APs and IBs: Planning Your High School Courses for College Admissions

Webinar Transcription

2023-02-15 – APs and IBs: Planning Your High School Courses for College Admissions

Anesha: Hi, everybody, and welcome to tonight’s webinar. My name is Anesha Grant. I am a senior advisor at CollegeAdvisor, and I will be your moderator today. Today’s webinar is, “AP’s and IB’s: Planning Your High School Courses for College Admissions.” Before we get started, I just want to orient everyone with the webinar timing, so our presenter will share some tips.

Resources and guidance, and then we will open up the floor to respond to your questions in a live Q and a on the sidebar. You can go ahead and download our slides under the handouts tab, and you can start submitting questions in the Q and a tab when you get started. But now, let’s be in a presenter.

Rachael. Hi, Rachael.

Rachael: Hi, Anesha. Hi, everyone. So nice to spend this evening with you and talk about AP’s and IB’s and really thinking about planning your high school courses for the year, uh, or for next year. Um, just a little background on me. I’ve been with CollegeAdvisor for about a year and a half now and serve as both a senior advisor and advisor.

Former admissions officer worked in the admissions field as an officer for about eight years and then transitioned to about 15 more years in student service oriented roles in higher ed, including career services. So super excited to have found my heart again here at CollegeAdvisor with being on the front lines and advising students, um, finding the right choices for them.

Anesha: Well, thanks, Richard. We’re excited to hear from you today before I hand it over to you fully. We’re going to take a quick poll. Yep. All right. So, for those in the audience, let us know what grade you’re in. Are you an 8th grade 9th grade 10th grade? 11th grade 12th grade or other. Other than that would be for you parents.

Um, if you were in the space and wondering about how to select for your students, did you take any AP’s or IB’s in high school? Rachael,

Rachael: I took some AP’s. I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but yes, um, I wish truly for me. that there was an IB curriculum at that time. I really didn’t know about it till I was in admissions actually.

But for me, um, sort of the critical thinking, the creative piece, I, I think I would have really thrived in that environment.

Anesha: Oh, that’s awesome. I, I’m going to learn a little bit more about IB’s from you today. It’s because I also didn’t have access to that curriculum. I took some APs. So I’m interested to hear, and I know you’re, you’ll get into kind of the difference between.

The two and who they work better for. So thanks for sharing that. We’ll go ahead and close our poll. I’ll just give you some context that the majority of folks are in the 10th grade. So about 50 percent of our audience is 10th grade. 3 percent are 8th graders. Welcome 8th graders. 23 percent are in the 9th grade.

Um, And the remaining are 11th graders or others. So the majority of folks in 10th grade thinking about how to set themselves up for junior year. So I will stop talking and we’ll hand it over to you.

Rachael: Oh, I love that. Hello everybody. And super props to all of you for taking time to really be able to make an informed decision for what classes you want to take in the coming year and really be able to think about what the best is for you with the right curriculum.

So my sincere hope is that this information will be helpful for you today and certainly going to be happy to answer any questions for you, um, related to AP and IB selection and how that Is considered in the admissions process, um, after the, after the presentation. So we’ll start with what most of the room is probably most familiar with, which is AP courses.

So, AP courses are considered to be like college level courses and exams that you can take in high school and I’m going to try really hard. I don’t generally read the slide, but. I feel like what I have to say today is pretty much verbatim what I say. So, um, we’ll just make sure that, um, we add some additional context there as well to each of the bullets.

But, um, 1 of the main reason that, well, there are 2 reasons. I would say that you would take an AP course. 1 is just simply the, the rigor, the advanced rigor being considered a college level course. just might be really stimulating and exciting to some students. Um, and the other is if there’s an option to take that and you feel you can handle the rigor, then certainly just that additional level of challenge that you willingly take on certainly sets up well for you.

Um, the perception of how you put yourself out there and challenge yourself in the admissions process. So those I would say are, you know, two of the main reasons students would take an AP course or an IB course as well, which we’ll talk about shortly. Um, one thing that I will say is that it really bodes well for you if you take the AP course that you take the exam as well, because it’ll show how.

You know, seriously, you were taking that course as well rather than simply the optics. I don’t want to say simply the optics, but, you know, if you’re taking the course with the intention of taking the test and doing really well on the test, it’s going to show your motivation and really hard work that you put into the class as well beyond the grade.

So. Just one of the things, you know, that’s often a question that comes up is, well, do I have to take the exam if I take the AP course and the strong recommendation would be, if possible, then yes, um, depending on your exam score, generally a three or higher, um, some schools, it’s four and five AP exams are rated on a scale of one to five.

Um, five being the highest, um, colleges will often give you some advanced placement into and usually a core course or general education requirements. Um, if a course. is required for a major. It’s not necessarily gonna take out, for example, if you do a science AP biology, but you still have to take intro to biology in college, um, or fulfill a biology requirement may not take away the fact that you have to take a biology course, but it could put you into a step up.

Or if it’s simply a general education requirement, it may allow you to free up some of your electives so that you could take something more that you wanted if it’s not related to your major. So being a sophomore, freshman in college, even a junior, I don’t really expect you to understand the intricacies of that.

But for those who have gone through the process on the call, I think that that context can be a little bit more helpful to explain how that works. Um, there is an option for that some students have for an AP diploma. So the AP diploma requires students to take four AP exams and score a three or a higher.

on the test. And you also take an AP capstone experience, which is two additional courses that are a year long, the AP seminar and AP research course. As sort of the culmination of those two courses, you will present or write a A 4 to 5,000 word essay and present an oral defense, um, of the research and work that you’ve done.

So that, in a sense, is sort of a piece. Sort of version of the I.B. Diploma that students, um, can consider.

What are I.B. Courses? So I.B. Courses is more experientially learn experiential learning, um, really aiming to connect the dots between what you’re learning in the classroom and. Real life. Um, whereas in AP courses, you’re really studying a specific subject and subject matter of like most of us do in high school.

Um, the IB course takes it a little bit different angle in that. Yes, you’re still learning that information, but it becomes more about learning from different perspectives. Um, global citizenship is, um, in independent thinking, which means, you know, making an informed opinion based on hearing other people’s perspectives and points of view, um, encouraging sort of challenging your point of view to, you know, really think more deeply and broadly.

So that’s, it’s, the approach to learning a particular area. And like I said, I always like to use the term when explaining IB to connect the dots between what’s happening on paper and how it’s actually applied in life in the real world. The course offerings are more diverse, um, in that you have to take one, um, From six subject groups, um, studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and arts.

So pursuit of experiences that foster creativity, activity, and service are infused throughout the program. So we call that the CAS or CAS for short. Um, and ways that you like incorporate that experiential learning is through doing projects, different clubs, community service, your sports, just life outside of the classroom.

Um, where you’re stretching yourself and growing and connecting with others as well. Research is a required component of the experience as well, just like for the AP, um, where if you were to go for an AP diploma, there’s a research component. The same is true for the IB curriculum as well. Um, part of the research piece is the extended essay, which is a topic question that requires independent research for you to work to find an answer to.

Obviously that requires a lot of organizational skills and being able to self manage yourself, um, throughout the process. And of course, to support that, you’re learning and owning that process, um, called the theory of knowledge. Um, just a little background on IB. It was developed in Switzerland and is internationally recognized, um, available in over 150 countries.

Again, you, There are parts of the country or different types of schools that offer the I. B. In the U.S. It is becoming more popular. Um, but it really, I think we saw more of it are often seen more of it in, uh, internationally. Currently, so

just kind of highlighting what we’ve talked about. Again, APs focus more on specific content, definitely more popular than the International Baccalaureate Program in the United States. Testing also is a big part of the AP. So, You’re testing your knowledge via exams and meeting certain content goals.

Another key piece that’s important to know is for the APs, you can take the exam without taking courses. I work with students every year who say they’ve taken or are studying to take another AP exam and they’re self studying. So that is an option for you to do as well. That’s something that is a little, I won’t say it’s easier to do, um, simply because, you know, preparing for a college level exam is not easy, but it is something that if you have the focus, the drive, you could pursue independently.

And we talked about the different diploma programs as well.

So again, the difference between an AP and IB from the international baccalaureate perspective is more depth and breadth of knowledge. And as you’re looking at different perspectives and themes, areas that you’re interested in, you certainly through your Research that you will present at the end, the theory of knowledge course, you can choose an area that you’re particularly passionate about and study that more deeply, um, lot more writing and that critical thinking, which is connecting the dots between what you’re learning in the classroom through reading and in life.

And for me, that learning by doing, when Anesha asked me if I had a preference for AP or IB or think I might have when I was a student, that experiential piece, being able to be out there and engaging with others and learning from their perspectives, um, thinking new things, uh, or exploring new ideas, That’s, that’s more my, my speed.

That’s how I learn best. So I would have loved to have given it a try. Actually, one key piece that I think is really important for everyone to understand is that if you, if an admissions, um, officer is reading an application, you, to be considered The strength of that curriculum, um, for an IB course to be considered it, you do have to be seeking the IB diploma.

Some students might take an IB course, but it is not considered the same. level if you aren’t doing it within the context of the entirety of the IB program. So that is something that’s really important for you to consider, um, when making course selections.

When should you start taking AP and IB courses? Um, every school is different. So it’s really important as I think. Many of you are probably doing right now and making selections for the coming year. Um, is really take a look and see what your high school offers and when they may offer certain classes and really what you need.

Sincerely, honestly have the most capacity for a lot of times APs, IBs tend to pick up as early as sophomore year, but the heaviest or the bulk of courses are usually taken in the junior and the senior years. Um, every School, like I said, is different, and it’s important to understand that students are reviewed within the context of the opportunities available to them.

So, and we’ll probably touch upon this a little bit later as well. But just if a student has taken all of the AP courses available to them and. They’re not going to be pitted against a student who didn’t, who had an IB diploma if their high school didn’t offer it. So, you know, or some schools don’t have AP courses or they don’t have honors courses.

So it’s dependent upon the admissions officer to understand what each school’s offerings are, and how you can gain opportunity to take those classes. Some schools you have to test into those courses, or, um, It’s based on, you know, a track that you’re on. Maybe you have to take it off a prerequisite course to be considered for the AP course.

So it’s just important to know that it is on the admissions team to understand what the environment of your high school is like. So and reviewing you. solely within your unique context. One piece that I cannot emphasize enough is it’s about taking a level of challenge that’s appropriate for you. Um, and appropriate is going to be different for every single student.

You know, if you’re a student who does not generally do well in the sciences, I’m not looking for you to take AP Bio, AP Chemistry, AP Physics. But if you say, really do so well in history or the English and language literature, and you could take an AP course in those areas, then I am going to expect to see that in a competitive application.

So it truly is about, you know, challenging yourself appropriately. Generally, we like to see, um, if a student maybe hasn’t always been in honors or always been on AP or IB track, that pick up that level of challenge as you continue to strengthen as a student. A lot of students have this idea that we should Senior year doesn’t count.

Um, so they’ll really bulk up sophomore year. They do well in honors AP sophomore year. They’ll take maybe a full honor day. IEP curriculums, junior year, and then take a lot of electives at a more general level, um, senior year, that is not going to bode well for you in the process, the senior year, course selection, and then mid year, how well you do, um, within that curriculum.

Very much counts in the competitive admission process. So it’s really important to, if at all possible, when you’re making your course selection from year to year, really thinking about it in terms of a road map leading up to what senior year. Would look like and hopefully that actually opens up some flexibility to you is to when you take some of those honors and AP courses and take some pressure off that you don’t necessarily have to take them all, you know, in one or two particular years, you could spread it out over time.

Anesha: Okay, we’re going to come back and do a quick little poll. So we know that the majority of y’all are juniors, but where are you in your college process? Especially as you all are thinking about majors, thinking about how all this will impact you down the line. So, let us know how deep into the college process you are.

And then while we’re waiting, I’ll ask One question that had, uh, that was even seeking clarity. I think it was Boston. Um, if you don’t take the exam, you can’t get the college credit. Is that correct? Correct. All right. So for the person that asked that question, that is the response. If you do not take the exam, you will not be eligible for credit.

Um, that’s a big reason

Rachael: I say just take the exam.

It’s a great question now.

Anesha: Okay, we’ll go ahead and close our poll. It seems like the majority of participants did let us know. So a lot of folks haven’t started yet. So they’re still, they’re not even thinking about college applications, which is understandable. They’re just trying to get through these classes right now.

Part of me is happy

Rachael: to hear that. Like, good, good. You’re focusing on what you need to and the fact you’re in this webinar. Yeah,

Anesha: I think. And then, uh, so the other half, the majority, about 52 percent haven’t started and about 46 percent are researching schools. So again, giving context to what schools they should be looking at, how they should be thinking about majors and things like, all right, well, I will, those were our polls.

And so I’ll be back at our Q and A a little bit later, but I’ll hand it back over to you, Rachael.

Rachael: Okay, thank you, Anesha. Um, actually, I’m glad that that poll was taken. And we were just talking about. Thinking about looking at colleges because I don’t expect, I don’t think I know that there is not a CollegeAdvisor out there who would expect, or maybe even want you to know what you think you want to major in or do with the rest of your life.

Um, when you graduate from high school, but knowing yourself well, knowing what interests you, um, and what your strengths are certainly is very helpful. In helping to narrow down different majors that you could take, or it might be a good fit for you type of colleges and. That’s something that is helpful to consider even with your course selection in high school.

You know, if you say that you want to be a biology major, for example, and if your high school offers AP and honors courses in the hard sciences, then I would expect you to be taking The most challenging curriculum available to you in the science area, maybe in the math area as well, or taking an AP statistics course.

So that is something that is helpful for context when you are thinking about majors, and that doesn’t mean if you’re strong, you know, also in a humanities course that you shouldn’t challenge yourself, at least with an honors curriculum in that, I, you know, area. Um, again, not saying you have to stretch yourself too thin, taking straight a piece, um, or seek out an I.

D. Diploma. But again, it’s balance, um, and making sure that you’re challenging yourself appropriately. Back to the slide. Um, it with how many AP IB courses should I take throughout my high school career. Um, really, actually, similar to what I was just saying, there isn’t a set number. Um, you know, it’s really based on how you perform year to year.

Certainly, if you continue to get stronger, we expect that it. Desire to increase some challenge to increase, um, or, uh, or if you’re taking the most demanding curriculum and you’re thriving in it, then continuing to perform at that level as well. But I cannot stress enough that it’s yes, it’s about your grades.

Yes, it’s about how you do the type of classes you’ve chosen to take. It’s not the whole piece. And if you’re sacrificing the balance where your mental health is starting to get impacted negatively, you’re not able to pursue things that you enjoy outside of the classroom or with loved ones and in your community, then something’s not quite right.

Um, and we’ve got to reset. And balance a little bit there too. So yes, school’s very important. Um, but it’s not the whole piece.

Um, touched on this earlier, but want to give a little bit more depth to this idea. Um, you know, not every school has a peer I. V. Courses. You know, how are you going to stand out in college admissions? Well, we Talked a little bit about that. It’s not just about the courses. It’s also about the personal interests and how you pursued them.

Really, we’re looking for curiosity and, you know, what, how do you spend your time? What have you dedicated yourself to? And when something sticks with you, you know, how do you deepen your knowledge and experience in an area? The other thing you can do is take. Advantage of local community college, virtual programs, summer programs, passion projects, or research.

Again, these aren’t things that are required for most majors, but, you know, certainly for your own personal growth, um, and for some areas, um, can be helpful. Um, internships, again. You’re also, you’re not just gaining skills and experience and you’re not doing it just for college, you’re gaining an opportunity to grow.

That’s going to help you when you’re looking at jobs later on, or to take advantage or know what to take advantage of when you are in college and things to pursue in reading, I can’t stress enough. Just the importance of reading. Not just for class. Um, not just the summer reading list, um, that your school gives you, but truly just about things that you’re curious about and interested in.

It can be, you know, online. It can be a book, of course, traditionally. There are so many great classes virtually now that you can take or certifications for free. Um, Or traditionally like a community college. So just so many different options that are out there, journals, um, whatever lights your fire, find what’s out there about it.

That’s a credible sort of association or group of people who talk about And, you know, share information about something you’re interested in and become part of that.

Okay, what’s the difference between honors and AP or IB courses and are they looked at differently? Um, honors courses are taken at a level of depth that is higher than the general curriculum or the standard curriculum. Um, AP IB are generally considered to be the college level coursework. Again, some schools are different.

They’ll call it an honors course, but students are absolutely, you know, qualified and do very well on the AP exam. after they’ve taken that course. So again, it’s on the admissions officer to really understand what their school’s curriculum is like. A question actually that will often come up, I keep mentioning that’s on the admissions officer to know what that school curriculum is.

Um, the way, one of the ways that we do that is Through what’s called a high school profile. Every high school should be able to share information. A lot of times it’s online on the college counseling or guidance counseling page, or it’s submitted, um, in a form. With the student’s application with the secondary school report, um, that gives us that information.

So it’s not something you as a student have to worry about making sure that we have. We know how to find it. And if we can’t find it, we know who to call, um, or look for. where to look for it online. So that’s not something you have to be concerned about. You have plenty of other parts of the app, um, to focus on.

But that is a question that naturally comes up when we talk about knowing your school’s curriculum. Um, Again, APs, we encourage students to take the test. IBs are considered college level if it’s taken as part of the IB diploma program. So not really a, you know, considered to be an honors or AP level course if it’s simply taken on its own.

And we’re looking to see, did you challenge yourself at the highest level offered to you where it was appropriate, which we talked about earlier. Another piece of advice that I have is, you know, again, depending on your unique circumstances, your interests, what’s available, but helpful sort of guide to think about taking the equivalent of at least four years in the five major subject areas.

Thank you So the language arts, history, social sciences, um, foreign language, science, math, um, again, sometimes it’s doubling up in one area, compensating for another, um, where you didn’t take as much coursework. And there are often reasons for that. So every student. viewed uniquely, um, within their own personal circumstances, but it’s a general rule of thumb.

I often like to coach, think about it from the perspective of taking the equivalent of four years in each of the major subject areas. honors and APs or IB where appropriate.

Uh, we talked a lot about this, so I don’t want to spend too much time on this fly slide so we can open it up to questions, but things to consider, um, definitely looking ahead. What does the entire high school transcript look like? You know, think about what can, you know, you take if you’re a sophomore.

Have you tried honors courses yet? You know, if you haven’t. Then definitely, you know, see what you could take this year and areas where you feel particularly strong in and take an honors or course or several, two, three. Um, once you do well in that, maybe take an AP course or two, um, maintain the honors level where you’re still doing well.

You know, we’re looking at progression. Not at the state, not to forsake the grade though. So that’s where that appropriate level of challenge comes in. School life balance still very important. You know, yes. School comes first, um, in terms of priorities, how you spend your time, but not to the point where you’re not able to enjoy life and grow, um, and just have a healthy mindset, um, throughout your high school years.

So it’s about balance. If you, all you’re doing is studying or thinking about. Your classes, then something’s a little off. Um, and maybe we have to step it back a little bit. And we talked about opportunities, um, for the summer, um, or something isn’t offered in your high school. You know, we talked about those other options, but it’s, it’s so much about demonstrating that.

Knowing where to find more information and us, you know. Looking around you, asking adults around you, you know, where there might be opportunities or people that you know, who could give you more information or point you in the right direction. So leverage, um, the people around you for sure. And ask them, um, for their support and who they might know.

Sometimes it’s really surprising. Uh, In terms of networking, uh, the opportunities that might come out of that. And people are generally excited to talk about what they do or what they’re interested in. So try not to be shy about asking. What are other course types to consider? Um, dual enrollment or college courses are often offered as part of some high school curriculums that will 100 percent counts on a level as an AP, uh, course.

Summer programs. Um, certainly if there’s an area that you’re really excited about or want to test the waters to maybe you’ve heard about, you know, artificial intelligence or cyber security, and you really like, you know, you’re always playing around learning code, you know, might be interesting to take a summer course.

in one of those areas to see if there’s a niche area that you’re interested in. Something that interests you that your high school doesn’t offer in certificate programs, which are often offered virtually as well as in person.

Final tips and best practices. Balance is key. I think I’ve emphasized that a lot throughout the presentation, but I will So continue to say that until we sign off, um, take the level of challenge appropriate for you. Um, you know, of course we’re looking for growth, but appropriately challenging so that you can explore the areas and really make the most out of those courses and opportunities that you’re seeking.

And we’re looking at the entirety of your academic experience, not just one subject or class year. There. I mean. We all know COVID really threw a lot off. Um, so just know we’re looking at progression. Sometimes life happens and a performance in a year was not reflective of how you normally do in the classroom.

That happens. Uh, and we’re never telling a student to divulge their life story to us, but being able to provide some context with the school is to, you know, or just being able to demonstrate. Maybe sophomore year didn’t go so well, but look how you bounce back on junior and senior year. That’s that’s what we’re looking for the whole picture and course selection and your grades.

It’s just one part of the overall story presented throughout the application. Um, it’s truly about the whole person. Colleges are looking for, you know, You know, how are looking for clues as to how a student might fit and engage in their community. So diversity of experiences and unique perspectives and bringing that to the classroom and on campus as a community, that’s what we’re looking for, um, to really shape a class with individuals who, you know, we know the type of student who does well and thrives.

in our campus environment, but it’s not a cookie cutter approach by any means. Um, it’s truly about bringing about the depth, the breadth of experiences in a class and perspectives, um, that makes for a truly engaging college experience.

Anesha: All right. I was trying to answer some questions in the chat, uh, just to not be overwhelmed, um, when we get into the Q and A, but we are in the Q and A section of our conversation and my document is freezing on me. Um, I, I think I know generally, but, uh, what I need to say and some questions off the top of my head, but, um, Um, this is the Q and a section.

The webinar is not over. Just a reminder that you can download the handouts on the slides under the handouts tab and please submit your questions in the Q and a tab. Please not submit them via chat as it will be a bit distracting. And please make sure your questions are general and broadly applicable.

We are not giving you 1 on 1 advice for your specific situation tonight. That we encourage you to connect with your advisor. If you do have more specific questions, um, if you are not able to submit questions, please know that you might have to log out, log back in and via the link that you’ve received via your email and not through the college, um, advisor.

com webinar. Page. Okay. Um, that’s my spiel. The first question that I’ll ask that I can have access to before my website crashes is, do tier one and IVs expect a certain number of AP coerces on a transcript? I know you covered this, but, um, some folks made it specified to the more prestigious institutions.

So, uh, if you could address that.

Rachael: Sure. Um, Everyone always wants a number. Everyone always wants a checklist. I get that. Sometimes I think I push for that myself. Um, in life as well. What I would say if you’re looking at the most competitive colleges in the world, You know, and certainly in the United States, where a lot of the students that we work with, um, are looking at, we’re looking at you taking the most demanding curriculum that’s appropriate for you to be taking.

So, if they offer. APs and all the, in the sciences and you say that you want to be a physics major, then we want to see, did you take AP Calc? Did you take AP physics? Did you, you know, what other types of courses did you take? that are skills that you would use within that major that they offered APs in, did you take them?

So I can’t be prescriptive other than, you know, really taking the most demanding curriculum and doing well in it. Um, if you’re, you know, taking AP, you know, English class, and that’s not your forte. And you end up getting a C in it. That’s not gonna help you. So hopefully that helps to explain sort of that balance that we’re looking for.

Um, but I can’t sit there and say, oh, if your high school has, you know, 15 AP courses that you need to take all 15, that is absolutely not the case. So it’s selecting. within the areas that make sense for what you think you want to study.

Anesha: And I want to reiterate that there’s no cap on it or a number because access to AP and IB classes isn’t universal.

So there are students who cannot take AP classes who will still get into tier one and Ivy League institutions because they are looking at what are you taking the classes that are most competitive based on what is offered to you. If you go to a school that takes that offers one AP and you take that one AP, you have, you’re pursuing a rigorous coursework, course load based on what is available to you.

So that’s also part of the reason why we can’t give you a number because it is very much judged based on what you have access to at your high school. Um, and I think that might speak to this other question about dual enrollment classes. So there are a lot of questions that do they look better than, or just as good, and are they, the same as AP and IB courses.

So. If you can add a little bit more context to the impact and importance of, or the contrast of dual enrollment courses versus AP and IB.

Rachael: Yeah, it really, if you take the AP course, and you take the test, then I don’t feel a difference between that and a dual enrollment class. But taking the test, I think, is really a big factor there.

It’s, you know, just like if you take a college course, you’re going to take an exam or have a final project that demonstrates your understanding of the material that you studied. So same is true for AP. I truly can’t say that I prefer one or the over the other. Sometimes the dual enrollment, just students like that.

Sort of additional different type of instructor, different experience. So it’s truly what’s going to be best for you. I wish I could give you a yes, no, but there is nothing in this line of work. I don’t think that’s black and white. Other than that, you have to really just do your best.

Anesha: And, and even then I think it’s also still college dependent because just because you take the AP and get a five does not mean that every college is going to give you that credit. Some schools, um, will say, great, good for you. We’re glad you took it. You still have to take English one on one. Um, so, and that’s the same for dual enrollment classes.

Just because you took it does not mean that every college will accept those credits coming in. And so it is. It’s not just high school specific, it’s college specific based on what they’ll accept coming in. Um, I think there was some confusion around AP diplomas versus IB diplomas and things like that.

So, um, someone asked, does every school offer AP diplomas and then what’s the percentage of, Students in the top 20 colleges that have an AP diploma. So if you can clarify the difference between an IB diploma versus taking AP classes. Um, yeah,

Rachael: No, I know I felt like I was getting so bogged down in detail as I was talking there.

And I thought, Oh, I hope that this is coming across. So glad someone asked because it’s a lot and it’s also overwhelming because in the back of your mind, You know, there’s a, should I be doing this? Or, you know, or it’s just new information. So happy to continue clarifying for with that. First, not every school offers an AP diploma.

Um, in terms of percentages, I don’t have that. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about, actually, I wouldn’t be concerned about that at all. Um, if it’s something that’s offered in your school. We would be looking at the profile to get a little bit more of an idea of the competitiveness of your high school.

Again, looking within the standards. opportunities that are available to you. So just because there is an AP diploma that is out there does not mean that you have to do it. I can tell you just anecdotally, the majority of my students were not taking the AP diploma because their high school didn’t offer it.

Um, you do have to be able to take those other two courses. Um, for the AP diploma. So, you know, sometimes a lot of times they don’t have teachers to be able to help manage that program. So don’t feel that you need to take that if they do have it. Definitely, if you are interested in it, I think it’s worthwhile to consider it.

But again, that’s just if that’s something that lights your fire and you like research and really want to give it a shot. So for the IB Diploma, you do have to participate. In the entirety of the program, so it’s predominantly junior senior year and there are those set per, you know, requirements that you have to take across those 6 areas that they have.

I don’t even want to call them subject areas as much because it’s a little bit different than the traditional curriculum. That’s in that a lot of us take in high school in the United States, uh, particular, but, um, it, it’s a comprehensive experience where they’re looking to connect, you know, say, if you’re setting a certain goal.

period of time in history and learning about art that was produced during that time or what were world events that were taking place that influenced ideas and culture during that time. So That’s just a teeny example. And I don’t want to go too deep because I don’t want to do injustice to the experience.

But what I’m trying to do is paint the picture that it’s not just about one specific subject, you know, so for to have the value of the international baccalaureate degree. experience, you have to take the program in its entirety. Does that help?

Anesha: I don’t know. I understand. I understand. So, um, it was clear to me, but I hopefully if folks can let us know in the chat, um, if that provides some clarity, I think there’s still some questions of like, what kind of diploma can you get with an AP?

So there are some schools that offer what is called an AP diploma. It’s a requirement that you take a certain degree. set of AP classes to earn an AP diploma. Every school does not offer that because every school is not able to provide the full array of classes you need to earn an AP diploma. You are not benefited more so by getting an AP diploma or not, especially if your school does not offer AP diplomas.

So that hopefully that puts it to bed. Um, that was the other question that came up. So it depends on what is available at your high school. Colleges will judge you based on what is available. At your high school. Um, all right.

Rachael: So well said

Anesha: all right. There are a ton of questions. There’s other specific questions.

So, um, we just want to do a quick PSA for those in the room who aren’t currently working with with CollegeAdvisor dot com. We know it is an overwhelming process, but we do have 300 people. Former admissions officers and admissions experts who are ready to help you and your family navigate the process of one on one advising sessions.

You can’t take the next step by using the QR code. That’s on the screen to sign up for a free 45 to 60 minute strategy session with an admission specialist on our team by using that code. You will be able to set up a meeting and we will discuss. Discuss your extracurriculars, your application strategy, your college list, and also, of course, selection is absolutely part of that conversation.

So we’ll leave that QR code up on the screen and get back to the questions. 1 question that came up that I thought was interesting was, what if you start taking classes and you run out of classes? To take by senior year. How, you know, how are students who maybe took too many, um, at the front kind of evaluated and how can they kind of, you know, are they what students that are you slacking off?

Um, you know, because taking all the classes you can take, um, by senior year.

Rachael: So I love the question. Um, first of all, I mean, if you were able to handle that challenge and you max it out. Then, you know, you’re certainly not looking like you slacked off because you already, you took the most rigorous curriculum available.

That being said, I would certainly look to see what opportunities might be available to you for some additional learning. So not necessarily suggesting you have to go and take a community college class because there’s also a full affordability that can be part of that as well. Um, so it’s not saying that’s something you have to do, but you know, really making sure that you’ve, if there are other classes within those major subject areas that you could be taking, you know, taking those.

Or, you know, doing an internship or, you know, just seeing where there are other opportunities to research, you know, asking if you could do, you know, a faculty, if there’s a teacher that would be willing to supervise a research project. That you want to do, you know, looking for those opportunities that show you’re still trying to grow and make the most of that senior year experience.

I can’t say I often, if ever, saw someone by junior year completely maxing out. Um, usually a college counselor or guidance counselor is going to help you pace. a bit. I know not everyone has access to a counselor, but usually there is guidance there that helps you to paste that out. Um, it may be even not, not saving for a free senior year, but maybe it’s doing research one year and in your junior year and at it doing some more of the AP courses in senior year, it’s balancing it.

So I think it’s a really important question to like, look at that entirety of the high school transcript, what it could look like and how you could balance it. Best manager time from year to year answer it

Anesha: again. I think we’ll let us know in the chat. Let

Rachael: me know. I want to know if I didn’t answer it.

We’re not in the

Anesha: chat in the Q and a, um, again, I think, you know, I know. So it’s hard for me to balance. Um, If you’re getting at the cut of the question, but, um, uh, what question and I, I only have had like a handful of students who who’ve ran out of classes. I have 1 student right now who ran out of all the possible classes.

She could take and is trying to find, um. Different things, but, um, okay, this is speaking specifically to majors and more alluded, you know, we are in the US. So a lot of the questions are AP related and less IB related. How beneficial is it to enroll in AP courses that do not relate to the subject you want to major in?

If you are going for pre med, is it more important to take AP bio, AP chem, other than taking some of those other classes or like AP, AP US history and whatnot? So again, it’s hard to give

Rachael: like

direct, you know, like without like answer to that for each individual person, but generally what I would say, and I love pre med as an example, um, I would say. Assuming the sciences, mathematic, quantitative areas in particular are strong for you. I think there’s value in starting there. What I would say though is that if you also do well in the other areas, you know, the humanities, the social sciences, um, another language, you know, choose To challenge yourself doesn’t have to be in each of those areas, but another area as well.

The reason partially that I say that is, you know, say, and this is a very just like kind of specific example, but I actually experienced it this year with a student who could have taken a more demanding curriculum, decided to focus, and Was it wrong, truly was it wrong and focusing on the areas that they were most interested in and wanted to demonstrate that and just were excited about, you know, that particular area.

And it was more STEM related, but ended up getting an 800 verbal score and then never and hadn’t taken advantage of honors and AP courses.

I think it might’ve hurt them a little bit because I think they could have challenged themselves more because they were getting great grades. in those courses. So especially when you’re looking at these ultra competitive environments, and right now it is a very competitive, it’s the most competitive I’ve ever seen, um, I think it’s important to think about that.

Anesha: Because you show an aptitude in it, but then you didn’t challenge yourself. So clearly your verbal skills are good, but if you’re not taking the AP English, AP, AP Language, AP Lit, then are you really challenging yourself in the context? And will you show up to college and challenge yourself? So the next question is, if you, it’s about the test test score.

So if you take an AP exam, but don’t score well, does that harm you? Um, and then someone also asked about test taking strategies specifically for preparation for the, for the AP. And I can, I can tackle that second part, but it’s

Rachael: good because I can’t. Thank you.

Anesha: Essentially, what’s the impact if you, on, on what’s the impact of your test Um, in the admissions process,

Rachael: I’d say primarily it’s more so about

would you get credit for it at your college? Truly, that’s what we would look at more than or consider the most of I think some of the, especially some of the more elite schools might. Or do look to see how a student did. Um, but I don’t, that is not the deciding factor for the majority. Uh, for going to college, you took it, you did well in it.

Some simply aren’t good test takers. Also, um, we could do a whole other piece on that. Um, that is not my session. I will say because I am not a good test taker myself, but, um, I would say it’s really just knowing that you’re being able to demonstrate that you put your best foot forward, um, and then.

Because AP is one factor. It’s important if you take it and you choose to take it, that you give your best, but it’s one factor. It’s not everything.

Anesha: Yeah. I think I would agree with you that it, for so many of these questions, it depends on the college, right? It so does.

Rachael: It so does.

Anesha: Cause my college, they, they did not care about the test.

Cause I was going to have to, they had their own placement test. They were like, great. AP classes. You have to retake all of our place. Yeah. Um, in order to place out of any of these subjects. So it really, really, really, really, really depends on the college because it only, it only the score, the four, the five, the three, et cetera, only matters if you’re trying to get the credit.

the college credit. It only matters if the college you’re going to will accept that credit. Um, so you really should be talking to admissions officers at the specific schools and seeing what their specific policies are. Um, this is an interesting question. It says, do APs in senior year help in college? So I guess is there, you know, especially because colleges won’t necessarily see all of 12th grade, do the APs matter, um, if you’re taking them in 12th grade or to what extent do they matter?

Rachael: They do matter. They do matter. Um, from the perspective that we’re looking at, are you continuing to challenge yourself, um, where it makes sense for you to senior year, obviously for schools where you’re going early, you know, like a November one, even October 15th deadline, a lot of times they’re not going to see that.

And we don’t. Tend to make this or we don’t make decisions on just a quarter grade, but the vast majority of students still apply to. Or applications, I will say to regular decision schools and we do see that. The. Is a mid year report that goes out after those second quarter classes or first semester completion is made.

And we do see those, um, and sometimes schools will ask, you know, if the students, you know, they’re looking at making a. Decision. Um, I had one this year where the student had applied early decision. So obviously that was a November one dead thought, or not obviously, but usually they’re around November one and they did, I found, I learned call and ask for, you know, the first quarter grades.

So, you know, I would say yes. It matters.

Anesha: Okay, we’ll have to leave it there. The test your senior year matters to colleges. Um, AP, the importance of it depends on your high school depends on your colleges. So finding balance playing through your strengths. I think just to reiterate a lot of the topics or the questions.

Piece of advice that you already raised, but that is all our time. There are a lot of questions that we didn’t get to apologies for that. But I do think some of those questions are very personal specific. So please raise them with your specific advice. If you have that, um, that is the end of our webinar.

Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much. Rachael for your time and patience and navigating. It’s good to see you. Uh, we hope you gain some tips and strategies for your classes and we also hope that you’ll join us for our future webinars this month. So, um, on the 21st, we’ll talk about why college admissions help is helpful.

So, why it might be useful to sign up with CollegeAdvisor.com if you haven’t already and get started. Some of that support and we’ll end the month talking about maximizing your summer break to build your resume on the 27th. So there are a lot of questions about taking classes over the summer, what that would mean, how that would impact things.

So, uh, come and join us on the 27th and that might give you some context for that. Otherwise, uh, we hope you all have a good evening and take care. I’ll see you around. Rachael. Take care. Bye everybody. Have a good night.

Rachael: You too.