If your child is preparing to start high school, you may wonder what kind of AP Classes would help him the most. I have written extensively about AP Classes , the resources we use, and which ones we prefer. But, in this case, if you are in the Public School system, you are going to be restricted by what the school offers and also the school’s suggested timelines.
Taking AP classes in high school can Cost One-Sixth of College Tuition
If passed, AP tests provide at least 3 credit hours. (Some foreign language exams offer up to 12 credit hours at BYU.) So the per-credit hour cost of a $98 exam is at most $32/credit hour. Current tuition rates at BYU with a full class load are about $223 per credit hour. This means that tuition rates are 6.75 times more expensive per credit hour. Taking AP classes in high school is an excellent way to save money. They have the added benefit of speeding up the child’s college timeline, freeing them to either graduate early or take additional electives.
Fulfilling BYU’s General Education at a Public School in Utah
Using the AP guide for Brigham Young University, you can see which classes directly fulfill a General Education (GE) Requirement.
to fullfill Social Science
AP US Government and Politics
to fullfill Biological Science
AP Environmental Science
AP Biology
to fullfill Global and Cultural Awareness
AP Geography
AP Environmental Science
to fullfill Physical Science (requires two tests, at least one of them being Chemistry)
AP Physics 1
AP Physics C
AP Chemistry
to fullfill both Quantitative Reasoning and Languages of Learning
AP BC Calculus
AP AB Calculus
AP Statistics
to fullfill American Heritage (requires two tests)
AP US History
AP US Government and Politics
to fullfill First-year writing
AP English Language
A Possible Schedule
9th Grade
AP Geography
AP Environmental Science
Secondary Math 2
10th Grade
AP Art History
AP Physics 1 (prerequisite for this school: completion of Secondary Math 2)
Secondary Math 3
11th Grade
AP Biology
AP US Gov/Politics (taught only every other year–so might need to do it 12th grade)
Pre-Calculus
AP Statistics
12th Grade
AP English Language
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP US History
AP BC Calculus
Additional Notes
This particular public school restricts most AP classes that BYU accepts as GE credit to be taken by only 11th and 12th grade students. However, in my opinion, US Government and Politics can be taken by a 10th grader. Also, AP Statistics is possible to take as soon as the equivalent of Algebra 2 is done. Perhaps this school would be willing to allow an exception. In our experience, a course load of 4 AP classes is very heavy and hard to manage. Doing that many senior year can overwhelm the student. AP Chemistry isn’t offered at this school, but the student could possibly self-study for the exam over the summer between 9th and 10th grade. If the student only takes AP Physics, the student will not satisfy the Physical Science GE credit. Both Physics and Chemistry are required. If the 9th grade year feels too challenging with two AP exams, choose to keep AP Geography as the higher priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is taking AP Precalculus worth it?
If you are planning to take Calculus in high school, don’t bother taking the AP test for Precalculus, in my opinion. Though it will fulfill the “Quantitative Reasoning” GE, that is a subset of what AP Calculus fulfills. It’s not worth your money.
Should I take AB or BC Calculus?
AB is a subset of BC Calculus. By taking the BC Calculus test, you can also pass of the AB material. Though BC is more challenging, it passes off both 1st and 2nd year of calculus in college. Summer self-study will be required to prepare. Most high schools struggle to fit in the additional material (expecially about Parametric Equations plus Sequences and Series) in the traditional 9-month school schedule.
Is it worth it to take two classes that fulfill the same GE requirement?
It might be worth it if two duplicate the same GE requirement if you are paired with other students that will make a good cohort.
Why take both AP Statistics and AP Calculus?
BYU requires introductory statistics for most of their STEM majors. Even though AP Statistics and AP Calculus fulfill the same GE requirement, the way they advance you forward in a STEM major makes them both worth taking.
What are other reasons to take AP classes that might not fulfill GE?
Perhaps your child is interested in World History and wants to take that test. That could be fun! Your child might have other good friends in the class. This might be enough to meet your goals even though you know that your child can’t fulfill a GE with the test. But, frankly, I think it’s best to put your money and time into courses that will do double duty.
Hope This Helps
If you have further AP questions, let me know!
Image Credit Foto de Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu Unsplash