3 Questions to Consider Before you Sign up for AP Courses
報名AP課程 (大學先修課程)三大考量

 -- From a college counseling perspective
一名升學顧問的觀點

Introducing AP Courses
AP課程 (大學先修課程) 介紹

VIS's AP classes — accredited by the College Board — are college-level classes that can earn you credit at US universities. Students can take AP classes in several areas, including English, science, math, and social science. At the end of the year, students take the relevant AP exams for their subject in May, earning a score out of 5, with 3 as the passing score.

Although it’s technically possible to take the AP exam without taking the AP class. Sometimes students may take an AP exam (without the class) to demonstrate proficiency in a subject, such as foreign language.
 

There’s no right or wrong answer or magic formula when it comes to choosing courses at VIS – the most important thing is to choose the courses suited to your unique interests and goals.

If you’re stressing about whether to take AP classes, please take a look at the following questions:

VIS 的 AP 課程是經美國大學理事會認可的課程，內容難度是大學程度，成功申請到美國大學可以折抵學分，在申請美國大學時幫助很大。先修課程的領域包含英文、自然科學、數學、社會科學。每年五月，學生可以參加學年結束前的相關考試，考試總分為五級分，三級分為及格分數。

學生也可以選擇不上相關課程，直接參加 AP 先修課程考試，而的確有的學生沒有上課就直接考試，藉此證明自己對該門科目的熟悉度，外國語文科目就是相關先例。

在 VIS 選先修課沒有絕對標準，也沒有包準申請上理想大學的課程組合，對學生最重要的事情，只有課程是否符合學生特殊興趣和目標。

如果你對於決定是否要上先修課感到有些壓力，不妨先參考下面幾個原則，先好好思考：

1. Are you passionate and interested in the subjects offered?
課程科目真的是你熱愛、你感興趣的科目嗎？
 

Do the AP classes offered match the subjects that you are inherently interested in? Maybe you’re curious about the human brain, and you’ve always thought about learning more about AP Psychology. Or maybe you want to pursue Engineering in university, and AP Physics would provide you the perfect foundation or necessary prerequisite for your future area of study.

Getting a dose of a college-level curriculum early on through AP courses could help you deepen your academic understanding prior to university, and ease your transition from high school to first-year at college overseas.

學校開設的先修課，科目原本就是你感興趣的嗎？或許你對人類大腦一直都很好奇、想在心理學先修課裡深入學習，或許你上大學想讀工程，物理學先修課就是你打基礎最好的工具，甚至在未來學習領域是必要的先決知識。

在先修課程裡搶先取得大學程度的知識，可以幫你擴展學術視野，讓你在高中升大學的轉換過程中更加容易。

2. Are you looking to take more challenging courses to buff your college applications?
你想挑戰困難課程，爲申請大學加分？
 

AP and US Universities
先修課程對申請美國大學的影響

Universities are looking for students who are academically capable and ready for college-level work. In particular, the most selective US universities are looking for students who are taking the most challenging courses relative to their peers and excelling academically (getting good grades).

Since AP courses and Honors courses are the most challenging classes available to VIS students, taking these courses – and getting good grades in them – could certainly help you get noticed by the most selective US universities.

美國大學在找的學生，是已經準備好接受大學程度課業難度的學生。特別是美國頂尖大學，通常傾向錄取願意挑戰困難課程、超越同儕程度且成績表現卓越的學生。

先修課程和卓越計畫課程是 VIS 課程中最有挑戰性的，修習這些科目並且拿到好成績，絕對可以讓美國頂尖大學注意到你。

If you're mainly taking AP classes to get noticed by US admissions officers, taking classes in several different subjects can help you create a well-rounded application. However, concentrating your classes in a specific area — ie. Physics, Calculus, Biology — can also help build your application story as a specialist. If you decide to pursue this strategy, it makes sense to spread out your AP classes over several years.

Does this mean you MUST take AP courses if you’re applying to US universities? Of course not! Many VIS students demonstrate academic excellence in a variety of ways – doing well in PBL classes and gaining great recommendation letters, pursuing academic research or unique extracurriculars outside of school, putting together an arts portfolio, etc..

US universities look for holistic and authentic students with genuine passions, so please make sure that taking AP courses fits your interests and future path.

如果你上先修課的目的，是要讓大學招生單位注意到你的資歷，那麽修習數個不同科目可以讓你的申請資料更顯突出。不過，專注在特定領域，例如物理、微積分、生物也可以讓你看起來很專精。如果你想運用這個策略，合理的做法是把幾個先修課目分配到這幾年來修習。

但這表示，你要申請美國大學就一定要上先修課嗎？當然不是，很多 VIS 同學都用各種方法展現他們的學術成就，例如在 PBL 課程取得高分、拿到很棒的推薦函、專心做學術研究或是在校外及課外活動上好好表現、準備好自己的藝術作品集等等。

全面發展、認真的好學生，也是美國大學要找的學生，所以論及必要性，除非先修課程真的符合你的興趣與未來規劃，再選擇修課吧。

Like at many other high schools, different courses at VIS are weighted differently. Because they are more challenging college-level courses and are harder to do well in, the GPA for Honors Courses and AP courses are weighted more heavily. For example, taking an AP class and getting a B is the same as getting an A in a regular VIS course. This means taking Honors or AP courses and doing well in them will end up helping you earn a higher GPA that reflects your academic achievement and rigor of your courses.

VIS 跟別的高中一樣，不同的科目權重不同。由於菁英課程以及先修課程較具有挑戰性，在 GPA 的佔比較高，在先修課程得到 B，相當於在 VIS 普通課程得到 A。意思是修菁英課程以及先修課程並且拿到好成績，反應在 GPA 成績上是比較高分，意味著你的學業成就高且修的課程較嚴謹。

AP and Canadian Universities
先修課程對申請加拿大大學的影響

For students aiming for Canadian universities, taking AP courses can certainly help, especially if the high school is outside of Canada. This is because AP courses can help meet the pre-requisites for certain Canadian university programs. For example, students need to be taking senior-level courses in Physics to be considered as an engineering program candidate for U of T. Therefore, taking AP Physics will help you meet that requirement.

On top of that, taking related AP subjects that align with your future major can allow VIS student to opt out of the related courses you may need to take in the Canadian high school curriculum at CIC. For example, AP Physics 1 is equivalent to taking G12 Physics in Canada, and AP Chemistry is equivalent to G12 Chemistry, etc. Simply put, courses offered under the Canadian curriculum are replaceable with the corresponding APs. A student may take AP courses in Grade 10 or Grade 11 while in VIS, and not need to take the equivalent course in G12 while in Canada.

以加拿大大學為目標的同學，特別是在加拿大境外的高中就讀，修先修課程絕對有益。因為上過這些先修課程，是某些加拿大大學課程先決條件，例如多倫多大學要求學生若要修工程學課程(engineering program candidate for U of T)就得先上過進階程度的物理學。所以先修課程絕對可以幫助你達到目的。

先修課程更重要的一點是，VIS學生可以先把將來到加拿大夥伴學校CIC上課的必修課程提前上完，可以更快接軌未來的主修課程。舉例來說，AP 課程物理1 相當於加拿大的 G12 物理課，AP 化學課相當於 G12 化學等等。簡單來說，在加拿大課程中的科目可以用對應的 AP 課程相抵。VIS 學生在 10 或是 11 年級先上先修課程，到了加拿大上 12 年級就不需要再上這些課了。

3. Are you someone who is up to the challenge of an academically rigorous course?
你準備好接受更嚴謹的學術課程了嗎？

Finally, AP courses are fast-paced, cover more material than regular classes, and require independent work like research and analysis. Do you think you have the motivation and drive to do well? Can you afford the additional investment of your time and energy?

Although it’s always possible to drop the course, signing up for AP courses requires a certain degree of financial and time commitment. Always remember that taking AP courses are one of many -- but not the only -- potential pathways to help you prepare for university. So do consider carefully before you register!

關於 AP 先修課程的最後、也最重要的一點，就是它課程進度快，跟一般課程比起來更豐富，也需要你獨立完成研究分析的功課。你有足夠的動力好好用功嗎？你還可以投入更多時間精力來應付課程要求嗎？

雖然你可以隨時退選，不過選擇修習 AP 課程，一開始就需要投入一定程度的金錢和時間。請記住，選修 AP 課程只是幫助你準備申請大學的方法之一、但不是唯一。所以註冊課程前，一定要想清楚！

If you would like to discuss college options further, please make an appointment with our college counselor Rosalyn Shih (collegecounseling@vis.tp.edu.tw) to find out more.

如果VIS同學們想進一步討論如何選擇海外的大學，請與VIS的升學顧問 Miss Rosalyn Shih (collegecounseling@vis.tp.edu.tw) 預約晤談以了解更多資訊。