Mrs. Hamrick’s Counselor Corner

What factors do colleges look at when choosing whether or not to admit a student??  This article addresses this topic and asks college admissions officers what they want to see.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/features/the-a-college-applicant-391836.html

Similarly, this next article also addresses the importance of selecting what (and how many) activities you choose to participate in while in high school.  You may be surprised to learn what they have to say!

http://www.examiner.com/x-766-College-Admissions-Examiner~y2009m1d27-Do-only-wellrounded-students-get-into-college

Here’s another article I happened to run across in looking for something else.  I found it referenced on College Board in their own article addressing how to combat Senioritis, so I looked up the original article entitled, “Slackers Beware.”  Am I making the point yet??

* Hopping off my soapbox now*

One of the largest studies ever to have been done on AP courses has shown that students who take AP courses do better in college.  Of course, this makes perfect sense when you think about it.  Students who take these challenging courses learn how to write more effectively, analyze content and synthesize it with what they already know, take good notes, STUDY (since many bright students often go through their school years without having to study), among many other things.  One thing that this study does not address (probably due to the fact that it was written last year) is the fact that AP courses are now being audited, which will have an even greater impact, since there will be more mandatory standardization across the nation to ensure that all AP students are learning the same material.  In the past, some schools have labeled courses “AP” but the content was not up to the standards to warrant the label.  Now, College Board is instituting some accountability to the schools to guarantee the quality of the curriculum.

Read this study - do you agree or disagree?  Are there any other positives  to taking AP courses?  Are there any negatives?