AP vs. Honors course...please help!!!!!!?

Question

I've always had a question that my counselor told me she could not answer - Is it better to take an AP level course and get a C or is it better to take an honors/standard course and get an A? Which one do colleges prefer?? Also..do you have any advice on taking AP classes (ex: use a particular book, focus on......etc.)

THANKS for your help and I really appreciate it!

Answer 1

It is better for you to take AP courses in high school and get a C than take a regular course and get an A. Colleges look at your GPA, which is determined by the number of AP classes you have taken and the grade you have recieved. They weigh more and prepare you for college at an optimal level. Even if you don´t pass the AP exam, you will go to college and know the material with ease.

Passing the AP exam is quite difficult... unless you study day and night for the class. However, when you take it again in college (I don´t care if you want to graduate early), you will get a higher grade than you had in high school... it will be like a review.

Answer 2

well, I obviously don't go to the same kind of school as everyone else who has commented... In my high school, we have AP, advanced (sometimes), general, and basic, but no honors. To my understanding, in the schools in my area that do have honors, honors is always an advanced class that is slightly lower (or sometimes equal) to AP classes... So, as long as your honors course is advanced, then it would be better to get an A in honors than a C in AP. If you are getting a C, then you obviously have a hard time learning that subject at the AP level, and colleges would rather see you succeed in an honors/advanced class. However, if you can get a B or higher in the AP class, then it is better to take the AP class.

However, if in your school honors is the same as general/standard, then it is much better to take the AP class and get a C.

Also, don't let that GPA boost that you get for taking AP influence your decision. Some schools (like mine) use an unweighted scale (meaning the highest you can get is a 4.0). Plus, when you apply to a college, they look at your unweighted GPA, so lets say you take AP classes and get C's. Your GPA might be like 4.1, but on an unweighted scale your GPA will be more like a 3.0, and the college is going to look at the unweighted GPA when they consider you.

Answer 3

It is BY FAR better to take a AP level course b/c colleges feel like you are determined even though you may have gotten a B. But if you get a C in a regular level course, it makes it seem like you weren't trying at your highest potential.

It's better to look at it like this...

Option 1 - "I studied all last night trying to prepare for my AP Physics test! It's good to have an A in a regular course but extravagant to have an A in the AP class I'm in now."

Option 2 - "I studied all last night for my Honors English test! It's just a little embarrassing that I'm barely passing with an A."

I'd say option #1!!! It's your decision to take the right course for your academic level but if your a high achiever and feel like a little extra work will make you a better student than GO FOR THE AP!!!

Answer 4

Getting a C in the AP is better. If you get an A in an honors/standard course then they'll think you weren't challenging yourself enough.

And there's always the extra .5 to your GPA for taking the AP...

As for advice... just read whatever book they give you. Analyze your teacher's tests and quizzes and learn what to look for, what to ignore, etc... Attend the review sessions if needed. The actual AP tests are somewhat easier than the classes' tests, but that's based on teachers. As long as you do the work you should do fine, and that extra .5 can only help you. And as the poster above said, APs count toward college credit if you score high enough on the AP test.

Answer 5

ap classes get u college credit i dont think honors classes do

Answer 6

The answer depends on your goal.  It's my understanding that AP classes give you college credit and if you want to get that kind of credit, take an AP class.  If you want to enter a prestigious university where grade point makes a difference, take the honors class.  

Answer 7

An A in Honors is way better than a C in AP. for US history use The American Pageant book. its not as in depth as others but covers the important topics which Ap cares about not the little specs that dont make a difference. Always think of history as change over time. Ask yourself how event affected another event and how that event affected another and so on. dont just memorize facts that are scattered everywhere unless you can make connections with them.

Answer 8

Are you planning to use an AP course for college credit? Some colleges give credit based on your grade in the class and others based on the AP exam (most require a 3 or above) in which case the grade wouldn't really matter. If not then an A in Honors looks good on your transcript and can really boost your GPA. It looks like you're challenging yourself by taking honors classes just as much as it would by taking AP. Getting a C in AP looks like you stepped up to the plate for the challenge but only did so-so

Hope this helped

Answer 9

college like to see that u challenged urself. so take an easy AP class like for me US History AP was the easiest AP ever or even Literature AP. if ur good with history take the history ones cuz they are the easiest. make sure u take honors classes also. a good transcript is always more important than APs.

another question you gotta ask is what college do u wanna go to? if the college is not an Ivy or a really hard college to get into...dont bother making ur life harder with the APs. take the honors. but if u decide to go to a more challenging college then take APs. Btw even if u do bad just take the SAT II in that course...and it will look to colleges as if u gave it a second try.