Why AP Classes Can Help You Get Into Your Dream College

If you’re entering the later years of highschool, you may be considering taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Administered by the College Board, AP classes are a set of 38 undergraduate college-level courses offered to high school students, all of which include an annual AP exam. 

But why choose to take more challenging courses on top of your usual workload and extracurriculars? What’s the point of AP classes? 

The benefits really do outweigh the extra effort – advanced classes can provide you an important edge in college admissions, fill general education requirements, and give you the confidence to excel among your peers.

1. APs Earn You College Credit

Because AP courses are designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course, earning a good score (typically a 4 or higher) on the final exam can often transfer into your freshman year as college credit, saving both time and money in your undergraduate degree. 

Taking an AP class related to your major may even take the place of prerequisites and allow you to take advanced courses sooner. For example, if you plan to major in English, you may be able to use an AP English credit to skip your college’s required first-year writing course and go straight into analyzing Shakespeare! 

Or if science is your passion, an AP English credit can fulfill general requirements, meaning that you may not need to take any English courses at all in college – leaving all the more time for genetics and organic chemistry.

2. APs Can Boost Your GPA

Advanced Placement classes are often described as “weighted” in regards to your GPA. This means that, because they are more rigorous and intense than standard classes, many high schools consider AP grades to be more impressive and worth more credit. An A grade in a standard Math course might earn a 4.0 towards your GPA, but an A grade in advanced Math could earn you a 5.0. With AP classes, it’s possible to graduate with a weighted GPA even higher than a “perfect” 4.0! 

3. APs Can Save You Both Time and Money

Though criteria for what constitutes a good score is different for every university and college, scores of 4 or 5 on AP final exams typically count towards college credit. Some schools may accept 3s to replace low-level introductory courses. Coming into college with class credits already completed can allow you to potentially graduate early, double major, or follow your passions in two different minors. Outside of school, completed credits can give you extra time in your schedule to spend on internships, shadowing, or volunteer work.

4. APs Help You Receive Financial Aid

Colleges offer two types of financial aid: need-based and merit-based. While need-based aid is often beyond your control, merit-based financial aid is often awarded as a direct result of your GPA and academic achievements. With the weighted boost that comes from taking AP classes, you may have a better chance at landing more scholarships to help you pay for college – even if your first few semesters of highschool grades were less than impressive. 

5. APs Help You Prepare for College

Many first-year college students experience “college shock”, unprepared for the higher standards, workload, and pace of professors and peers. Taking an AP class (or several) in high school can expose students to the rigor and expectations of college academics while you can still rely on familiar support networks, building a strong foundation for your post-secondary education and allowing you to hit freshman year running.

Reporting AP Courses on College Applications

While a stellar score on AP Biology probably won’t be the single deciding factor in your applications, colleges (particularly those with a reputation for being highly selective) do look positively on applications that include high scores on multiple AP exams. While the grade attained in your AP classes will always be visible to college admissions officers as part of your GPA and transcript, AP exams can be more forgiving in applications: since they are almost always self-reported, colleges will only see the scores that you want to send.

Should You Get an AP Tutor?

AP classes are designed to be more difficult than standard high school classes and typically both move faster and cover a wider range of topics, mimicking the scope of a college course. AP exams can be particularly challenging, requiring specific styles of learning and test-taking that may be unfamiliar. In these situations, AP course tutoring provides students with the support they need to undertake advanced work. 

It’s worth noting that students can take an AP exam without having taken the official AP course. While uncommon, this can be a good strategy when a student’s school doesn’t offer advanced-track subjects (such as AP Psychology) or the student already has significant personal experience (such as with AP Art & Design or AP World Languages). 

If your student is thinking about teaching themselves the course material to take the AP exam, tutors are a critical part of preparing for the test. 

How to Know Which AP Courses to Take

According to the ancient Greek Pausanias, the best way to make decisions is to “know thyself.” Students who excel at math may want to look into taking AP Calculus, AP Computer Science, or AP Statistics, while students who struggle with numbers may want to avoid putting extra pressure on themselves from the speed and difficulty of an AP course. Likewise, students who are passionate about English literature might find extra work in that subject rewarding but struggle in AP Macroeconomics. 

No AP class can be described as easy, but the sciences and histories are often listed among the most difficult due to the amount of information covered. Play to your strengths, but above all, play to your interests! 

If it comes down to a decision between two courses, think about which will be most useful for your prospective college major, and which exam scores your hopeful schools will accept as credit.

Ready to dive into AP?

Selecting and taking AP courses can feel like a daunting task, but establishing a strong foundation for college-level work, boosting your GPA, and earning college credits can pay off in the long run. For help reviewing test topics, accessing official materials, and planning a successful study schedule, contact our team. We’d love to connect you with one of our expert AP tutors!