Schools
Students Wrapping Up AP Exam Season
The grueling, two-week Advanced Placement testing period ends Friday for college-bound juniors and seniors.
While most Birmingham Charter Community High School students are preparing for the end of the year with prom preparations and final exams, juniors and seniors in Advanced Placement classes have been taking grueling tests for the past two weeks in preparation for college. These lengthy tests signify the end of months of hard work in an AP class.
"The days of kicking back senior year are over," said Roschelle Kronstadt, a college counselor at Birmingham. "Colleges want students to take math senior year."
Those who take AP tests get an extra point on their GPA if they earn an A, B or C in the class.
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"That's how kids get over a 4.0," Kronstadt said. "The colleges want to see they're challenging themselves as much as possible."
Typically, schools such as UC Berkeley and UCLA don't accept 50 percent of high school seniors who get a 4.0, according to Kronstadt. Colleges are looking for students who take rigorous classes, play sports and are involved in extracurricular activities, she said.
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At Birmingham, every AP student is required to take the placement test, which costs $87. A fee waiver is available for students who are on a free or reduced-fee lunch plan.
"A lot of students sign up for AP classes without realizing what they're getting into," Kronstadt said.
The AP exams may have become a little less stressful. This is the first year that there is no penalty for guessing.
"I feel like here I'm more prepared to go off to college," said senior Heidy Nurinda, who was in the career center.
Nurinda is bound for UC Irvine, swims the 100-meter freestyle and finished her AP English exam this week.
Jazzalyn Livingston, an AP calculus student, finished her math book in January and has been spending the rest of the school year taking multiple-choice and free-response practice tests.
Kronstadt offered the following advice: Long essays are better than short essays. If students can't write an effective intro, keep it short. If students can't write an effective conclusion, leave it off.
