When you have made up your mind to go for online education, you might want to consider enrolling in an online high school with Advanced Placement classes.
Many are of the opinion that enrolling in AP courses can be the route to earning college credit. However, the truth is that it mainly depends on the college you choose. Some do exchange college credit for all of your AP courses while some do not. It does not really matter even if you passed them with good scores.
Here are the top 5 reasons to enroll in AP classes in general:
- Strengthening your chances to get into your dream college
Most of the college admissions counselors take into consideration the type of courses a student takes at the time of high school. It is one of the major factors why they consider when reviewing a student’s application. One needs to keep in mind that college admission is not only based on GPA and SAT scores.
- Getting pre-conditioned for college-level courses
Apart from boosting your ability to get into the college of your course, taking AP classes can help you succeed in college, mainly when you get there. When you pass an AP course, you are likely to have it easier at the time of taking introductory college courses. You can very well feel that you have some experience once you get into college.
- Adding weight to your overall GPA
Most of the advanced placement courses are used to boost the weight of your overall GPA. Thus, a 3.5 out of 4.0 GPA might have the equivalent of a 4.7 GPA at the time when AP grades are integrated.
- Challenging yourself in the most effective way
Some of you might just decide to enroll in AP courses for the simple joy of learning. Taking AP courses, you can explore more and dig deeper, especially the subjective areas of your interest. These might just include basic subjects like Chemistry, English, and Biology.
- Earning college credit
Scoring good in an AP course, you can earn college credit. At least, you are more likely to earn it. An AP course could clearly help you graduate early. Thus, it can help you cut down your overall tuition expenses.
In case you have already made up your mind to take an AP course, you must make sure to study such that you can earn a score of 4 or higher. Keep in mind that it is the minimum score that is typically required to qualify.
Taking online AP courses
You can take AP courses in online high school as well. Most of the genuine and accredited online schools make sure to provide you with a variety of advanced courses, including AP courses.
There are many valid reasons why you might want to take online AP courses. Your conventional school might not offer all of the courses you want to take. You might be homeschooled or you might want to do a little extra academic work to prove colleges that you are genuinely interested in a particular subject or a set of subjects.
What is a virtual AP Class?
A virtual AP class is a class that is meant to mimic the material and workload of an in-person AP course. It intends to prepare you for the AP exam. Readings, lectures, quizzes, and exams will be included in the online course. It is the same as that in a traditional school. However, the means of communication is pretty different here. Communication with your teacher and your online peers will take place through your computer. It will mostly happen via e-mail and IM. In certain cases, video-chatting or virtual lecture sessions will also be used for this purpose, depending on the course.
You need to keep in mind that every AP class will be different from the other. Thus, if you do decide to take one or more, you need to research on which course you should enroll. You cannot just go for AP courses randomly. There are certain online schools that are accredited by the College Board while some aren’t. Some of the courses might be graded independent study and others might have scheduled online class meeting times.
Top 5 reasons to take AP courses online
- You can take exclusive AP courses
There are many AP classes that are usually not offered by a traditional school. This is mostly due to geographic constraints, non-availability of specific qualified teachers and budget constraints. This is not the case for accredited online schools. Thus, in your online schools, you can take AP classes that are not offered by your conventional school.
- You can get credit toward graduating high school
It might just be pass or fail credit on your official high school transcript. However, you can manage to get credit toward graduating high school, taking AP online classes.
- You can enjoy the flexibility
You might have some flexibility in when you get the work done. This is bound to help you when you have an unusual schedule, mainly a hectic one. You can study at your own pace and accordingly prepare yourself well for your AP classes.
- You will be able to socialize effectively
Taking online AP classes, you might be able to connect with like-minded students with similar interests. This will benefit you more if you are homeschooled or live in a rural area.
- You are likely to learn the value of self-independence
There are some kids who are self-motivated. If you are in the same category, you may enjoy the semi-independent-study format of most of the classes. You won’t be disturbed or poked by your online peers or teachers to do your task on time. You can take the ownership and set your personal deadlines to finish with your tasks.
Thus, taking online AP courses is a good option, more so if you have a truly hectic schedule.
