Do You Want To Be an AP Scholar?
Shane recently chose classes for his junior year of high school.
Because I am utterly obsessed with choosing classes (and may have to go back to school when both of my kids graduate just to have the ability to continue choosing classes), I “helped” Shane.
We have a four-year tentative schedule that we keep in “his” drawer, outlining all of his classes. It makes it easy to see what he needs to graduate, what aspirations he might have for graduation, and what his transcript will look like from the viewpoint of a college admissions officer.
Shane decided not to do the POS program, the IBCP program, the IB program, or any other “organized” program. He wanted to take classes that he enjoys, while still having a rigorous schedule.
Shane’s four-year schedule includes five AP classes. For the uninitiated, these are college-level classes taken during high school. Most colleges will accept AP courses as college credits, as long as a student gets a passing grade on the final AP exam. Shane is taking one of those AP classes now, and he actually enjoys it.
One day, though, I remembered someone saying something during the awards ceremony last year – the year that Dylan graduated. It was something about kids who took a certain number of AP courses….
I went back and watched the online video that another parent had kindly posted on YouTube. I scrolled through until I got to a specific section and – sure enough! – there it was!
A student can receive a special award for being an AP Scholar if he takes six AP courses during high school.
Shane was already planning to take five.
So, as he was bolting up the stairs one day to hide out in his room, I asked, “Hey, do you want to be an AP Scholar?”
He stopped bolting and leaned over the stair railing. “I don’t know. Someone was just talking about that at school. What is it?”
“You get an award for taking a certain number of AP classes.”
“How many AP classes do I need?”
“Six.”
“How many do I have?”
“Five.”
“Okay,” Shane said. “I’ll do it.”
So I looked at his schedule again, thought about the various options, and scoured the web for courses, even though I know them practically by heart. Then I printed out those options so that Shane could see what looked feasible – and how he could pull it off without changing much.
He ended up moving a social studies class to senior year, and squeezing in AP Computer Science during his junior year – which will make next year tough, but not impossible.
And it guarantees that Shane can (if he follows his own plan) be an AP Scholar and get that award when he graduates.
Better yet, he can take six classes for practically free in high school, so I can pay for fewer of those same classes when he goes to college.
Win-win!