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Features:
A Message
from Claes Nobel
A Message from
Outgoing Student Council
Advisory
Board Highlights
New Student
Council
College-Bound
Advice
The Value of
Taking AP Classes
Begin College
Applications Now
My Take on the
SAT
Getting a Head
Start Never Hurt Anybody
Spotlight
on Service -- From your own Backyard to a Nicaragua
Village
The Power of
Committed Citizens -- Helping the Poor in Nicaragua
J.M.H.
Academy Volunteer Effort -- Cordele, Georgia, Health and
Rehabilitation Center
Giving Back
to Your Local Community
Special
Opportunities -- Students Take Advantage of Exciting
Programs
AFS Exchange
Program -- Living in Brazil
Summer Business
Institute -- LEAD (Leadership Education and
Development)
Summer in
Switzerland for Natasa Kovasevic
Food for Thought
For the Devout
Carb-Quitters: New Bread that is Literally Nothing
Living
Successfully
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The Value of Taking AP Classes
by
Vanessa Rivera
Perth Amboy High School
Perth Amboy, New
Jersey
 Here's something you should definitely be thinking about
over the summer. If you start thinking about this now and act upon
it during the new school year, you will stand out in the college
admissions process, gain an edge in college preparation, broaden
your intellectual horizons, possibly save up to $3,000, and maybe
even get an award! Getting curious now? What could possibly do all
that? Well, the answer to your question is AP courses.
The
only requirements to take AP courses are a strong curiosity about
the subject you plan to study and the willingness to work hard. AP
courses help you gain the edge in college preparation by enabling
you to get a head start on exactly the sort of work you will
confront in college. It makes you stand out in the college
admissions process by demonstrating your maturity and readiness for
college and emphasizing your commitment to academic excellence. It
also broadens your intellectual horizons by studying subjects in
greater depth and detail.
Are AP courses for you? Well, with
34 courses and exams in 19 subject areas, AP offers something for
everyone. You have the option of taking the AP exam for the AP
course you are enrolled in. However, if you are worried about how
well you will do, remember--you risk nothing by taking the exams.
You determine which colleges (if any) receive your AP Exam grades.
Taking the AP Exams will give you a clear understanding of what you
need to do to succeed on a college exam. More importantly, taking
the exams opens up a world of possibilities.
Here are just
some of the AP Exams that are available: Art History, Biology,
Calculus, Chemistry, English, French, German, Spanish, Economics, US
History, Statistics, and Psychology. You aren't even required to
take an AP course prior to taking an AP Exam. You can take as many
AP Exams as you want. The final grade is reported on a 5-point
scale:
5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well
qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no
recommendation
You can earn credit and/or placement at most
colleges and universities in the US, as well as colleges and
universities in 21 other countries, through qualifying AP Exam
grades. This could save you as much as $3,000 per course! At many of
these institutions, you can earn up to a full year of college credit
through a sufficient number of qualifying AP Exam grades. If you get
a 3 or higher on three or more exams you can also receive an AP
award.
Once you've decided to take the AP challenge, it's
easy to enroll. Just talk to an AP teacher or the AP Coordinator at
your school about the course you want to take. Discuss the workload
and any preparation you might need. The College Board's AP student
site is an invaluable resource: www.collegeboard.com/apstudents. So get ready and
take the AP challenge!
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