AP Courses

What are Advanced Placement Courses?

• Advanced Placement courses are COLLEGE LEVEL courses offered by the College Board. Students can expect to spend at least an hour if not more per night for each AP course they take. Therefore, students need to choose their AP courses wisely.

How Many AP Courses Should I Take?

• Colleges want to see students choose AP classes that they are most interested in, and can handle well.
• Students should choose courses that play to their individual strengths. AP courses demonstrate college readiness and academic rigor.
• Students should connect their academic coursework to other areas, such as extracurricular activities. This will enrich their exploration of a subject area. For example, students who enjoy math and science should choose AP courses in those areas, and then expand on this knowledge by participating in internships or volunteer work that involves these areas of concentration.

Can I drop an AP Course?

• Kennedy High School has a student-driven Master Schedule, which means that the number of seats we dedicate to students is based on the number of students that request the course at registration in March. For that reason, AP courses are a year-long commitment. There is no room for students to drop AP courses that they have applied for.

How do AP Courses Effect My GPA?

• AP Courses that are underlined on the A-G List are given one extra point in the G.P.A. calculation: A=5; B=4; C=3. These “weighted” grades are awarded at the University of California admissions level. Kennedy High School has an unweighted G.P.A. and we do not rank. This is Fremont Unified School District’s policy and is true for all high schools in the district.

College Credit for Advanced Placement Courses

• Students can receive college credit and/or courses can be waived at the college level for those who successfully passed an AP course and exam. Each college makes its own decisions about how they award credit and placement. Refer to each college for specifics and guidelines.
• Colleges do cap the number of AP exams they will award credit for, so don’t assume you will receive credit for every AP course you take.
• Universities award credit for AP Courses differently, depending on the major you apply to.

Self-Study vs. Taking the Course

• Colleges prefer to see an AP course on your transcript vs. merely self-studying for the AP test.
• If the course is offered at Kennedy and you have a high interest in the course, take the class.
• Sign up for the AP exam after you have taken the course. Do not self-study, take the course then take the exam.