An AP test gives a student a higher learning opportunity and can save him or her thousands of dollars at a college or university. The classes, however, are far more rigorous than a regular high school class, and grades in the classes are not weighted. The honors diploma at EPHS, requiring six AP or College in the School credits and a GPA of at least 3.5, has been a new incentive for students to move past the barrier of unweighted grades.
Senior Dan Owen has already taken five AP tests and foresees himself taking four or five more this spring. He plans on going to the University of Minnesota, where all of his passing scores would be accepted. The university would encourage Owen to retake the classes which are required for his major. “High school AP classes are good, but not equal to college classes,” said Owen.
Though Owen is choosing a school which will accept his passing scores, many schools do not. Danny Crichton, freshman at Stanford and EPHS alum, said, “I am sure that if I had taken more AP tests, I might be a little (angrier) about the number of tests that don't give you credit.” Owen attributes this partially to the “greed factor.” A student saving thousands of dollars ultimately means that the school loses that potential revenue. Another reason colleges and universities may not accept AP scores is that the curriculum of a class in a college can differ from the AP curriculum.
“I think AP classes have prepared me for some of the harder assignments we have had (at Stanford),” said Crichton. He also mentioned that the downfall to AP tests is that they focus too much on the vocabulary of the subject while not focusing enough on the applications and theory.
At EPHS, 132 students have been named Advanced Placement Scholars, and the passing scores make a student’s resume more competitive at colleges and universities. While potentially saving thousands of dollars, the price to be paid includes the fee for each test, the effect on one’s GPA and the gap in curriculum from school to school.
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