If you live in Maryland, the College Board’s Advanced Placement tests should not be nearly as intimidating as if you lived anywhere else in the country.

Why?

More high school students in Maryland have taken at least one AP test, and 24.8 percent of students passed the test with a score of at least a three. This is great news for high school students who want to go to college; a three earns college credit at many colleges in the country.

“We have an accelerating number of students taking Advanced Placement,” said Maryland Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “The courses are being taught with fidelity. The students are meeting the expectations of the coursework, and it’s revealed in their performance.”

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You have to attend classes every day, from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon. After class, you might have sports practice or work. And then after that, you have homework. Needless to say, high school is a pretty busy time, so why should you bother with taking advanced placement or International Baccalaureate classes?

They are harder, have more homework and require much more studying than regular classes. Doesn’t sound like much fun, huh?

I took advanced placement classes when I was in high school. Sure, I did spend a lot of time studying, but it honestly was not a whole lot more time than I would have spent studying for any other class. But, did they actually make a difference in my academic career? The answer is a loud and resounding, yes!

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As you might be learning, high school and college are not the same. The demands, class schedules, teacher relationships and self-discipline are all completely different, and really for the better.

The same can be said about honors courses in college, versus those you took in high school. Advanced placement, honors courses and even IB classes are all great ways to prepare yourself for college, add some impressive bullets to your college application and broaden your academic horizons as a teen. However, in college, they can sometimes be an unnecessary burden, or can make college an even richer experience – it simply depends on your goals, major and time availability.

A few things to consider before enrolling in college honors courses: Read the rest of this entry »

Brett Promisloff tries to solve a problem in a college engineering design class. Such classes can lower college costs.

Mayra Avila has a busy next two weeks. First, it’s her high school prom. Then next week, it’s her government and English composition college finals.

What? High school prom and college finals? How can one girl be both a college and high school student?

Avila, a student at West Potomac High, is one of many high school students who are dually enrolled in high school and college. These dually enrolled students save money on lower tuition costs while earning credit for high school and college classes. Instead of paying $286 for her English class, Avila pays only $43. Read the rest of this entry »

Newsweek published a report of the top 1300 high schools in the U.S. The rankings take into consideration Advanced Placement classes, International Baccaulaureate programs and Cambridge tests. This information was pulled fromthe 2007 school year. The ranking also includes information for subsidized lunches.

For 2008, the top 10 High Schools in America are:

1. BASIS Charter – Tucson, AZ
2. Talented & Gifted – Dallas, TX
3. Suncoast Community – Riviera Beach, FL
4. Science/Engineering Magnet – Dallas, TX
5. Stanton College Prep – Jacksonville, FL
6. Preuss UCSD – La Jolla, CA
7. Academic Magnet – North Charleson, SC
8. Paxon School for Advanced Studies – Jacksonville, FL
9. Oxford Academy – Cypress, CA
10. International School – Belleville, WA

EDUInReview.com’s own Becca Driskell is an International Baccaulaureate senior at Wichita East High School in Wichita, KS. The school ranked #472.