Something that I wish I would've known a little more about before I started college was how my advanced placement credits (A.P. credits) would work towards college credits. I know the logistics of college credit really depend on the school, but as it worked out for my benefit, I wanted to share my experience.
My junior and senior years of high school, my schedule was loaded up with as many A.P. Classes as possible. If it could be taken A.P., I was most likely taking it A.P. And if it wasn't A.P., I was taking honors (I even took choir as an honors class!). So, it's safe to say that I had a pretty hectic schedule, but looking back on it, I really appreciate that I did. Having such a heavy course load allowed me to work on the organization and perseverance necessary to make it through difficult academic circumstances. Now, I'm not going to lie. Some days when there was an assignment due in every class, I questioned whether or not I had put too much on my plate. But even if I had, it was too late, and all I could do was push through. This allowed me to gain the mentality that I needed to succeed and also the mentality that I assume I will need in medical school.
I also believe that my A.P. Courses better prepared me for college. Now, the thing about college classes is that they typically work on a level system ( i.e. level 100, level 200, and level 300) with the courses increasing in difficulty by level. By senior year, your major classes will most likely be in the 300 levels. A.P. classes are most comparable to 100 level classes, which is totally fine because these are the classes you'd be starting out with freshman year anyway. Also, many of the "core" classes you take are 100 level, so if you get A.P. credit for a class, you might not have to take one of your core classes ( I got lucky and my A.P. U.S. History credit got me out of two history core classes!). Aside from the credit, I think the best thing you get out of your A.P. courses is the familiarity with the structure of a college class. Like college classes, A.P. courses have the typical test, quiz, homework, project components with comparable difficulty. The difficulty of a college class will really depend on your professor as they are the ones that generally set the grading scale and expectations for the course. But difficulty aside, A.P. courses will allow you to better navigate through freshman year (and the other years if you come in with a lot of A.P. credits).
A.P. Credits and College Credits
I'm not quite sure how this works out for each school, so I'm just going to speak to how it worked at my university. For my school, courses were typically worth around 3.0 credit hours. If they were worth more, it was because they had another component to the class (i.e. an associated lab). For A.P. credit, you typically have to score a 3 or higher in order to get college credit, and I believe that what you get depends on how you scored. Some of my A.P. courses I did craptastic on ( *ahem* calculus) and didn't receive credit, but the ones I did well on, I got a decent amount. So, I will share those with you.
My A.P. Classes and Credits
1.) A.P. Literature and Composition ( score 5)- I didn't have to take my freshman writing seminar (worth 3.0 credit hours).
2.) A.P. U.S. History (score 4)- I didn't have to take my two required history core classes (worth 6.0 credit hours).
3.) A.P. Literature and Language (score 4)- I got credit towards one of my literature cores (worth 3.0 credit hours).
4.) A.P. Psychology ( Score 4)- I got out of taking psych 101 which went towards my minor (worth 3.0 credit hours).
5.) A.P. Biology ( Score 4)- I got out of Freshman year bio in its entirety. That means, Biology 101, Biology 102, and the two labs (worth 8.0 credit hours!).
After adding up the credits, I received about 23.0 credit hours from my A.P. exams. An average college semester is usually around 15.0 credit hours, so I got a whole semester (plus a little more) out of the way. This worked out really well for me as I had the ability to take less than 15.0 credits (if necessary) each semester and could still meet the credit requirement for graduation ( for me that was 120 credits and I actually graduated with more than that). Not having to take as many credits was super useful junior year when I was studying for the MCAT because I had the ability to have a "lighter" semester so I could fit in MCAT prep.
So, if the above information didn't make it apparent, my whole point was to emphasize how beneficial A.P. courses can be. Along with the class, I highly suggest that you take the exam. I know they are a bit pricey (especially if you have to take several like I did), but they are totally worth it if you score well. Even if you don't, the worst part is just losing the money you paid for it, because you'll still gain the experience.
I hope you had a great week and that you have an awesome weekend. I'll talk to you soon!
~ Genesis<3
