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Are taking AP classes and a language in high school better than college?


People have told me you don't even get a lot of credits for AP classes and that they just drop you GPA. Is this true? What option will save me more money? Also, when the high school speech guy talked about what he wished he would do he said that he would take the lanuage four years during high schoo #teacher

Thank you comment icon (2 out of 4) If your high school doesn't offer a foreign language course that interests you it's ok to start the foreign language in college, but please be aware that it will be more difficult to change back and forth between languages because many colleges require at least 2 years of a single foreign language in order to graduate and you will also have many more distractions surrounding you making it even more difficult to learn the foreign language from scratch. As for AP courses, they only drop your GPA if you struggle in them, however, I find them extremely useful. Sharlene
Thank you comment icon (4 out of 4) Even with these external costs for AP courses, I find that if one is successful in their AP course and the AP exam, then I strongly believe that taking the AP exam was beneficial due to the fact that most colleges, depending on what country you decide to go to college in, accept AP credit which allows you to enter your college career with some class credit already under your belt. I hope this helps. Sharlene
Thank you comment icon (1 out of 4) Hi Keerthana, When it comes to foreign language classes I found that taking foreign language classes in high school to be extremely helpful especially when I was uncertain what foreign language I was interested in. This gave me time to try out several different languages before I had to choose one for my foreign language credit in college. Starting a foreign language in high school has other benefits such as more time to study the language and build a solid foundation. In college you can be easily distracted by other factors such as friends, school events, and other classes that can make learning a new language from scratch even more difficult. With that being said if you have the opportunity to start your foreign language in high school, I highly recommend it. Sharlene
Thank you comment icon (3 out of 4) Throughout my high school career I took two AP courses, AP Environmental Science and AP Psychology. I found AP Environmental Science to be extremely interesting and I was also quite successful in that course, which drastically increased my overall GPA, but AP Psychology, which I struggled in only dropped my GPA by a few points. How much of an effect a course will have on your GPA depends on several factors, such as how well you are doing in the course, how your teacher grades assignments, and how your school decides how much each course weighs towards your GPA. In comparison to other courses AP courses are more expensive since you are most likely going to be taking the AP exam and you may want to purchase AP prep books for the particular subject. Sharlene
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JD’s Answer

Hello,


I do not know about everywhere else, but here is what I do know. AP courses are better and better prepare you for college level work. Duel credit courses tend to be dumbed down and only serve to over fill your college credits. If you go to a really good school like Texas A & M then these non degree credit hours get in the way and you can loss some opportunities.


It is not about what all will transfer it is about a quality education and being the best you can.


Good Luck
JD
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Estelle’s Answer

I would encourage you to do both. AP classes can provide up to a year and a half of college credit (one of my sons started with about 45 hours). In my opinion, it was very financially beneficial. My kids also took language classes in high school and appreciate their Spanish skills.
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