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February 11, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR SUZAN SONG IN
IL
I don't really know much about the junior college classes,
but I think both
those classes and the APs are good. People take the AP exams
so they can pass
out of the college introductory courses. For example, I took
4 AP classes in
high school. Then took the AP exams and did okay. So I was
able to skip 4
introductory classes in college and move on to the higher
level ones. But you
have to make sure that the college will give credit for that
exam.
The junior college classes are also good if you can get credit
for them. The
key issue is what will challenge you the most. If the junior
classes are too
easy, then I'd recommend not taking them - you're going to
spend 4 years in
college, why take them now :) Whatever will challenge you
will give you the
most reward in the future (this is all only my opinion of
course). Regardless,
if you're debating the 2 issues, you must be doing well :)
take care.
February 10, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR CHARLENE CASSIDY
IN SC
Alicia, good for you for challenging yourself with AP and
college prep classes. It is admirable that you want to take
some general education classes while you are in high school.
I think colleges will view both AP classes and college classes
equally, both have merit. Different colleges have different
requirements for how many and what transfer credits they will
accept from other institutions. Sometimes it is difficult
to find out what credits will transfer until you try to do
it. If you have a couple of colleges you are interested in,
it may not hurt to contact them and see what, if any, transfer
credits they accept from the junior college you are planning
on attending.
Regarding Junior college being easier than AP classes -- I
wouldn't count on it. Remember -- you will get out of a course
what you put into it. Regardless of the classes you take you
will need to spend time preparing for lecture, doing homework
and other assignments and preparing for examinations. College
students will be a couple of years older than you and their
instructors will expect them to have the maturity to be prepared
and do assignments on time without much supervision and reminding.
Since you are taking AP courses already, I'm sure that you
have the maturity and skills to be successful taking college
courses.
Perhaps you want to consider taking one AP courses a semester
and one college course -- don't overload yourself. If you
have an idea of what you want to major in, choose AP courses
that will benefit you in that major -- or choose something
that interests you. Also, if your high school does not have
a program where you can take college courses during the school
day, you will have to take evening classes 2 to 3 nights per
week for a couple of hours -- this may impact your ability
to keep up with your high school work.
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A: FROM GUEST MENTOR STEPHEN PULTZ, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
AT THE UNI VERSITY OF SAN DIEGO IN CA
Colleges and universities differ in the way they handle college
transfer
classes. Some may only accept classes from certain colleges,
others may
have limits on the number and type of classes they accept.
This can
sometimes be affected by the major you choose - for example
some
business programs only accept upper level business and math
classes
(classes that are only taught to juniors or seniors in college).
Most colleges do recognize AP courses and many will accept
college
credit if you take the AP exam and score at least a 3 (although
schools
will require a 4 to get credit). Since many general education
programs
include English, math, a foreign language, history, or art,
the AP's are
a great way to earn credit in these areas. In addition, most
colleges
will look at students who take AP level classes as having
challenged
themselves at a higher level than other students. That can
help in the
admissions process.
Of course, you want to work with your counselor and teachers
to make
sure you can handle the workload of an AP course. It isn't
good to
challenge yourself to the point of not doing well.
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