Survey posted 2000-07-16 05:35 by Nick Disabato.

Contribute ideas to surveys by sending a mail to survey@ticalc.org.

Furthermore note: You don't need to be in high school still to vote here. If you're 30 years old and you still remember your AP scores, by all means vote.

For more information on the Advanced Placement program and all the greatness that it is, go to www.collegeboard.org/ap .

--BlueCalx

I'm in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, a worldwide equivalent of AP. In the US IB and AP classes are usually quite similar, but we have the added joy of a class called Theory of Knowledge (ToK), basically a philosophy course.

www.ibo.org

IB has exams also, but they are on a 7-point scale instead of 5. Passing is 4. IB is more organized than AP, as IB has tracks for its diploma as opposed to AP's requirement of just passing an exam from each of the six disciplines.

I got a forking 3 on my AP European History exam, the only one I've taken to date. ACKPTH! One steenking point higher, and I would have a teacher override to an A =[

Second comment!

A couple of years ago, my high school was restructuring its honors courses. The school was thinking about taking on IB, but the price tag was way too high. Our school went with the AP courses, but we bastardized TOK and created a class called Ways of Knowing, WOK.
I wish more schools taught philosophy. It seems to me that the AP courses emphasis rote memorization and test-taking strategies. However, TOK emphasises understanding and recitation: oral examinations and everything!

What do other people think about AP courses? Are they worth it? Do you feel that you've done the equivalent of a year's worth of work at the university level? Should calculus be taught in high school to the masses?

Random IB joke:
YOu know you've been in IB too long when you copy from Cliff's Notes for the "What is Truth?" essay.

Actually, Calculus is taught to the masses at the high school I just graduated from, or at least those who made it that far. I had 35 people in my calc class all year out of 335 graduating. 10% of my graduating calss passing Calc I isn't to shabby.

(BTW: Wentzville-Holt High School's Math Team kicks ass)

hmmm...my calculus class only had about *14* people out of approx. 400 that graduated (AP Physics only had like 10!). Pretty pathetic, huh? oh well. I think it's a good idea for all schools to teach it no matter how small the classes get. Just because the majority of the students don't care about their futures and don't want to challenge themselves doesn't mean that they have to ruin it for the 8% that actually do.

BTW, this is Watsonville High in CA. where the teen pregnancy rate is higher than the national avg! That should tell you a little of how this school is in terms of the average intelligence of the students.

That is totally like my school, where I live Cowboys and farmers rule. Going up a few posts about philisophical classes and the Theory of Knowledge stuff, the closest thing to that in my school is the class that discusses the possibility of people in this universe that are "smart". The students who take that class are the ones that actually might pass a class or two on their schedule! Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who will graduate in my class of 600 hicks, cowboys, farmers, etc. Don't get me wrong - There are smart hicks, cowboys, farmers, just not any of them go to my school! The ones that are smart in my school are extremely smart- I view myself to be in the middle, the very small middle - 10-20 students tops, there is no bell curve in my school, it is more like a rollercoaster that doesn't go up at all.

Coral Gables Senior High's Calc team kicks major @$$! Last year we already had one heckuva calc team, and most of them were not seniors. Last year's precalc team moves up to join the calc team, and both of the algebra 2 team members from last year are currently taking precalc (ain't summer school fun?), so we'll be on the calc team also. Now if we could just get to sleep at a decent time on overnight trips, we would do even better...

hell yes - my district also offers dual enrollment, so night/net classes at my local CC are free. By the time I graduate, I'll have about 30 hours of college credit between AP and DE, and I didn't pay a god damn cent! YES!!!!

i thought i was the only one heh

Nope. According to the number of people that responded to a post on another message board below either a news post or another survey, there are at least 3 of us IB nerds that frequent ticalc.org

As a fellow IBer, I recommend you look at the IB jokes checklist I posted on my site. The link goes straight to the checklist this time.

don't feel bad i got a 3 on the european history exam also, but i got out of 2 history classes in college!

Three years ago I took four AP's and had two on one day. I thought that was something, six hours of testing. But trust me all you new college admits, AP's don't compare to the stress you have to look forward to over then next few years, especially if you go to a competitive school. Just out of curiosity though, what were the most difficult tests this year. I took Calc AB, Stat, Bio, and US Hist. I thought US History was the most difficult and Bio the most comprehensive. Stat was a joke that year and Calc was fairly straightforward, bread and butter problems.

Whoa, your AP schedule looks just like mine will next year, except for replacing Stat with English (I'll take Stat the following year). While I didn't take the US History test, the people I know who did though it wasn't too difficult. Out of the four people I've talked to, all of them recieved 5's. We did just get a new US Hist teacher, and she seemed very good when I took a different class with her. The only AP test I took was European History, and it wasn't too difficult (got a 4)

I guess what I meant by "difficult" was that you had to write quite a bit. I don't like speed writing tests too much, but I guess they test how familiar you are with the material. Anyway, I managed to get 5's on all the tests, but two of them didn't help me any in College. You can't get out of any Stat Course course by taking the AP Stat test in the Berkeley engineering program, and Bio has nothing to do with my major so I lost out there. Oh well. Another bit of advise for those of you considering taking courses in college you could get out of with AP
credit, don't do it. Even if you don't feel completely comfortable with the material, you will forget most of it after the final anyway leaving you in the same position. Besides college courses tend to be quite a bit harder to get A's in than good scores on an AP. So save yourself the stress. If there is anything you aren't comfortable with, you can always crack open a book and study just that.

and if you are going to berkeley....dont try to get out of taking classes with AP tests....berkeley classes are way better!!! so dont even bother tryin to get out of classes...except maybe calculus...

(just a tip for anybody thinkin of goin to Cal)

That depends on your professor. I know some that make class absolutly torture. I spent the first semester of my Sophomore year at Cal sleeping in because I learned more doing that than going to lecture. Then again, some professors are really great and make you want to go to class.
P.S. if you are interested in Astrophysics and if you can get in, go to CalTech or Berkeley. Only weenies go to Stanfurd.

I'm planning on majoring in one of the following(in no particular preferential order): astrophysics, theoretical physics, particle physics, electrical/computers engineering, or aerospace engineering.
I'm considering going to(from most interested in to least): CalTech, Berkeley, GA Tech, MIT.

These priorities could change, as I'm only a rising junior in high school and get to dive headfirst into IB this fall:)/:(
The link to my page goes straight to the ib jokes checklist I created (or "borrowed" parts of from the rest of the IB Webring).

My senior year is going to be<sarcasm>even more fun than yours around the month of May! Not only do I get the joy of AP exams in 5 subjects, I get the added fun of IB exams at almost the same time!</sarcasm>

A friend of mine has taken 7 AP tests and gotten all fives.

Not bad. Some of you guys are going to have your Bachelors before your HS diploma.

Advanced Placement...aha. I was having a very hard time getting that one figured out. (sorry, I don't speak the internet abbr. lang. ;-) ).

haven't taken them yet...so I voted "I haven't or won't". but, this is a very weirder than last time vote...very ;)

Steve
hey! does anyone know the URL?

It's not internet lingo: it's the standard abbreviation for Advanced Placement. It's used in class names, tests, and everywhere else. However, if you're not American, you probably wouldn't know it...

Statistics: Made 5's on both the practice exams, then made a really high 4 on the real exam.

Calculus (BC): Made low 5's on all the practice exams - all of them! Then I made a high 5 (virtually off the charts) on the actually exam.

AP English: Homosexual teacher didn't let me take the class, but I took one practice exam anyway and still made a 3. Practice, so it doesn't count.

I've taken no others...