Help Justify Advanced Placement

3894 · 01-24-2007, 01:10 PM

I don't know anything about AP science exams. I do know a lot about how college profs think of the AP English and language exams.

Basically, college Freshman English is a remedial course. If you take the AP English and exam and do well enough, you place out of the remedial Freshman English. No one is saying that AP English is a college-level course. They are saying that Freshman English is not.

See?

Alex · 01-24-2007, 01:19 PM

At least at the UW, remedial courses were not available for credit (for example, at least back then, calculus was the lowest math course you could take for credit). Some were offered but only to get you up to requirements.

AP tests resulted in college credit from the University of Washington so to some degree they were valuing them above the remedial courses. Of course, I found the English department to be irredeemably horrible so I that still isn't setting the bar high

But then of course I am going to run into problems with any faculty that seemed to worship Foucoult. And then there was that time my TA spent an hour talking about feminist physics and chemistry. That's all irrelevant to AP tests, though. I just can't think about the UW English Department without getting riled all over again.

3894 · 01-24-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

AP tests resulted in college credit from the University of Washington so to some degree they were valuing them above the remedial courses.

Or it was a kind of a bribe to lure the trusting lambs to take more courses in that subject matter.

Quote:

But then of course I am going to run into problems with any faculty that seemed to worship Foucoult.

Foucault. I did a Ph.D. in 20th cen. French Lit at Berkeley and Stanford in the '80's. Foucault, Derrida, Lacan were our holy trinity. Personally, I liked René Girard's stuff a lot better.

Moonliner · 01-24-2007, 01:27 PM

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

We don't seem to have "AP" courses so I think our honors course is basically the same thing. It certainly has a reputation for breaking students and we are in an area with just a few type-A overachievers. Apparently we are, at least in part, the school "Beverly Hills 90210" was based on.

I never watched the show, but if there was a geeky band kid that rode his bike past all the dudes in BMW's that would be mine.

Alex · 01-24-2007, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

Out of curiosity, is this a case where you are arguing into the honors class instead of the standard class or that you are arguing into chemistry instead of some other science subject.

It was mentioned before, and while I wouldn't agree that chemistry has a lot of math (at least not in anything covered in high school or the first couple years of general college chemistry) but what math there is does require a solid understanding of algebra and solving some more complex equations

So before jumping into the hard chemistry class as a freshman it is probably good to make sure he can handle the math (and if he can, that is something to emphasize in the letter).

Moonliner · 01-24-2007, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Out of curiosity...

We are arguing into honors rather than the standard science curriculum (which includes some chemistry). He is interested because he really liked the chemistry unit earlier this year and because they stressed you have to have good math skills. Math has always been a subject that just clicks for him. Plus only the few get selected so it has a certain cache with his peers.

Ghoulish Delight · 01-24-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Plus only the few get selected so it has a certain cache with his peers.

I went to summer school between 9th and 10th grade for trig/math analysis due to peer pressure.

Alex · 01-24-2007, 03:08 PM

If he can solve this for x:

(2x/16)+2.5y = 14y^2 + 1/2z - .8x

If he can calculate the slope of a line that starts at coordinate (3,12) and ends at (16, 3).

If he can calculate the area under that line.

If he can understand why dividing a measured 3.0 grams into four even samples results in four samples weighing 0.8 grams each and not 0.75 grams.

If he understands the math for calculating standard deviation (and, better yet, understands why it is important and what it means).

If he can drum the number 6.02x10^23 into his head and understand what it means.

Then he probably has enough grasp of the math of early chemistry to keep up.

Moonliner · 01-24-2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

If he can solve this for x:

(2x/16)+2.5y = 14y^2 + 1/2z - .8x

If he can calculate the slope of a line that starts at coordinate (3,12) and ends at (16, 3).

If he can calculate the area under that line.

If he can understand why dividing a measured 3.0 grams into four even samples results in four samples weighing 0.8 grams each and not 0.75 grams.

If he understands the math for calculating standard deviation (and, better yet, understands why it is important and what it means).

If he can drum the number 6.02x10^23 into his head and understand what it means.

Then he probably has enough grasp of the math of early chemistry to keep up.

Sounds like fun. I'll run them by him. I'm really not too worried about the math part. He's good at it (for his age) and about half my family (myself not included) are math PhD's so I have a fairly good support group if that's needed.

DisneyFan25863 · 01-24-2007, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

If he can solve this for x:

(2x/16)+2.5y = 14y^2 + 1/2z - .8x

If he can calculate the slope of a line that starts at coordinate (3,12) and ends at (16, 3).

If he can calculate the area under that line.

If he can understand why dividing a measured 3.0 grams into four even samples results in four samples weighing 0.8 grams each and not 0.75 grams.

If he understands the math for calculating standard deviation (and, better yet, understands why it is important and what it means).

If he can drum the number 6.02x10^23 into his head and understand what it means.

Then he probably has enough grasp of the math of early chemistry to keep up.

We never had to calculate standard deviation in chem...

But yeah...if he is going into, for instance, Algebra C next year, Chemistry is not for him. If he has at least completed Geometry he should be fine, though. The math itself isn't hard...the process by which you set up each equation and are able to translate what you see on paper into math can be, though.

01-24-2007, 01:10 PM	#1
3894 Next Stop: Funkytown! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cheeselandia Posts: 1,907	I don't know anything about AP science exams. I do know a lot about how college profs think of the AP English and language exams. Basically, college Freshman English is a remedial course. If you take the AP English and exam and do well enough, you place out of the remedial Freshman English. No one is saying that AP English is a college-level course. They are saying that Freshman English is not. See?
	Submit to Quotes

01-24-2007, 01:19 PM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	At least at the UW, remedial courses were not available for credit (for example, at least back then, calculus was the lowest math course you could take for credit). Some were offered but only to get you up to requirements. AP tests resulted in college credit from the University of Washington so to some degree they were valuing them above the remedial courses. Of course, I found the English department to be irredeemably horrible so I that still isn't setting the bar high But then of course I am going to run into problems with any faculty that seemed to worship Foucoult. And then there was that time my TA spent an hour talking about feminist physics and chemistry. That's all irrelevant to AP tests, though. I just can't think about the UW English Department without getting riled all over again.
	Submit to Quotes

01-24-2007, 01:27 PM	#4
Moonliner 8/30/14 - Disneyland -10k or Bust. Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 9,022	Thanks for all the helpful advice. We don't seem to have "AP" courses so I think our honors course is basically the same thing. It certainly has a reputation for breaking students and we are in an area with just a few type-A overachievers. Apparently we are, at least in part, the school "Beverly Hills 90210" was based on. I never watched the show, but if there was a geeky band kid that rode his bike past all the dudes in BMW's that would be mine. __________________ - Taking it one step at a time.
	Submit to Quotes

01-24-2007, 03:08 PM	#8
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	If he can solve this for x: (2x/16)+2.5y = 14y^2 + 1/2z - .8x If he can calculate the slope of a line that starts at coordinate (3,12) and ends at (16, 3). If he can calculate the area under that line. If he can understand why dividing a measured 3.0 grams into four even samples results in four samples weighing 0.8 grams each and not 0.75 grams. If he understands the math for calculating standard deviation (and, better yet, understands why it is important and what it means). If he can drum the number 6.02x10^23 into his head and understand what it means. Then he probably has enough grasp of the math of early chemistry to keep up.
	Submit to Quotes