AP’s different from college courses but prepare students well

Seniors Jenny Bakos (left), Paige Logan and Aksai Bapa work during their English Literature AP class. While AP and college classes are not equivalent, they are very similar in depth and difficulty.

According to the CollegeBoard, 90 percent of 4-year colleges give credit or advanced placement for qualifying scores.

While some may argue against this, claiming that AP courses are not comparable to college courses or aren’t similar to the college experience, these courses on the whole do more than enough in preparing students for college. Many AP courses are similar enough to college courses to prepare students, and those that aren’t structured like college courses still teach students valuable study habits for college.

While some college courses are indeed only based on a midterm and final exam grade, which is much different from AP courses, this is not true for all courses. Senior Edward Gu said that in his experience, college courses vary in their grading methods.

“When I took pre-calculus at De Anza, homework was not even considered as a part of the grade,” Edward said. “But this year for physics at Foothill, homework is 30 percent of the grade.”

Junior James Li also noted that the college course he took was “like a regular class, graded on tests and homework.”

He said the trigonometry class he took at Foothill was comparable to the AP’s he’s taking this year, and was “actually easier than some of [his] honors classes.”

AP classes at the school are also valuable in preparing students for college courses as they thoroughly teach the subject material and develop good study habits.

For Vlad Dembitsky, ‘09, the knowledge of the material he gained from taking AP classes was most valuable. He said of the seven AP classes he took at the school, four prepared him for college.

“Classes that focus more on learning help the most,” Dembitsky said.

Moreover, AP courses train students to develop good study habits. Thus, without necessarily simulating the college environment, students are prepared for college courses.

“The AP classes prepare us really well for college because they teach us a lot about responsibility and time management,” James said. “At least it helps build our tolerance.”

While some students are already looking for college-level work, for a majority of students, AP courses provide a good transition into college by providing challenging work that is taught like a high school course.

What is more, had the AP grading structure been based only on a midterm and a final exam, students would have had less opportunities to redeem themselves—not to mention that the incentive to take the class would decrease. Many students believe AP classes should help students succeed and gradually adjust to more challenging work.

“When there’s a test … the homework—basically busy work— actually becomes a good study guide,” junior Alex Guo said.

For those who really crave the college class experience, many students recommend Foothill College and De Anza College courses. In some cases, high school students have the option of pursuing independent study and taking a college course at these community colleges. However, these courses are not for students who just want to be excused from homework; many of these courses may still involve homework.

In the end, it is important to remember that AP courses are still high school classes—there will be time for college courses in college.

“AP courses are college-level courses for high school students,” Edward said. “AP does not mean college courses. The actual structure of the course should still be determined by the teacher.”

So while some may argue that AP courses don’t simulate the college course environment, AP courses prepare students for college by imparting knowledge and good study habits while helping students succeed in the high school environment. Those who feel that AP courses aren’t comparable to the college experience should reconsider. A course can successfully prepare students for college without necessarily being taught in the stereotypical college style.