What’s Different łÔąĎąŮÍř AP and Dual Enrollment Courses?

Both AP and dual enrollment courses are more advanced than regular high school courses, but have some key differences. To help compare them, here’s a table to help compare and contrast: 

These programs also have a number of similarities; both often require an additional fee, they generally require counselor approval to register for, and the exact courses which are offered depend greatly on the high school in question. In addition, the level of work is expected to be higher than is generally required of high school students.

Texas school districts are required to provide students with some way of earning college credit by law, however, this may be done through AP courses, IB courses, dual enrollment, or some combination thereof. Most high schools in Texas offer both AP and dual enrollment courses, though this is not universal. See our guide to finding the right high school for more information on evaluating the offerings of different schools, and seeing if they’re right for you.

A Note on Mechanical and Structural Differences

As a final note, AP Courses are at their core high school courses. They are meant to offer material at a similar level to an introductory college course, but they are still high school courses, with all that brings (as we’ve covered before). Dual enrollment courses are college courses, and have a different set of structures and expectations. 

These do not make one inherently better than the other, but can be a bit of a shock to experience if you aren’t expecting it. Dual enrollment courses generally have higher expectations and requirements for late or make-up work, offer no extra credit, and expect the high school students who enroll in them to comport themselves like any other college student in the course. This early taste of a collegiate experience can be extremely beneficial, but be aware of what you are in for.

College Credit for AP and Dual Enrollment

One of the primary benefits of either of these classes, and why they are favored by the state government in Texas, is that they allow students to earn college credits while still in high school. This not only helps prepare you for college, but can enable students to graduate faster, possibly accumulating less debt align the way. How colleges handle these credits differs greatly, however; we’ll look at the differences now.

AP Credits

AP credits are accepted by most US Colleges; a full list is maintained by . All of these colleges, however, have score requirements; you must get at least a 3 to earn credit, and many require you to earn a 4 or even a 5 to receive any. While the exact policies differ by school, there are some common trends to this pattern:

• The more competitive a college is, the higher their requirements for AP credits
• There are caps on how much total credit you can earn from AP courses
• AP credits may not be used for major-required courses, though in some limited cases may stand in for pre-req coursework; this usually requires you to also take a qualifying exam at the college however
• AP credits may or may not count for general education requirements; mostly, they count as elective credit

Thus AP credits can earn you some credit, but it’s rarely enough to graduate early, even by a semester, unless you also take very heavy courseloads your entire time in college. They are still useful, and the extra credits can give you more flexibility, but the benefits, especially at top colleges, are often overstated.

Dual Enrollment Credit

Dual enrollment credits come from the college awarding them, and are thus generally treated as transfer credits by universities. This can get messy quickly, as each college has their own policy for transfer credits. In many cases, however, this works far better when you stay in the same state. 

In almost all cases, dual enrollment courses are provided by a local community college. These colleges are generally already well known by public universities in the same state, which see many transfer applications from students going from two-year to four-year degree programs. They are very likely to know all of these courses well, and have set credit equivalencies. 

Going out of state becomes dicier; not impossible, but you may receive less generous interpretations or less credit. This, however, depends entirely on the college in question, and how they end up interpreting the courses offered by the community college. 

As transfer credits, these can often offer far more flexibility than AP credits if they are accepted, standing in for required pre-requisite courses or general education requirements. This does depend a lot on the college in question however, since each has their own credit policies. In general, however, you see slightly more flexibility with these credits. There is still a cap on the number you can enter with, especially as a first year, but it is higher than the cap on AP credits.

AP Courses, Dual Enrollment and You

Now that we’ve covered what these different options are, and how they apply to colleges, it leads to an obvious question: which of these different course types is the right choice for you? This depends on several different factors, which we will go through in turn.

What Your School Offers

Texas high schools are required to offer courses which can award college credit. These can be AP courses, dual enrollment, or both. They are not, however, specifically required to offer either. Thus your first point of reference should be whether or not your school offers these courses. 

If you are currently choosing between high schools, then their offerings of AP courses and dual enrollment courses can impact whether or not you choose to attend a particular school. It likely won’t be the only factor, but is definitely worth taking into account. Most top-performing public high schools in Texas offer both AP and dual enrollment courses.

Course Variation

There is also generally a divide in the courses that are offered as dual enrollment, and those that are offered as AP. in Houston, for example, is a good example of this. They offer many more AP than dual enrollment courses; there is some overlap as well, but many subjects are only offered as AP. There is only one dual enrollment history course, for example. 

When you have a choice, as at Clements between dual enrollment US History and AP US History, you should take whichever course you feel best equipped to succeed in. Both courses are seen by colleges as a way for students to push themselves academically; thus the major difference to admissions officers is how you perform in the option you choose. For more on course selection, see our guide here.

Your Future Plans

If you want to graduate college early, and are looking to stay in state and minimize the cost of college, then dual enrollment courses are a great way to do so. They simply offer more flexibility with course credits, and do not face the same caps that AP courses often do. If you are less certain about your plans, then AP courses can fill a similar niche, even if not as well.

Final Thoughts

The courses you take in high school matter for college applications, all the more so when those courses offer the chance to earn actual college credit. The two most common ways students have access to this are through AP courses and dual enrollment courses, and we hope this article has given you clear insight into how these different options work, and which might be the right choice for you to pursue.

We focused on Texas examples for this, but we work with students from across the country; if you’re looking for help navigating your local schools, or advice on your particular high school options, then we can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to help students achieve their educational goals. 

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The Trouble With Providing Accommodations

The problems we discuss here are variable by school and district, and stem mostly from how schools receive their funding. Not every school district will experience these problems, but we are going to provide a general overview of how things work when they do crop up. Note that your own school or district may have its own peculiarities. 

In some districts, there is a set amount of money per school that may be spent on offering accommodations. These often take some money; paying for additional resources for students, or getting alternative testing setups. If schools do not use all of this money, however, they may spend it on other things that they need, such as new textbooks or other supplies.

This creates an incentive in some schools to offer de facto rather than de jure accommodations. Students may have an arrangement where they receive extra time on tests, or take physical versions instead of digital, but this is not an official IEP or 504 plan, and does not count towards the school’s total, nor come out of their budget. 

This makes sense for the school, and seems fine for students, at least at first. After all, what matters is how they do on the tests, not what they are officially labeled as. The problems crop up when it comes time to apply for accommodations for the SAT and ACT however. These organizations look to see if students are already receiving any kind of accommodations from their high schools, and use these as a benchmark for what accommodations they should be expected to provide. 

Thus when the testing organizations ask students for examples of their current accommodations, students are empty handed, and left to scramble for reports from psychologists. This can lead to denials from the testing services, for accommodations students legitimately need. 

Each group here is acting in their own best interests, but the incentives placed on schools create a problem for students. If schools are not given sufficient funding and support at the district level, they often do not have the resources to properly support their students, leading directly to situations like this one. How likely this is to occur depends on how your district sets funding priorities for schools; we know from experience that this is a common concern in Texas, but it is hardly alone there. 

How to Advocate for Accommodations

While this situation is understandable from a school’s perspective, that doesn’t make it any better to be caught in as a student or parent. Luckily, there are some things you can do about it; in this section we’re going to go through what those are, and the order in which you should do them.

The first step is something you should do before you apply for accommodations at all. If you are in a position where you think your student needs accommodations, then you should begin by getting them officially tested by a medical professional. They can then give you recommendations for what accommodations would best support your student, and these requests will have more weight if they have an expert’s opinion behind them. 

When you request accommodations, there will be a meeting between you, the counselor, the school administration, and possibly one or more of your student’s teachers. This will be where things either go well, or start to go wrong. In ideal situations, schools will see the recommendations from the medical professional, and acquiesce, giving the student the accommodations they need via an official plan. If they quibble instead, that’s when things get exciting. 

There are two different ways schools commonly choose to not acquiesce to requests. The first is simpler, in that they simply disagree that the student needs the requested accommodations. This isn’t any fun, but is straightforward to approach. In these cases, you want to determine why exactly they denied your claim; maybe they felt that your child’s needs didn’t warrant accommodations, or maybe they felt the evidence provided wasn’t sufficient. 

In some cases, schools will differ from the opinion of psychiatrists. When this happens, getting a second opinion and reapplying can be your best bet. If you are not receiving the accommodations a student is legally entitled to, then a complaint to the with the US Department of Education may be your next step.

Note that even if schools do grant accommodations, they might not be the exact ones you think are best. This is something which can be negotiated, though parents are not allowed to be part of drawing up these plans directly. Here as well, if you think a school is discriminating against your child for the reason of disability, your last resort is the OCR.

In other cases, schools may offer unofficial accommodations, in consultation with a student’s teachers. In some ways, this is very good, as it gives the students the support they need immediately. In other ways, it is far less helpful, as it provides no evidence of these accommodations when it comes time to apply for them with the SAT or ACT, and without the legal backing of a 504 plan or IEP, there is no enforcement mechanism for these accommodations. 

For these, you will need to negotiate with schools directly, to understand why they don’t want to offer these accommodations. The reasons are likely to be budgetary, which is unfortunate; many schools are indeed underfunded. In these circumstances however, if negotiating fails, you may also need to resort to OCR complaints. 

For every situation, we advise letting the school know prior to submitting a complaint to the OCR; in many cases they may back down. You may also negotiate for fewer accommodations than you were originally asking for, but enough that your student is still getting the support they need. Also note that OCR complaints only cover whether a school is following the law, and do not get into the details of a 504 plan.

Accommodations, Testing, and You

Many students are ashamed to ask for accommodations, especially those who manage to achieve very high grades. After all, they have As in all their classes, so what need do they have for anything more? The truth is, however, that many students are able to succeed in spite of their circumstances, and that high grades alone do not mean a student is undeserving of accommodations. 

This is especially true as some issues become more apparent when the stakes are higher. A student with anxiety may be able to handle it well on a regular chemistry test, but encounter more serious concerns when faced with the SAT, far outside their usual milieu. This isn’t weakness on the part of the student, but a natural reaction, and one they deserve support for. 

Standardized tests are meant to be an objective ruler against which students can be measured and compared, and doing this requires a level playing field. Accommodations exist in order to level that playing field, and to make sure that students are assessed in a way that accurately tests their capabilities.

What accommodations are required depend on the student, and should be assessed by licensed medical professionals. The SAT and ACT are willing to meet students where they are, but do require evidence for this, especially after the Varsity Blues scandal. This is where high schools come in, as a confirmation that students really need and benefit from the accommodations they are requesting. 

Final Thoughts

We hope that you found this article helpful in understanding why schools may be reticent on occasion to grant accommodations, and what your options are when such things happen. School administrations and bureaucracy can be a major pain to deal with, but knowing how the system works, and what your rights are within it, can go a long way towards making your life easier. 
Of course, even with the accommodations you need, these tests can still be a real pain, both to prepare for and to succeed on. That’s where łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. We have a plethora of excellent test prep mentors, who are well experienced at helping students prepare for every aspect of standardized tests, from mastering content to working through their test anxiety. Don’t wait, schedule a free consultation today to see how we can help you. The students we work with see score increases of 180 points on the SAT on average, and we can’t wait to help you achieve the success you are capable of.

All students are different, with their own needs and strengths, and they do not all benefit from the same standards within education. Some students need accommodations to have the same educational access as their peers; Congress has recognized this, and so systems of accommodation are mandated by law. Test companies have recognized this as well, and so the SAT and ACT both provide additional options for students who need them.

Of course, sometimes things aren’t this simple, and high schools do not always want to provide the accommodations students need. In this article, we’re going to discuss how and why this happens, the ramifications it can have for students, and what you can do if you are in this situation. Let’s jump right in!

The Trouble With Providing Accommodations

The problems we discuss here are variable by school and district, and stem mostly from how schools receive their funding. Not every school district will experience these problems, but we are going to provide a general overview of how things work when they do crop up. Note that your own school or district may have its own peculiarities. 

In some districts, there is a set amount of money per school that may be spent on offering accommodations. These often take some money; paying for additional resources for students, or getting alternative testing setups. If schools do not use all of this money, however, they may spend it on other things that they need, such as new textbooks or other supplies.

This creates an incentive in some schools to offer de facto rather than de jure accommodations. Students may have an arrangement where they receive extra time on tests, or take physical versions instead of digital, but this is not an official IEP or 504 plan, and does not count towards the school’s total, nor come out of their budget. 

This makes sense for the school, and seems fine for students, at least at first. After all, what matters is how they do on the tests, not what they are officially labeled as. The problems crop up when it comes time to apply for accommodations for the SAT and ACT however. These organizations look to see if students are already receiving any kind of accommodations from their high schools, and use these as a benchmark for what accommodations they should be expected to provide. 

Thus when the testing organizations ask students for examples of their current accommodations, students are empty handed, and left to scramble for reports from psychologists. This can lead to denials from the testing services, for accommodations students legitimately need. 

Each group here is acting in their own best interests, but the incentives placed on schools create a problem for students. If schools are not given sufficient funding and support at the district level, they often do not have the resources to properly support their students, leading directly to situations like this one. How likely this is to occur depends on how your district sets funding priorities for schools; we know from experience that this is a common concern in Texas, but it is hardly alone there. 

How to Advocate for Accommodations

While this situation is understandable from a school’s perspective, that doesn’t make it any better to be caught in as a student or parent. Luckily, there are some things you can do about it; in this section we’re going to go through what those are, and the order in which you should do them.

The first step is something you should do before you apply for accommodations at all. If you are in a position where you think your student needs accommodations, then you should begin by getting them officially tested by a medical professional. They can then give you recommendations for what accommodations would best support your student, and these requests will have more weight if they have an expert’s opinion behind them. 

When you request accommodations, there will be a meeting between you, the counselor, the school administration, and possibly one or more of your student’s teachers. This will be where things either go well, or start to go wrong. In ideal situations, schools will see the recommendations from the medical professional, and acquiesce, giving the student the accommodations they need via an official plan. If they quibble instead, that’s when things get exciting. 

There are two different ways schools commonly choose to not acquiesce to requests. The first is simpler, in that they simply disagree that the student needs the requested accommodations. This isn’t any fun, but is straightforward to approach. In these cases, you want to determine why exactly they denied your claim; maybe they felt that your child’s needs didn’t warrant accommodations, or maybe they felt the evidence provided wasn’t sufficient. 

In some cases, schools will differ from the opinion of psychiatrists. When this happens, getting a second opinion and reapplying can be your best bet. If you are not receiving the accommodations a student is legally entitled to, then a complaint to the with the US Department of Education may be your next step.

Note that even if schools do grant accommodations, they might not be the exact ones you think are best. This is something which can be negotiated, though parents are not allowed to be part of drawing up these plans directly. Here as well, if you think a school is discriminating against your child for the reason of disability, your last resort is the OCR.

In other cases, schools may offer unofficial accommodations, in consultation with a student’s teachers. In some ways, this is very good, as it gives the students the support they need immediately. In other ways, it is far less helpful, as it provides no evidence of these accommodations when it comes time to apply for them with the SAT or ACT, and without the legal backing of a 504 plan or IEP, there is no enforcement mechanism for these accommodations. 

For these, you will need to negotiate with schools directly, to understand why they don’t want to offer these accommodations. The reasons are likely to be budgetary, which is unfortunate; many schools are indeed underfunded. In these circumstances however, if negotiating fails, you may also need to resort to OCR complaints. 

For every situation, we advise letting the school know prior to submitting a complaint to the OCR; in many cases they may back down. You may also negotiate for fewer accommodations than you were originally asking for, but enough that your student is still getting the support they need. Also note that OCR complaints only cover whether a school is following the law, and do not get into the details of a 504 plan.

Accommodations, Testing, and You

Many students are ashamed to ask for accommodations, especially those who manage to achieve very high grades. After all, they have As in all their classes, so what need do they have for anything more? The truth is, however, that many students are able to succeed in spite of their circumstances, and that high grades alone do not mean a student is undeserving of accommodations. 

This is especially true as some issues become more apparent when the stakes are higher. A student with anxiety may be able to handle it well on a regular chemistry test, but encounter more serious concerns when faced with the SAT, far outside their usual milieu. This isn’t weakness on the part of the student, but a natural reaction, and one they deserve support for. 

Standardized tests are meant to be an objective ruler against which students can be measured and compared, and doing this requires a level playing field. Accommodations exist in order to level that playing field, and to make sure that students are assessed in a way that accurately tests their capabilities.

What accommodations are required depend on the student, and should be assessed by licensed medical professionals. The SAT and ACT are willing to meet students where they are, but do require evidence for this, especially after the Varsity Blues scandal. This is where high schools come in, as a confirmation that students really need and benefit from the accommodations they are requesting. 

Final Thoughts

We hope that you found this article helpful in understanding why schools may be reticent on occasion to grant accommodations, and what your options are when such things happen. School administrations and bureaucracy can be a major pain to deal with, but knowing how the system works, and what your rights are within it, can go a long way towards making your life easier. 
Of course, even with the accommodations you need, these tests can still be a real pain, both to prepare for and to succeed on. That’s where łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. We have a plethora of excellent test prep mentors, who are well experienced at helping students prepare for every aspect of standardized tests, from mastering content to working through their test anxiety. Don’t wait, schedule a free consultation today to see how we can help you. The students we work with see score increases of 180 points on the SAT on average, and we can’t wait to help you achieve the success you are capable of.

The post When High Schools Don’t Want to Provide Accommodations appeared first on łÔąĎąŮÍř.

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But how do you get a 4.0 GPA? How do you keep it? What if you’re already a sophomore or junior, is it too late to try and improve your grades? We’ll answer all of these questions in this article, and explore how you can ensure your grades are what colleges are looking for. 

What it Takes to Get a 4.0 GPA

We want to take a moment to explain what a 4.0 really is, since different schools use different GPA scales, 4 point, 5 point, 12 point, or even 100 point are all common across the US. Colleges, however, convert all GPAs of incoming students to a 4.0 scale. 

This is done based on the letter grades you receive in a particular class, using the following conversion scale:

The grades for each class are then added together and averaged out. To earn a perfect 4.0 then, all you have to do is earn an A or an A+ in every class you ever take in high school. Sounds easy enough, right?

We’re well aware how difficult this can be, especially depending on your particular school, or if you are taking exceptionally difficult courses. In the next section, we’ll cover how you can and should approach your coursework for your best chance to earn a 4.0 GPA. But first, a note on weighting. 

What łÔąĎąŮÍř Weighted GPAs?

Many high schools use weighted GPAs. These assign extra points, which is to say more weight, to honors or AP classes. There are several reasons for them doing this. The first is to recognize that these classes are harder than the standard classes in the school, and so a grade of A in an honors class means more than an A in a regular class. 

Another is to ensure awards like valedictorian go to students who take primarily honors coursework, and to incentivize the smartest students to take harder classes. This then leads into a question we often hear, and which we will cover later; whether it is better to get a higher grade in an easier class, or a lower grade in a harder class. 

Tips and Tricks to Keep Your GPA Up

The first and most important step is to begin as soon as you get to high school. The classes you take in your freshman year tend to be the easiest, but this is also the time when many students stumble during the transition to high school. Keeping your grades up during this transition puts you on a path to succeed going forward. 

Next, schedule your classes strategically, if possible. You want to take as many hard classes as you are able to succeed in without overwhelming yourself. WHere this line is is different for every student, but you can get a sense of it as you go through high school. Take one advanced class in freshman year, to get a sense of what it asks for. How does the workload compare to a non-advanced class? How much more homework are you expected to do?

Some schools also limit how many AP classes you can take, and when you can take them. These policies differ by school of course, but you should figure out your own school’s policies, and plan your courses accordingly. Don’t be afraid to take a non-AP course in there as well; the UC system’s A-G requirements mandate an arts credit, and there’s nothing wrong with slipping an acting class in among AP Calc and Physics, as a bit of a break during the day.

You should also learn and build study habits early. We have a guide to studying, and recommend trying out different strategies in your freshman year, to see which work best for you. In the same way, building time management strategies now will pay dividends later, when there are many more demands upon your time. All habits take time to build, and starting these early means you have the skills you will need when the demands of your classes increase. 

Finally, learn to see the big picture in your classes. A single missed homework assignment isn’t the end of the world, nor is doing less than perfect on a test. Good grades are important, but 93-100 gives you a bit of wiggle room for error. Not much perhaps, but enough that you don’t need to panic over every mistake. Learn from your errors yes, but do not obsess over them, for this leads to far too much pressure on you too early. 

How to Improve Your GPA

Of course, not every student is able to buckle down and begin working seriously as soon as high school begins. Some take time to get into the swing of things, or are not as mature when they enter freshman year. Later, these students decide to buckle down, and focus on improving a GPA that doesn’t meet the standards they know they can hit. The only question is how to do this exactly. 

The first, and most important step, is to determine what exactly went wrong the first time around. In order to correct a mistake, you must realize and then analyze what the mistake was, else you are left changing things at random with no system to recognize what works and what doesn’t. 

Some mistakes are easy enough to spot. For example, not studying at all for tests and then receiving lower grades than you would prefer is a clear correlation. Other times it requires more self reflection. Maybe you need to go to bed slightly earlier so you’re awake enough to process the information in first period. Maybe the study methods you have currently aren’t best suited for you. Maybe you need to cut back on some extracurriculars to ensure you have time to get to all of your homework. 

Gradual changes and improvements tend to stick better than sudden drastic changes. Build up good habits one at a time, and see how each makes its own small contribution to your situation. Changing everything at once can feel tempting, but often leaves you overwhelmed and prone to backsliding. It’s an old cliche, but often true, that slow and steady wins the race. 

Finally, you can always ask your teachers for assistance. Many high school teachers run study sessions after school, or are willing to work with students to help them grasp elusive concepts. Teachers have their own lives and schedules, and you should be cognizant of that, but if they offer these resources, take advantage of them. 

We will note that if you say you are going to attend one of these, especially if you arrange it specifically with a teacher, make sure you attend. Doing otherwise is disrespectful to your teacher’s time and effort, and wastes your own effort as well. 

Do Colleges Even Care łÔąĎąŮÍř 4.0 GPAs Anyway?

Kind of. Your academic prowess is about half of what colleges consider when making admissions decisions; this is then split again between your scores on standardized tests and your high school record. A high GPA alone does not guarantee you a spot in a top college, but a less than stellar GPA can be a significant problem. 

This is because college is a lot of work, academically speaking, and so admissions officers want to ensure that the students who enroll are equipped to handle it. Admitting a student who can’t isn’t good for anybody; neither the student nor the college benefits. This is why they focus so much on your academics; the belief is that past performance in an area is the best predictor of future results. 

This is why a lower grade in a harder class can be more advantageous than a higher grade in an easier one (so long as the grade isn’t too low). A B+ in an AP class is going to show that you were willing to challenge yourself with the more advanced material, and able to understand it well. If you aren’t confident in your ability to earn at least a B in a class however, you should reconsider taking it at that level. 

Final Thoughts

A 4.0 GPA is a wonderful feather in your cap, and many students who get into top colleges have perfect (or nearly so) GPA. While it is not the GPA itself that will get you into a top-ranked college, it is required for your application to get the consideration it deserves, and to have you treated seriously as a candidate. 

We hope this article has given you actionable advice on how to get your GPA into the range you want it, and how to keep it there. Of course, mastering the art of studying or figuring out which time management strategies work best for you can be difficult. Our academic coaching service is here to help. Just like a football coach gives players the right tools to succeed in a game, our academic coaches give you what you need to master academic challenges. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can assist you in getting the grades you know you’re capable of.

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Of course, there is one minor problem with all of this. Namely, AP classes are nothing like college classes, in terms of structure, material, assessments, and most every other metric. And yet, AP classes are still a valuable part of high school curriculums. In this article we’re going to examine how AP classes are dissimilar from their college counterparts, how they are somewhat similar, and what benefits they do provide when it comes to readying yourself for college. Let’s get started!

What’s the Difference Between AP and College Coursework?

There isn’t one difference, but several. We’ll cover these by type, to fully explain what they are, and how each impacts the class and experience. As for how I know all of this; I have been to college, and in high school I took 10 APs. While that was a while ago (longer than I’d like perhaps), it did give me good insight into how the courses function, and how they differ from what you find at college. 

Structural Differences

These are the biggest, but also least meaningful, differences. The way college works is simply different from high school, and AP classes are limited by their environs. Things like the length of the classes, how often you meet, etiquette within them, how you interact with your teachers; these all differ greatly between high school and college. 

While these are not the most important differences in terms of what you will learn, they do greatly impact how you will learn, and are the most obvious difference coming in. These are also the factors that cause the most culture shock when students transition between high school and college. In spite of that, these are the least important differences; they merely impact form, rather than function.

Content Differences

The major difference here is how much you are expected to learn, and how quickly. The content itself differs depending on the course. Math is math, you just learn at a faster clip in college. All of Calculus BC, for example, is a single semester course, rather than the full year you have in high school. 

English classes can be similar, in that you read and analyze texts, but you are expected to read far more, both per week and over the course of the class. History has some of the biggest differences. You may have a single textbook, but more often have several the teacher pulls from, along with supporting sources and analyses you need to read. 

For humanities and social sciences, the readings you do are at a higher level of complexity generally, and have more of a focus on primary sources. College is where you begin performing novel analysis of these sources, and so they feature more heavily in the content you consume. Rather than quotes in a larger text, you will more often read the source itself in full.

In the sciences, the biggest difference comes in the labs you do. You had to do labs if you did any of the AP sciences, but the amount of equipment and kinds of lab work you will be asked to do in college exceeds them. 

In language classes, the content is almost identical, the pace is just much much faster than what you see in highschool. There are, after all, only so many good ways to learn a language.

Assessment Differences

In general, there are two kinds of courses you encounter in college (this is an oversimplification, but holds broadly true): those which assign problem sets, and those which assign essays. Usually math and science classes are the former, while humanities and social sciences the latter. 

The number of assessments you receive which contribute to your final grade is far lower in college. It also varies wildly between professors. Some give credit for participation; others don’t even track attendance. In general there are fewer graded assignments, often far fewer. Homework is often a completion grade; its purpose is to help you prepare for exams, and you are only hurting yourself if you do it poorly. 

Exams are not given in all classes. Some will have in-class essays for exams, but many prefer final essays instead. Given how exciting reading some students’ handwriting can be (I myself am guilty here) we can’t really blame them. There are also far fewer tests; usually a midterm and a final. Essays vary, but it’s usually two or three for a course. I had one class where the entire grade was the final essay, but that was an exception. 

Finally, and the biggest difference, nobody wants to see five paragraph essays in college. We understand why it’s asked for by College Board, and it is an alright introduction to how an essay can be organized, but none of your professors are looking for this. Your essays should still have an introduction and conclusion, but sticking strictly to the five paragraph form is one of the first habits to break in college. 

How AP Classes Prepare You For College

So AP classes are almost nothing like what you will experience in college, in terms of what and how you learn, and how that learning is assessed. This doesn’t mean they are without merit, merely that they should not be taken for something they aren’t. AP classes are AP classes, and college courses are college courses. 

That said, AP classes do still prepare you for college in several key ways. This is because AP classes act as a bridge; they are more akin to college coursework than the other classes you take in high school, while still falling short of what you will actually experience once you are there. 

The five paragraph essays, for example, are not what you should write in college. They are a good introduction to how to structure an argumentative essay, to present and defend a thesis. The labs you do in AP Chemistry and Biology, and the lab reports you write, are again short of what you will do in college, but serve as an introduction to the language and equipment you will be using. 

There is perhaps no way to adequately mirror the environment of college classes in high school; they are different institutions, and serve different purposes. That said, AP classes do serve as a kind of transition to the way college operates, and the expectations you will face once you are there. 

So What Are College Classes Like?

So what can you expect from college courses? The answer is, unsatisfyingly, it depends. Professors have far more freedom when it comes to setting standards and choosing content for their courses than any high school teacher. Even courses where the material is fairly standard, such as calculus, will vary widely between schools and even between professors at a school. 

That said, there are some commonalities; just don’t be surprised if these are not true in all cases. Here are the general kinds of courses you can expect to encounter at college: 

• Lecture courses. Depending on the size of your school, these can have anywhere from 50 to 300 students (or more). The instructor will have several teaching assistants, who will aid with grading and meeting students in office hours. These are usually introductory or prerequisite classes. 
• Discussion classes. These are courses with 20 or fewer students, and usually require active participation. These are more common in upper level specialized courses which fewer students take. 
• Language classes. These are always on the smaller end to facilitate discussion. They also meet more often, as frequent practice with a language helps mastery. These courses can be incredibly small for less popular languages, especially at higher levels (the smallest classes I had in college were always languages). 

You will have more work in college classes, but professors are often more flexible with deadlines, if they know in advance (especially well in advance). It is much harder to build relationships with professors, especially in lecture courses, but doing so can be very rewarding.

Final Thoughts

AP classes are and will remain a staple of high school instruction in the US. They are quite useful things, and we recommend students take them. We hope this article has clarified some of what they are, and what they are not. AP classes are wonderful things, but they are not the same as college. And that’s ok.

Of course, not all schools offer AP classes, and not all students will benefit directly from taking them. If you are looking for advice on planning out your course schedule for high school, or managing the transition to the more dynamic world of college, schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you. We have helped hundreds of students succeed on their education journeys, and are always happy to hear from you. 

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In this article we’re going to explore one such opportunity: . We’ll cover what it is, how it works, and how you can take advantage of what they offer. As with all resources, it may not be the right fit for every student, but the more arrows you have in your quiver, the more likely you are to find one that works for the situation at hand. Let’s get started!

What Math Academy Is

in 2013 informally, Math Academy had humble beginnings. It started as a passion project by parents trying to help their son and his classmates with math, and grew naturally from there. As they saw how students could advance in math when given the proper support, the program gained increasing official approval, and was integrated into the curriculum of the Pasadena Unified School District. 

Currently, Math Academy exists in two forms. The first is fully integrated into Pasadena’s public schools, where students in middle and high school can choose to participate in the program, and in so doing explore more advanced math subjects. The program is fully accredited, and the classes count towards California’s A-G requirements needed for admission to the state university systems. 

More accessible to most students is their . This seeks to take everything they have learned from in-person instruction and their long experience working with students with math and make it more broadly accessible. This by assessing where a student is, where they want to be, and using a smart app to help guide them through math tutoring.

Using gamified learning in online platforms is nothing new, and just as Duolingo seeks to make learning a language a game in itself, so Math Academy approaches math. Students proceed at a pace they choose, and are rewarded for consistent effort. This can be adjusted to fit their goals and availability, and is designed to make sure students are challenged without becoming overwhelmed. 

How Math Academy Works

Math Academy offers a significant number of , along with sequences in which you can complete the work. These can take the place of a standard math class for homeschooled students, or act as a supplement for students who want to pursue math on their own, or at a more advanced level than what they are currently being offered in school. All of the courses are accredited, and they offer AP Calculus AB and BC. 

The program begins with a comprehensive assessment. This measures the total math skills of the student, both in terms of the highest levels they have achieved, and their full background knowledge. Many students have gaps in their math foundation; these are filled in first before advancing to more advanced subjects. Indeed, the more advanced a student is in their math career, the more likely they are to have gaps; subjects that their classes didn’t cover or which were forgotten over the intervening years.

Their focuses on tried and true techniques for helping students master complex subjects:

• Developing automaticity. This is where you train yourself to be able to automatically handle simple parts of a problem to free up mental space to tackle more complex parts. Just knowing what formula to use automatically makes implementation much easier.
• Deliberate practice. Lessons are designed to specifically focus on individual skills and concepts, so that students master areas one at a time. Repetition and immediate feedback allow students to improve in real time.
• Spaced repetition. Within a lesson, students will have multiple short segments of deliberate practice. These are then spaced out over a course, so that students move the concepts into long term memory, and have time to digest what they’ve learned.
• Layering. Much of math builds upon itself, and the more advanced concepts help reinforce what students learned of the foundations. By moving directly from foundational to more advanced concepts, students continue to improve the same skills, and advance more rapidly.

The entire process is governed by an algorithm which keeps track of a student’s progress; what they’re learning, when, and how quickly, and which modifies their curriculum and exercises to compensate. Not all students learn in the same way or at the same pace, and this flexibility in the curriculum allows Math Academy to meet each student where they are. 

There are no live instructors for the online course; the course itself counts as the instructor for the UC system and credits. Parents or tutors are able to monitor a student’s progress through an oversight account. This lets you follow along with what a student is accomplishing, and adjust their goals. You can adjust this in real time, pausing the program to adjust for vacations or changes in availability.

The algorithm which governs the course automatically adjusts the pace and difficulty of the material to meet the needs of the student. Thus students who get a concept quickly will advance more quickly to a new one, while struggling students will receive additional exercises and review. The algorithm also tracks interest or lack thereof; if a student is clearly guessing randomly on questions, it will let the parents or other mentors know through the oversight app. 

Successes

No program is entirely successful, but Math Academy is able to boast an impressive success rate. This is best viewed through the success of their students on the AP exam. 75% of students in their classes pass the AP exam, with a full 50% achieving a 5 on the BC calculus exam. This is significantly above average. Even more impressive is that their students often take the test early; their in person program regularly has 8th graders taking (and passing) the BC Calculus exam, and their online program sees the same success. 

These successes are dependent on the work of the students in the program. Like any other academic subject, math requires consistent effort from the student. That said, the way the program works significantly advantages students in the program, and gives them a more thorough grounding in math than they are otherwise able to achieve. 

Is Math Academy Right for You?

That depends on your needs, but in some cases, most definitely. This software and program is the most helpful in the following cases: 

• Homeschooled students. It can be difficult to find accredited and trustworthy materials for homeschooled students, and this is both. This can easily make up a student’s entire math curriculum, from the tail end of elementary through their high school graduation. 
• Students who want a supplement. Not all high schools have the same rigor in their math curriculum, due to a lack of resources or teachers. Math academy can supplement your existing high school coursework in these cases.
• Advanced students. Some students want to explore beyond what is offered at their school, or want to move more quickly through the material. The self-paced style and advanced options here provide a more personally tailored approach for these students. 

Of course, this isn’t going to work for every student; some students are fine with the math courses offered by their school, and have no drive to explore the higher fields of mathematics. This is fine, but Math Academy is not a resource they are likely to avail themselves of. 

If you are looking for a supplement, or to advance your math education at your own pace and in subjects you are interested in, then this is a great resource. In some cases, coupling this with an in-person math tutor can be helpful. While Math Academy’s program is robust, the direct feedback of a teacher can’t easily be replaced. This is a wonderful supplement however, and can form the basis for a full math education. 

Calculus Supplement

College admissions like seeing calculus on a student’s transcript, especially if they intend to major in engineering or anywhere in the sciences. They are understanding if your school doesn’t offer calculus, but this can still be a major impediment to your time in college. Math Academy is ideal in these circumstances, as it allows you to pursue calculus even if it is not offered by your school.

Final Thoughts

Math is a remarkably unpopular field, in large part due to how much many students hated their own experiences in math class. A poor education can sour students on a topic for a long time, just as a great teacher can help a student find a new passion for a field.

We hope this article has fully explored what Math Academy can offer you, and shown you another resource you can use with your students. We’ve worked with homeschooled and advanced students alike, and know the kinds of challenges they face; we’re always looking for more resources to help them along their journey. If you’re looking for more resources for your student, or want to hear how we can help in more depth, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience helping students attain their educational goals, and are always happy to hear from you. 

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We’ve discussed AP tests before, but in this article we’re going to dive into the physics courses more deeply. We’re going to explain what each one is and the differences between them (along with the new updates). We’re also going to look at which you should consider taking, and how valuable they might be for your college plans. Let’s get started!

What’s the Difference Between the AP Physics Courses?

AP Physics comes in four varieties: 

• AP Physics 1
• AP Physics 2
• AP Physics C: Mechanics
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

The naming convention for the courses is often an initial point of confusion. After all, counting 1, 2, C is generally considered bad form. Here, however, the C stands for Calculus; as calculus is required to fully grasp the content in these courses. Here’s a quick rundown of the differences between the courses, then we’ll go into more detail: 

All of the AP Physics courses also have a lab component, meaning that in addition to theoretical work, you will complete hands-on experiments as part of these courses. While these experiments will not be done as part of the exam, they will help you understand and demonstrate the principles you are learning. 

Now we’ll go over each course in a little more detail. 

AP Physics 1

This is the equivalent of an introductory physics class in college, and covers all of the basic principles of physics. Significant math is required, but this is true of all physics courses. This is the class taken by the most students who take AP Physics, as it has the fewest prerequisites, and is offered by the most schools. 

AP Physics 2

This is meant to be the equivalent of a second semester of introductory college physics. This course builds upon and expands the material from AP Physics 1, and requires a greater degree of mathematical knowledge. Fewer students take this course, as those who want to do multiple years of physics usually go on to the Physics C coursework. This is not to say that Physics 2 is useless, but it is not seen as being as advanced or challenging as either of the Physics C courses. 

AP Physics C: Mechanics

In many ways, AP Physics C covers the same material as AP Physics 1. If you look at the topics covered in the chart above, you can see they are nearly identical (AP Physics 1 now covers fluids, which was a change this year, but they are otherwise the same). AP Physics C is calculus based however, and covers these topics at a higher level; the college course is Calculus-Based physics, which is more likely what most students will take in college. 

If you have the mathematical preparation, and a choice between Physics 1 and Physics C, we recommend the latter, especially if you are interested in pursuing STEM fields in college. While the material is very similar, Physics C provides a better base for advanced courses, and demonstrates better your interest in these advanced academic topics. 

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

This course is more specialized than the others, and focuses more narrowly on a single field within physics. It is also a more advanced course, requiring some knowledge of physics as a prerequisite. This course is generally taken during senior year for that reason, as the final science course students take in high school. 

This course is slightly more popular than mechanics, as most students take Physics 1, and then if they take another physics course, move onto E&M. This is because of the similarity in topics of Physics 1 and Mechanics. E&M is a difficult course, but well worth it for students who plan on entering a STEM field. It, and its exam, are regularly regarded as among the hardest APs. 

Preparing for AP Physics Exams

Of course, part of the appeal of AP classes is the AP exam, the test which can award college credit to high scoring students, and which serves as a culmination of everything you learned and mastered in the course. The first step for preparing for these xams is doing well in the courses themselves; everything you see on the test will mirror what you have learned in the course. 

You need to master the content of these courses both conceptually and practically. This means you not only need to know which formula to use in a given situation, but why it is the one to use, and some level of how it works. This higher level of understanding will let you answer questions more smoothly, and adjust to new variables in them. 

Physics builds upon itself in many ways, with some concepts you learned previously appearing again in later questions or sections. Thus, if you don’t understand something early in a course, go back and review it until you do, or you will find the same issues tripping you up repeatedly. 

Finally, it’s better to study a little over a longer duration than cramming all at once, especially for a field like physics. While many of the areas build upon and complement each other, others do not. You should review periodically throughout the year to keep your knowledge and understanding fresh. That way, when it comes time to sit for the actual AP test, you will have far less work to do.

When it comes time to prepare for the tests themselves, we recommend using College Board’s study materials. They are a monopoly, but since they’re the ones who make the test, they know best what’s on it, and the kinds of questions you will be asked. When reviewing, spend the most time on the concepts which you understand the least, and build from there. 

Final Thoughts

AP Physics offers students a chance to take advanced topics, and begin building the foundation they will need for higher level explorations in STEM. We hope this article has given you a solid introduction to how these courses work, and which students will benefit the most from taking them. Of course, if your school doesn’t offer any AP Physics courses, then you won’t be penalized for giving them a pass, but we do recommend checking them out if they are available. 

Picking the right courses to take in high school can be difficult, as students are often unsure which will best support them, or what colleges want to see in their high school coursework. If you want advice on this, or on any other aspect of navigating high school, our Candidacy Building service can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can assist you. We’ve worked with hundreds of students on achieving their educational dreams, and are always happy to hear from you.

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Over time, this pressure has caused grade inflation at many schools, both at the high school level, and in college. In this article we’ll explore what this phenomenon is, its reverse of grade deflation, and how both can impact your time in high school and college. Let’s get started!

So, What is Grade Inflation?

is a practice where the scores students receive on graded assignments are artificially heightened. This process began a while ago; originally C grades were literally average, and assignments were graded and curved on that basis. There was no shame in getting a C, and it was indeed that most assignments would receive one. 

As college admissions slowly grew more competitive, grades became more important in high school, and pressure increased for students to receive high grades. Beginning at more elite and selective high schools, teachers began raising the average grade they curved to. More and more students received As and Bs, and admissions officers had to adjust. 

This soon spread, as societal norms around grading changed. No longer was a grade of C acceptable; now on a hundred point scale, it is expected that there should be a clear rubric, and that all students should have the chance to earn a perfect score. This is a reasonable goal, but also means that there are new standards for admissions. Once everyone could earn an A, admissions officers began expecting that all incoming students do so with a full sweep of perfect grades. 

This happened at the college level as well, beginning once again at the top schools, and then spreading through the rest of academia. This has impacted admissions to PhD programs and Medical schools, with admissions officers there again expecting high or near-perfect GPAs. 

The Curve

As a brief note, we’re going to explain what grading to the curve means, since curved grading is often where grade inflation is seen. When a test is assigned in college, the numerical grade you receive on the test is only partially related to the final grade you receive, especially if the average grades are low. Instead, a median or average point is picked and pinned to a certain letter grade, and final grades for the test are recalculated from there. 

I’ll provide an example from one of my Calculus classes in college. On the first midterm, the average score was a 67/100. This was curved to a B. Thus student who would have ordinarily gotten D/D+ grades received Bs, while students who would have received C grades instead received As. This can get more extreme; on the second midterm the average score was a 32/100, and the test was again curved to a B. 

Thus the more generous a curve is when grading, the more it can be associated with grade inflation. The less generous the curve, the less inflated the grades are. Students, of course, generally prefer a more generous curve, and advice on which professors curve generously is hotly discussed when it comes time to pick classes. 

Finally, this is where the phrase “wrecking the curve” comes from. In the above example, the highest grade on the first midterm was an 82; thus there was no issue for fairness when raising everyone’s grades on the curve. If, however, one student gets a perfect grade while everyone else fails, how do you curve the scores fairly? Some professors use a median grade instead of an average for this reason.

What is Grade Deflation?

Grade deflation is the flipside of grade inflation, but is also something of an invented term. It is a continuation of grading policies which have fallen out of favor elsewhere, leading to lower average grades being awarded at a school relative to other institutions. 

This, understandably, often proves less popular with students and parents, as societal expectations for what grades will be awarded for what level of performance. Even schools known for grade deflation have more generous policies for grading than they did in the past; their grades are only deflated when compared to their contemporaries. 

Finally, understand that some of this is subjective; while there are definitely schools which extensively practice both grade inflation and deflation, most institutions fall in the middle of the extremes, and it is up to the will of the professor how generously assignments are graded. 

How Grade Inflation Impacts High School Students

The good news is that the impact of grade inflation for high school students is limited, so long as your school is consistent in its approach to grading. This is because colleges judge your high school grades in context; which is to say the grading policies of your school influence how admissions officers think about your own grades. 

Let’s say, for instance, you’re one of the top ten students by class rank at your school, but your unweighted GPA is a 3.4. While this is a quite good GPA, colleges see many perfect 4.0s from applicants. When reviewing your school’s grading policies however, they may see that grading is done on strict and rigid scales, and that in the context of your school, you are quite the high performer.

This information is conveyed through the School Profile. This is a document compiled by your high school counselors, and tells admissions officers everything they need to know about your school’s grading policies. 

While colleges want you to do well in difficult classes, what doing well means depends on the context of your high school, and colleges understand that. You still should do your best to succeed in these difficult classes; earning a perfect 4.0 in a school known for grade deflation is impressive indeed, and admissions officers will take note.

How Grade Inflation Impacts College Students

For college students on the other hand, grade inflation and deflation can be much more impactful. For law school, medical school, and PhD programs, your GPA is a key metric used to determine your eligibility for admissions. Most merit-based scholarships also rely on GPA metrics for students to continue receiving their aid awards. Thus, maintaining a high GPA in college is of paramount importance for most students.

This requires a change in approach from what most students are used to in high school. Advanced degree programs don’t care if you took the hardest courses. They don’t have the time to sift through course descriptions and understand the nuances of difficulty at the thousands of colleges across the US. Instead, it is assumed all courses at a college offered at a certain level are equally difficult.

Thus you receive no bonus for taking honors courses in undergrad (save for the advanced understanding of the subject matter you may receive). Indeed, this focus on GPA alone, causes many students to take easier courses in order to preserve their high GPA, and to improve their chances of admission.

Students who attend schools which are more notorious for grade deflation are therefore sometimes seen at being at a disadvantage when it comes to admissions. Students at Princeton, well known for being a deflationary school, . They want transcripts to display not just the student’s personal grade in a given course, but the median grade for that course, so their performance may be understood in context.

While Princeton still sends many students on to top law, medical, and doctoral programs, the feeling of unfairness and increased competition caused by deflationary grading practices is very real. In turn, schools which are known for practicing grade inflation are sometimes seen as giving their students an unfair advantage, though in both cases all institutions insist that their grading practices are fair, and all students receive the grades that they have justly earned.

Colleges With Grade Inflation and Deflation

Of course, what you really want to know is which colleges practice grade inflation and which practice deflation. It is difficult to answer this question concretely, as the amount of grade inflation fluctuates between departments, professors, and classes at any given school. We will, however, go through some top schools, and whether they are known for grade inflation or deflation.

Colleges with Grade Inflation

This is not a complete list, but we will give notes for some of these schools we think are relevant: 

• Brown. Brown’s open curriculum gives students great flexibility to pursue their interests, and also to avoid any courses which may hurt their overall GPA.
• Harvard. While Harvard does offer many challenging courses, they were one of the schools originally at the forefront of grade inflation, and remain there.
• Yale. Harvard and Yale are similar in many respects, and this is one of them.
• Dartmouth. The median grade at Dartmouth is an A-.
• Duke. The median GPA at Duke is a 3.5. 
• Northwestern. I will admit that I am biased as a UChicago alumni, but Northwestern is known to practice grade inflation.

Note that there are many challenging courses at these schools, and you are not guaranteed high grades just from attending. Instead, the average grades at these schools are notably high, out of step with other top schools.

Colleges with Grade “Deflation”

We have put deflation between quotes because all colleges, even the hardest, practice some level of grade inflation. The schools on this list simply do slightly less of it than the schools on the list above. 

• Princeton. Princeton is notorious for being tough graders, and takes a certain degree of pride in that fact.
• Caltech. As with most other things, Caltech bucks the national trends here. 
• MIT. MIT used to be harder, but has been softening in recent years, and is not so strict as past reports make it out. 
• UChicago. Much like MIT, UChicago has been softening, and may soon lose its fierce reputation.
• Cornell. While not as harsh as Princeton, Cornell is known to have strict grading practices.

Note that the actual difference in average grades between the schools on the top list and the bottom list is quite small, and you may find very strictly or very loosely graded courses at any college. These are the averages, and a lot of detail is obscured in that.

Final Thoughts

Grade inflation is not something many schools like to talk about, much less admit to. Yet it plays a major role in many students’ time in high school and college, and we thought it wise to explain what it is, and how it may impact you, both now and in the future.

Grades are a very important part of what colleges look at in making admissions decisions, but they are only one part of a much larger picture. If you want to hear how we can help you become the kind of student colleges want to admit, schedule a free consultation today. We have a depth of experience helping students with every aspect of college admissions, and we’re always happy to hear from you.

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In this article, we’ll outline various strategies for studying, and explore how they work. Each person is different, so we encourage you to experiment with different methods of studying until you find the one that works best for you.

The Basics

A few things are true of every variation of studying. First, it is an extended process. Reviewing a bit every day or over the course of a week is far more effective than trying to cram at the last minute. Overall, long-term studying has two benefits: first, it allows you to better understand the material as a whole, and to retain that knowledge for longer after an exam. Second, it reduces the amount of stress you feel on the days leading up to a test, and allows you to prepare for multiple tests far more easily. 

Another key thing to understand is that all studying requires a time investment. How much time you need to invest varies by student, but there is no way to study without devoting time specifically to the practice. There is the concept of diminishing returns; after a certain point, more studying is no longer worth the time, as you are simply exhausting yourself rather than learning more. This is mostly an issue when cramming, but can occur in other forms of studying as well. 

You should experiment with the various methods presented here to find the one that works best for you. We encourage you to learn to study now, even if you are able to attain decent grades thus far without doing so. This never lasts; either in high school or college you will find a class which you will need to study for, and if you are unprepared, you will crash hard. (This is, in fact, speaking from personal experience).

Step 0: Take Notes

Studying is a review of material you’ve already encountered. In order to do this efficiently, it is important to learn the material well in the first place. This is where note-taking comes in. 

While there are various methods to take notes, they all serve the same purpose: to record important information in a way that is accessible and easy for you to review later. Notes can be taken both physically and digitally, depending on what your school allows. Digital note-taking is becoming increasingly popular however. 

You should not just write down everything your teacher says without pause as your notes. We recommend organizing with headings and subheadings, and using shorthand where necessary to increase information density. Definitions should be written where they can be easily seen and remembered. 

Overall, you want a maximum of information density that you can still read and interpret. Your notes are for you, and should reflect what you need. Each person’s notes will look different, and have different levels of intelligibility. This can make sharing notes with friends difficult or impossible. Try to be friends with at least one person who takes great notes, so you can copy them if you miss a day of class. 

Rewriting Notes

When you begin studying, we recommend fully rewriting your notes. This helps you to process the information again, and is a more active process than simply reading your notes. Physically writing it out again engages different sections of your brain, and allows you to remember the information more easily going forward. This does not have the same effect if you type it out again; physically rewriting information works best for long-term retention.

Step 1: Class Readings

Doing the class readings is the other part of studying which needs to take place before more individualized pursuits. Most classes assign readings in some form, be it from a textbook or from the works you are reading for the class. You should read these actively, trying to understand everything as you read it. If there are sections you do not grasp fully, take the time to analyze them then, or return to them once you finish the reading. 

It is sometimes helpful to take separate notes on a text while reading it, especially for denser textbooks. This can help you review the main points quickly, without needing to flip through many pages of a book. This depends on the book in question, and you will not need to do it for everything you read. 

Step 2: Problem Sets

This is obvious advice, but you need to actually do your homework. Problem sets for math and science classes are especially relevant for exams, as many teachers will assign problems directly from the homework on the exams, only changing the numbers involved. 

Teachers are generally not trying to trick you, so doing problem sets assigned is the easiest way to prepare for exams. Doing them is not enough; you also need to understand them. If you get questions wrong on homework, work to understand why. Most teachers have time to meet with students, we recommend going to these to get any concepts or questions you are struggling with on the homework explained. 

If it is merely a careless arithmetic error, then you know to be more careful. If homework reveals an issue with understanding a concept, then you need to review the material another time. 

Step 3: Studying for Exams

Counter to the title of this section, you should be studying whether or not an exam is forthcoming. If you are only studying in the lead-up to an exam, then you will be hard pressed to review all of the needed material in the amount of time you have. Still, in this section we’ll go over various methods for studying for exams which students have found helpful.

Progressive Review

This method of studying focuses on what you don’t understand most. Begin by creating flashcards of all of the relevant information you will need. Then go through them once; any you get right away put into one pile, any you don’t put into a second. Take the second pile, review the contents, and then run again, repeating the division into piles. 

By doing this, you will slowly whittle down the topics you are reviewing, until you are only left with the ones which give you the most trouble. Since you only set a flashcard aside once you have it perfectly, you are sure you understand each before you stop reviewing it. 

This is an exhaustive method of studying, and more time intensive than some others, but does a good job of ensuring you truly master all of the material at hand. 

Study Groups

Reviewing in a group allows you to pool your knowledge and experience. You can explain topics you understand well, and have ones you struggle with explained in more detail. The in depth subject conversations which arise from study groups also allow you to gain far more familiarity with the material than you would on your own. 

Further, one of the best ways to truly master a subject is to teach it to someone else. Instructing someone in a subject, and explaining it in a way they can understand, requires a thorough knowledge of the subject. Study groups are an unparalleled opportunity to gain this experience.

The biggest potential downside of study groups is the desire to socialize instead of studying. Whether this is an issue for you depends on your own character, and the group you are a part of. If you find yourself doing more socializing than studying, this may not be the technique for you.

Practice Problems

If you identify subjects in class or homework that are a particular struggle for you, then practice problems are a great way to approach them. The easiest way to find these is in your textbook, as teachers generally only assign half of the questions (either odds or evens). This is not always the case, but there are usually problems not assigned for homework that explore the same issues, and which therefore allow for easy practice. 

To prepare for essay questions, guessing at topics your teacher may ask about and writing sample essays is the best way to practice. It can feel silly, but the best way to get better at writing is to put active effort into writing. This will also help you formulate your thoughts more quickly, and get you used to organizing your essays. If your teacher asks for essays in a particular style (such as AP’s five paragraph essays), then make sure to write yours in that style. 

Final Thoughts

Your grades are the single most important part of college admissions, especially as universities continue to experiment with test-optional policies. Maintaining high grades, therefore, is the single best thing you can do to improve your chances of admission to a top college. We hope that this guidance on studying gives you the tools you need to achieve your academic aims.

Of course, not everyone has the same ease of studying, and building good habits takes time and effort. Just as athletes have coaches to help them improve, so too do students work with mentors to help them succeed. Schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help you, or check out our tutoring and academic coaching services. Students who work with us see their grades improve by a full letter on average.

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In this article, however, we’re going to break down what course scheduling works like with specific examples. To do this, we’re going to look at the course requirements and offerings for St. John’s School, one of the best schools in Houston (our hometown). We’re first going to cover what classes you need to take to graduate, and then build some sample schedules for students with different collegiate plans. We hope that this specific example will help expand on our past article, and show you how you can best choose the courses at your school that will support your future plans. Let’s jump in!

Step One: Graduation Requirements

The first goal of any schedule should be to satisfy your school’s graduation requirements. Your counselors will usually not let you sign up for a schedule that doesn’t, so you need to make sure any schedule you are trying to plan out will allow you to graduate on time.

St. John’s School has the following as the : 

• 17.5 total credits
• English I, English II, AP English Language, English IV
• Global Studies, World History II, and United States History
• Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus
• Biology I, Chemistry I, and Physics I
• Through Level III of a world language
• Fine arts classes or performing ensembles (one credit’s worth)
• Additional elective courses
• Physical education

1 credit is awarded for full year courses, and half a credit is awarded for one semester courses. All courses are offered as full year options unless otherwise specified. At least 10 students must register for a course for it to be offered. You may take up to 7 courses at a time, and have 1-2 openings for co curricular courses.

Note that the arts credit can be met either by taking fine arts courses, or by participating in fine arts co curricular activities offered by the school. These are performance based ensembles which must be joined via an audition process, for both music and dance.

Physical education has a single credit required. This must be satisfied in 9th grade through one of the following options:

• Taking two trimesters of gym courses
• Participate in a sanctioned St. John’s sports team
• Participate in St. John’s cheerleading
• Participate in St. John’s dance ensemble. This may not count for the PE credit and arts credit simultaneously, you must do a second year for it to count for the arts credit.

Note that these are the minimum requirements to graduate, you are welcome and expected to go above and beyond what is required. For the math requirements, you may satisfy these before arriving at the high school, and continue on to higher orders of math. 

Course Planning

To assist you in choosing courses, most schools publish a course planning guide of some form, which lists all of the classes offered by the school. is the version of the guide offered by St. John’s. We won’t cover everything in detail, insead we’ll give you a few breakdowns of courses that would appeal to students with various interests, and then give you a full sample schedule. 

Humanities and Arts Courses

While you are required to take four years of English, you can supplement with a creative writing elective. These are two 1 semester courses, which can be taken junior or senior year. The second semester includes screenwriting, but both courses focus on the writing process. 

Three years of history are required, the fourth may be used for electives, and other electives may be taken as well if history is an area of particular interest. The most notable offerings here are sociology offerings, covering economics, psychology, and political science. These are almost all one semester courses, so you can mix and match to find the ones which best fit your interests. 

Fine arts courses offer studio and performing arts options. Note that music and dance performance are only offered through co curricular programs, not courses, but that acting is offered as a course. There are electives on architecture, digital film editing, animation, and photography. 

Language Courses

St. John’s offers the following languages. While only three years are required to graduate, taking an AP exam in a language and doing well can get you out of needing to fulfill your foreign language requirement in college, so we recommend doing so.

• Spanish, which caps with AP Spanish, or continues at a higher level through Spanish seminar or Spanish literature.
• Chinese, which caps with AP Chinese.
• French, which caps with AP French, or continues at an advanced level with French seminar and French literature courses.
• Latin, which caps with AP Latin.
• Ancient Greek is offered, which we recommend for students with a major interest in history or classics. 

Math and Science Courses

You are only required to take three years of math, concluding with precalculus. Depending on your level of math experience prior to entering St. John’s, you may already have surpassed this level by the start of 9th grade. We recommend taking four years of math regardless, and taking at least through calculus, since many colleges look for calculus specifically on transcripts.

St. John’s offers numerous advanced math options, including differential equations, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and complex analysis. Students interested in computer science or business may find interest in data analytics and statistics courses. 

Only three years of science courses are required, but we recommend taking four, and supplementing with electives to explore areas of interest if you intend to pursue any field of science in college. They offer numerous advanced options in science, including AP Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (including physics C), neuroscience, organic chemistry, anatomy & physiology, and a scientific research and design course, which allows students to pursue independent research. 

In addition to science courses, St. John’s offers engineering options. These include introductory and advanced options, and introduction to robotics, and a capstone course which allows students to pursue independent engineering design projects. 

St. John’s also offers computer science coursework options. These are all elective courses, but students interested in programming should consider taking them. These courses include a 2 semester sequence introduction to programming, plus advanced courses on data structures and artificial intelligence. 

Sample Schedules

Here are three sample schedules for students at St. John’s, each of whom has a different interest and passion. These are not prescriptive, and you should adjust your own schedule to meet your needs. Instead, we hope these serve as an example for what your course schedule can look like: 

Student A: Science

Student A knows they’re interested in science, and is considering being a doctor in the future. They build a schedule that will maximize their preparation for science coursework: 

Student B: Engineering

This student is interested in engineering, but doesn’t know if they want to focus on any particular field, or explore computer science. They select a schedule that will allow them to broadly explore their options.

Student C: Business

Student B wants to explore some kind of business in the future, and wants a solid foundation to build from. They pick courses that allow them a broad degree of exploration.

Final Thoughts

It can be difficult to balance all of your wants and interests when scheduling courses. After all, there are only so many hours in a day, so you can’t take every class. We hope that this guide has shown you how you can investigate the course offerings at your high school, and how you can plan out a schedule that works best for you. 

Of course, each high school has their own quirks when it comes to scheduling and course offerings, and what works well at one may not apply to another. If you are looking for personalized advice for crafting your own high school schedule, set up a free consultation with us today to learn how we can help you. We have a depth of experience advising students, and are always happy to hear from you.

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In this article we will outline how tracking and course selection work in high schools generally, give general advice on how to select courses, and then go through some of the questions we hear most often from students on course selection. For advice on AP courses specifically, see our guide to AP classes, or our International Baccalaureate guide for advice on them. Let’s get started!

High School Course Tracking

Most high schools have several “tracks” of coursework that students follow. Generally these are remedial, on level, and honors/advanced. We recommend all students who are interested in college pursue the honors/advanced track if possible. Colleges use your high school course load to estimate both your academic aptitude and motivation, and taking a less-than-challenging course load indicates to admissions officers that you aren’t fully committed academically.

It can be difficult to change which track you are on once it is set. Once you are “behind,” it becomes much harder to catch up. We recommend all students aim for the honors track when they first enter high school, or earlier if it is an option before then.

Which track you end up on is determined by school, but is usually based on performance in middle school, and your teacher’s recommendations there. Parental advocacy can be a thumb on the scale here however. If you are concerned about which track you are on, and which courses are available to you, scheduling a meeting with a guidance counselor can be useful. These should be polite, and framed in the context of trying to get your student the resources that will best serve them.

Some schools have specific tests which determine which track you will be on. These are generally administered at the end of 8th grade. Other schools begin tracking even earlier, with the separation between honors and on-level students beginning in middle school. Each district, and often each individual school handles this differently, based on the edicts of their particular school board, state, principal, and other influences. 

How Course Selection Works Logistically

This varies greatly between high schools, but most have some basic requirements you need to fulfill in order to graduate. You need a certain number of years of English, math, science, social science/history, a foreign language, and gym. Individual schools can have their own requirements, such as health courses or driver’s ed. These are the minimum requirements to graduate; more than the minimum is generally expected by admissions officers.

Around and within these requirements, you have room for electives. This again varies greatly by high school, as are which courses are available. Most actual course selection is done online now, though you will likely be required to meet with a counselor to gear recommendations on courses to take, and to advise you on the process generally. Most counselors will agree with any plan you present to them, so we recommend formulating a plan early on in high school to take you through all four years.

One time counselors will not automatically sign off on a schedule is when they think you are taking a course which is not on-level for you; this can mean taking a course they think is above your level, or one which is too easy for you. To take a harder course, you may need to get your parents involved, or find a teacher willing to vouch that you are prepared for the more rigorous curriculum. 

Some courses also have limited availability. There are only so many teachers at a school who are qualified to teach AP Calculus for example, and they can only offer so many sections of it. Schools will try to balance supply and demand, but yearly variations can cause issues here. If you are unable to get into a course you requested online, you will need to meet with your counselor in person to try to resolve the issue. 

High School Course Selection FAQ

Here are some of the most common questions we hear from students and parents regarding course selection.

Is it better to get a B in an AP or an A in a regular class?

We generally recommend going for the AP class. Admissions officers prefer to see that students have challenged themselves academically. A perfect GPA is less impressive if admissions officers see that you avoided courses which are generally considered difficult. They may also question if you are ready for the rigors of college if you went out of your way to avoid classes which are advertised as “college level.”

Can I take free periods?

We generally recommend this only if you are involved with an extracurricular at a very high level which takes up almost all of their time (such as preparing for a sport at an Olympic level), or are taking the most challenging load of courses and really need the extra time to work on homework and studying. In most cases, even a less challenging elective looks better on a transcript than simply taking time off. You should never have more than one free period per semester.

Some schools have built in free periods, which come opposite double length “lab” periods for science classes. Having these as free periods is fine, and will not impact your admissions chances. 

We do recommend taking lunch every year, even if you do have the option to take another class instead. Proper nutrition is very important for growing students, and the extra class you take will not matter to admissions officers.

Do language APs still count if it’s my first/second language?

Yes. While it may not be the best class to take if you are already fluent, taking the AP exam can confirm fluency, or taking the class can help you solidify a less formal grasp on grammar and construction.

Note that this is also why AP Chinese is usually rated as one of the easiest AP classes, despite being taken by so few students. There is no shame in taking a language you are already fluent in, indeed, it is a common strategy for students to get an “easy” AP credit in.

What if there’s an elective I want to take that doesn’t relate to my main focus?

That depends on how much time it will take, and whether your schedule will be better served by another course. My high school limited the number of academic courses you could take, so I had elective credits in cooking, personal finance, and acting. That said, if an elective requires a major investment of time, then you should consider why you want to take it in the first place. If the course represents a major passion of yours that you want to explore, you can consider making it a larger portion of your Candidacy Building, and part of the activities you pursue more generally for colleges.

Are AP or IB courses better?

Colleges do not favor AP or IB over each other in a vacuum. Both can allow you to qualify for college credit, and both are generally the most challenging courses offered by a high school. For more information on what each program offers specifically, see our guide to AP courses, and our guide to the IB curriculum. 

Do I need four years of each core academic subject?

While the actual course requirements for entry vary greatly by college, most do want you to have three or four years in each core academic subject at a minimum. The question we respond with is therefore: what else would you do instead? What courses would you take in place of your core subjects?

We generally recommend sticking with the core, unless you are replacing one with an extracurricular for a specific purpose. AP credits in high school can get you out of taking the same courses again in college, and most schools want to admit students who have gone above and beyond the bare minimum of academic preparation. 

Final Thoughts

We have done our best to cover the most common questions we are asked about course selection by high school students, but we know we haven’t covered every eventuality. There are thousands of schools, each with their own quirks and courses, and their own problems to vex students and parents alike.

If you are looking for advice specific to your own situation, or want our help plotting your course through high school, schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you. Our candidacy building service is designed to help students like you make the most of your time in high school, and we always enjoy hearing from you, and helping you succeed. 

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