Post your mid-term grades.

[MarauderIIC]

My school used a different grading scale. Instead of 94-or-whatever-it-is through 100 for an A, it was 90 to 100.

[JS Lemming]

Mid-Term Update...

6) PreCalc: 98.8%

Woot!

[Falco Girgis]

90-100% is an A everywhere I've ever lived in my life (I've lived SO many places)--except for the little shithole I'd like to call Clarksville TN.

Their cirriculums are at a considerably lower level, so they have to accomodate by changing their scale.

Stu-pud.

[fullcollapse]

Alg 3 (same as precal..dunno why i took this)------ 96.99
gov't----98.63
C++--92.11
Guitar(Music Theory/Techniques) 100

yes, guitar is a class, you learn chords, how to read music, and we have to write songs, daily, a HUGE improvment from last year.

ive got guitar all year..do you guys think i should switch guitar for AP Java? The two kids that are in my C++ class that are java floaters, have 110's.

[MarauderIIC]

If you don't learn anything in Java, no.

[Guest]

I didn't know there was an Algebra 3? O.o

[MarauderIIC]

There isn't, afaik. I guess he meant it's his high school equivalent of precalculus, and they don't have a real precalculus course.

[Falco Girgis]

Actually, my school does have an Alg3. It's for people who aren't hardcore enough for Precal, but have done Algebra2 and Geometry.

[FredDibnah]

I couldn't care less if I have to take it later. I've heard horrible stories from my friend (who makes straight A's) about the AP U.S. History at our school. I don't think I could handle a chapter a night, I'm too lazy to do most of the homework I have already. Besides, I'm taking AP classes for the ones I LIKE next year, English and Latin. I'll save history for when I'm more motivated.

Yeah, except do you know how many hundreds just one of those classes would cost you in college. You may say "Ah my parents got that" or "Ah the government has that" or whatever, but honestly, Gyro's right. If you're passing it up just because you're lazy, you're an idiot. You're still going to have to take it, and at a much higher cost than a little bit of your free time.

I just didn't know any better...I could have taken AP, but didn't. My mistake. At least I'm taking English.

I'd rather pass U.S. History then fail AP and have to take it again next year. I worded the lazy part wrong. I do all my homework, but whenever it comes to reading something (besides novels) I can't motivate myself to do it. The AP teacher gives quizzes on the chapters we read everyday, and I know for a fact that I would put the reading off and never do it. It's a subjective matter, and I believe I'd take it more seriously in a college environment.

And yes, my parents will pay for it. So it's just a matter of when, and frankly, I don't give a crap.

[FredDibnah]

I couldn't care less if I have to take it later. I've heard horrible stories from my friend (who makes straight A's) about the AP U.S. History at our school. I don't think I could handle a chapter a night, I'm too lazy to do most of the homework I have already. Besides, I'm taking AP classes for the ones I LIKE next year, English and Latin. I'll save history for when I'm more motivated.

Too lazy huh? At that rate, you won't make it through college.

Oh, wait, you're planning on being a garbage man all your life, right? Aight, I see how it goes.

How important is your GPA in getting into colleges? I'm taking my first class that will go on it, and if you'll look, I'm not doing so hot in it either...

Yes, I'm going to be a garbage man. That's why I'm passing every class, most with a high A, and will most likely get scholarships for my participation in Band, Latin, and Art.

But you're completely right, I'm going to ruin my career by taking a class later than others.

[Catalyst]

This is coming from a really smart kid.

That must mean it's gospel.

When you take an AP class:
1) Teachers are way more lenient. I can walk up to my US History teacher's face and say "I didn't read the chapter, because it sucked ass." They don't care. They don't take it personally. They know it's hard, they know it sucks. According to them, the only thing that matters is that you do good on the AP test.

Um, if by "teachers", you mean YOUR teacher, then yes, they don't care if you don't do your work. I've been in AP classes and my teachers jump on our asses when we don't do our work.

2) Scaling. This is something you don't get in college. My average is technically an 84 in that class. AP classes are more difficult, people know that. Schools have to boost any grade in an AP class by 10 points. A 60 on a test can become a 70 and so on.

That's how your school system does it. In mine, they boost only your overall average in an AP class by 8 points, and only if it was already 77 or higher. If you make a 76 or below, you get what you made.

I had a straight streak of 70s (60s without the points) on my chapter quizes. I still ended up with an A. Why? Because my great notes are the same weight as a quiz. Yes, it is that forgiving.

You have wuss AP classes.

As long as you do all of your notes, and at least do okay on a test, you should be able to make an A in there no problem. Also, you can make a 110% and potentially get crazy stuff like 4.3 GPAs.

Assuming that you are able do well on the tests. No offense, but your AP classes sound like my school's advanced (honors) classes. I studied for the tests in my AP class last year for hours, and my notes were extremely thorough (because they were usually combined with my friends' notes as well), and the highest grade I ever got on a unit test in that class was a 70. And that was once. And that was because I had approximately one extra month to study for it due to complications. This year, I know some people who are in AP Physics, and they're allowed to retake tests to improve their grades. Some of the smartest (at least school-wise) people I know have had to retake some of those tests 12-16 times (not an exaggeration) to simply pass. I can't speak for other schools, but the AP classes here are damn hard. My teacher even admitted that the AP classes here were equivalent in difficulty to advanced college courses. And if you don't pass the AP exam at the end of the year, it was all for nothing. Sure, it costs more money to take them in college, but in college you have much more time to study when you aren't being pounded by 4-5 classes worth of busy work every day. I'd rather spend money on college courses while I'm in college than put myself through the hell of trying to take one which I abhor (i.e. history in JS Lemming's case) during a year of high school.

[MarauderIIC]

Not all for nothing. The course still looks good on your transcript (feel free to point out the level of challenge of your school's ap courses), and you have a head start on it in college, making for a much easier high grade.

[Falco Girgis]

I still disagree. I'm taking 3 AP courses and 1 honors next semester.

If you can handle it freaking do it. Saying one school is harder than another is hardly a valid excuse, because of the benefit you'll be giving yourself if you are capable of exceeding.

[Imprezamtt]

im taking precal next semester, but i just had an extra credit..and didnt want to take PE.

[Catalyst]

I still disagree. I'm taking 3 AP courses and 1 honors next semester.

If you can handle it freaking do it. Saying one school is harder than another is hardly a valid excuse, because of the benefit you'll be giving yourself if you are capable of exceeding.

I wasn't using that as an excuse. I pointed it out in order to counter your claim that AP classes aren't nearly as hard as they're cracked up to be and that teachers don't really care what you do as long as you're prepared for the AP exam.

And the point I was trying to make later in my post is that some people may not be able to handle AP classes. Not everyone has the same priorities as you, and just because they don't want to torture themselves in high school for a class they'd probably have an easier time with in college doesn't make them stupid. Throughout this entire thread the pro-AP course side has come off as slightly arrogant, and it's pissed me off. You are smart for trying to prepare well for the future and it's impressive that you can handle such heavy workloads, but don't slap a stupid label on anyone who knows the benefits of your path of action but would rather take things as they come. Just do your work, get ahead for college, be happy, and shut up about it. (This post was addressed not to GyroVorbis but rather anyone who called says that people who don't take AP courses are idiots.)