AP or Honors class?

[weezergirl]

Hey, this question is for my cousin who's in high school. She is taking AP biology right now and she thinks it's really hard...and that she might end up with a C in the class. So I advised her that she should drop it and take honors chem instead. i always thought it looks better to have an A or B in an honors class rather than a C in an AP class. so anyways, she went to talk to the counselors and they told her its' better to get the C in AP bio. her teacher and college counselor agreed?!?!?!?

so who's right? normally i would think the teachers and counselors would know better but i seriously think i'm right in this case. how do colleges look at it does anyone know?

 

[tweakmm]

Having a C in an AP class looks better than an B in an honors.

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Having a C in an AP class looks better than an B in an honors.

but not an A

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Having a C in an AP class looks better than an B in an honors.

but not an A

I'm not so sure about this, from what I've heard colleges really like to see people taking AP classes. It might be about even. One thing to consider is if she is making a C in AP Biology can she make an A in honors chemistry? I'm sure alot of it depends on your teacher and what your state desides to make hold the students acountable for learning, but I've been told that Honors Chemistry isn's a breeze

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: tweakmm

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Having a C in an AP class looks better than an B in an honors.

but not an A

I'm not so sure about this, from what I've heard colleges really like to see people taking AP classes. It might be about even. One thing to consider is if she is making a C in AP Biology can she make an A in honors chemistry? I'm sure alot of it depends on your teacher and what your state desides to make hold the students acountable for learning, but I've been told that Honors Chemistry isn's a breeze

I dont really think its gonna matter in the long run I took 7 AP classes got A's in all of them passed All the exams still didnt get me into where i wanted to go only 1320 SATs that kinda hurt my chances i know


IMO getting that C hurts your GPA average a lot though

BTW why not switch to AP Chem

 

[Ameesh]

is she gets a 4 or a 5 on the ap test she should be ok with a C, she can explain that they suck or something and have proof that she knows what shes doing, if she cant pass the bio test shes in trouble,

 

[GoSharks]

which science classes has she already taken? *would like to help, but need more info*

has she taken regular chem yet? it sounds like she might have, since she is already taking AP bio. usually, regular chem and honors chem branch off at the same place (take one or the other but not both). AP and honors chem are different though, complementary courses...

 

[chiwawa626]

I wouldnt necessarily say ones better then the other, it really depends on the college and the person whos looking at ur stuff...I duno c in an ap is usualy bad because a lot of hs ap teachers say that the min u can get is a c if u do all ur work. Im takin bio ap so far i have a 94% im glad but its gonna go down slowly lol (bioap= hardest class our school has to offer):Q

 

[chiwawa626]

dont really think its gonna matter in the long run I took 7 AP classes got A's in all of them passed All the exams still didnt get me into where i wanted to go only 1320 SATs that kinda hurt my chances i know

That scares the heck outa me....its my senior year time to apply..

 

[habib89]

i think the difference (and possibly why the teachers/counselors think it's better) is that with AP classes you can take the AP tests.. that's the point of the AP classes.. to prepare you for the tests.. AP classes are like college classes you take in high school... honors classes are just harder high school classes... so i guess that's why AP courses are better.. that's how i thought when i took the AP classes back in high school

 

[HamSupLo]

With an AP class, I think the C is counted as a B in her GPA. If someone can verify this, I would just stick with the AP class if i was your cousin.

 

[GoSharks]

Originally posted by: jooksing
With an AP class, I think the C is counted as a B in her GPA. If someone can verify this, I would just stick with the AP class if i was your cousin.

that chem class might have the extra grade point too. thats how my school is setup, the only two science classes which are availible for the extra point (on the UC grading scale) are Honors chem and AP chem. we have an AP bio class, but that is not counted.

*stupid schedules...*

 

[habib89]

Originally posted by: jooksing
With an AP class, I think the C is counted as a B in her GPA. If someone can verify this, I would just stick with the AP class if i was your cousin.

i believe grades in both honor classes and AP classes will weigh one grade higher on the gpa.. meaning a C will count as a B in both AP and honor classes...

 

[andylawcc]

I would take the AP regardless, a 4 in the AP will take out a whole Biology course in college. you would appreciate such bonus / jump start.

Honors doesn't mean jack in my book. its like, "Hey look, I am smart but just not smart enough to take the AP."

if the AP is truely tooo difficult for your cousin, make sure she/he gets an A in the "plain" or Honor class

 

[Maverick2002]

Doesn't matter what grade you get in an AP class (well, below a C you usually get kicked out; some classes require a B). It's all about the $75 final exam. You pass, you get college credit. You fail, you just wasted $75 and got low (?) grade in the class. Most colleges accept a 3. If she thinks she has what it takes to pass, go for it, you'll save a LOT of time and money in college. I took 8 AP courses in high school and was awarded 46 credit hours = first year done. So now I'm going to be getting a double minor in addition to my major, all in 13 credit hours/quarter. Nice eh?

 

[NutBucket]

I got a C and a B in AP Chem 3 years ago but managed a 5 on the AP. I don't think the grades matter too much when you shine on the test.

 

[tweakmm]

At my school AP has 2 extra quality points while Honors only has one (an a in an honors class is 5 GPA points and a A in an AP is are 6)

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
is she gets a 4 or a 5 on the ap test she should be ok with a C, she can explain that they suck or something and have proof that she knows what shes doing, if she cant pass the bio test shes in trouble,

Excellent point. A C won't effect her GPA much compared to a B or an A, unless she is going for a solid 4.0 GPA. However, taking the AP Bio test and hoping for a 4 or 5 is a bit of a gamble.

Ryan

 

[abc]

heh heh, more points for honors class? interesting. for me i was full honors for all classes and they counted just as much as the regular version of those classes. only time it was different was for when you're a graduating senior and the school had to figure out the valedictoran stuff amongst the graduating class... THEN the honors classes and or AP classes you've finished get more weight.

 

[ElFenix]

in my high school honors = ap

 

[virtuamike]

Ehh . . . I dunno, APs are overrated if you're not gonna purue a major in the field. I came into Davis with 56 AP units but I only ended up skipping ahead one class because it's a bad idea to jump too far ahead. The rest of the units are just sitting there doing nothing.

 

[GoSharks]

Originally posted by: abc
heh heh, more points for honors class? interesting. for me i was full honors for all classes and they counted just as much as the regular version of those classes. only time it was different was for when you're a graduating senior and the school had to figure out the valedictoran stuff amongst the graduating class... THEN the honors classes and or AP classes you've finished get more weight.

the points come when you apply for college. for example, the UC system allows 8 semesters of extra points in thier GPA system for applicants. after all, thats where you really need them.

 

[Vincent]

Just tell her to study harder or get a tutor. Is it necessarily going to be easier for her to get a better grade in chemistry?

 

[andylawcc]

virtuamike do have a point,
alot of AP do not count AT ALL in college... I took Euro Hist (which i didn't studied and got a 2) and it wasn't counted in my college towards my major (I end up have to take US history instead) same with Statistic, which is useless since I have to take Calculus already.

so basically the only "useful" AP I know of are, Physic, Chemistry, Calculus, US History, English, Psychology. These are for Engin or comp sci major.
for busniess and liberal arts ppl, you want to take Chemistry, Biology, US History, English, Psychology, Stats instead.

 

[SWirth86]

I would tell her to suck it up, and stick w/ the AP class.
IMO, a C in an AP class doesn't matter too much as long as you get a 3+ on the AP test...
I wouldnt recommend going to AP Chem, from results from my school, it's extremely hard, most people got a 1.

btw, I'm taking AP US History and AP Computer Science A