As to college, I went to college in the late 80's and again in the early 2000's. Trust me, it's dummied down just in that time. The most marked difference being that my fellow students couldn't think critically or self assess.
Because based on your posts here I don't think your experiences ARE typical for better school districts around the country. It isn't that back in the 80's we did harder work, AP just wasn't as common as I explained in an earlier post. AP credits are a response to the high cost of college, nothing more. It doesn't mean that the classes are harder then our advanced classes back in high school, they just have a different name. Like I said, I was able to test out of several classes in college based on my high school coursework, same as getting credit or higher placement for AP classes today. The point is, colleges want to see AP classes on your transcript, period. Point also being that most better colleges do NOT accept CC credits (outside of the state systems) whether you chose to believe that or not. I think you are going to find that your DD is going to have issues when it comes to applying for colleges unless she is only looking at in-state state schools.
Also, like I said earlier, our kids, in their AP classes are doing MUCH MORE then I ever did in high school or my freshman year in college...this is what is happening in better schools around the nation and these are the kids your child will be up against for college admissions.
Some caveats on the AP exam, as a professional geography with a graduate education in geography.
AP Geography is nothing like college geography. Most entry level college geography courses are more advanced, and as such not many schools accept AP Human Geo for credit. I do not know of any geography programs that accept the course for major credit at all.
Passing the test is easy, but that is partly because the written section scores are so abysmally low. When the raw scores are posted every year, the average score is normally around a 2-3 on a 2 to 10 pt scale.
So, understand that the course is not really a college level course, is easier than other AP courses to earn credit, but is not as simple a course as it seems (students just perform universally poorly on it).
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
467 posts, read 712,907 times
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Originally Posted by North Beach Person
Have you read Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond? That's what my HumGeo teacher assigns as the summer reading.
We have a problem with the text right now, enough so that we gave the class a hiatus this year (well that's the official story. Intra-departmental politics played a bigger part with teachers wanting to get all the Honors/AP classes possible due to our new evaluation tool which uses test scores and class grades as the measuring metric.)
I'm actually doing the class online, but I try to treat it as much a classroom class as possible. We actually don't have summer reading for many classes at my school.
@Marigolds6: I felt that the multiple choice was extremely easy though, so that may also make the AP Exam very easily "passable."
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So WHY did you ask about my experiences??? Just so you could say they aren't typical? 
