Thousands of Minnesota high school students are huddling in study groups, jamming review sessions and staying up until the wee hours. They are preparing to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams, which began last week and conclude Friday.
But as more students take rigorous AP classes and pass the exams that can earn them college credits, more colleges and universities are scaling back those credits.
Formerly, students who scored a 3 or better out of 5 on their AP exams could get college credit for it. Most colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, have kept their policies in place, some with changes. The University of California, Baylor University and Tufts University are among those that are in the process of reducing student credit for AP classes.
Without the credits, students might have to pay thousands of dollars more in tuition and take a heavier class load to graduate in four years.
So, are AP classes still worth the extra work, worry and costs?
Students, teachers and colleges say yes because the more difficult course work better prepares students and makes them more attractive to colleges.
Nel Pilgrim-Rukavina, a junior at Henry Sibley High School in West St. Paul, says she has been more challenged by her AP chemistry class than any she has taken. "I usually don't have to try a lot in my classes to do well," she said. But in chemistry she's had to hire a tutor for the first time.
Regardless of how she does on Tuesday's AP exam, Pilgrim-Rukavina says it has been worth it. "This gives a really good idea of what college should be like."