Why kids take AP classes
Maybe this is a no-brainer, but I found a Peterson’s survey about why students take AP courses interesting.
Although College Board oversees the AP program and wasn’t involved with the survey, Peterson’s is well-known for its education guidebooks and test preparation materials.
According to the approximately 300-student survey:
-AP courses are becoming ever more common.
-Last spring more than 1.2 million students around the globe took 2.1 million AP exams.
“This is no surprise considering the variety of benefits derived from taking AP courses and performing well on tests: earning college credit, demonstrating college-level proficiency to an admission committee and in-depth study of a subject. The powerful combination of these benefits was found to be the impetus behind taking AP courses for nearly half of college-bound students,” according to a Peterson’s press release.
Furthermore:
-Almost one-third of college-bound respondents said they take AP classes primarily because it will look good on their transcripts.
-The best time- and money-saving benefit—earning college credit with a high score on the AP exam—was the primary reason for less than one in five students.
-Love of subject matter was indicated only by a few as a sole reason for taking AP classes; less than one in ten students selected it as the primary factor.
Interestingly:
-Of students exploring seeking a graduate degree, four out of five took AP courses in high school. Of the remaining 20 percent who did not take AP courses, two-thirds wished they had.
-Likewise, nearly 50 percent of students looking into continuing education took an AP course in high school, and more than half of those who didn’t wish they had.
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