American high schools, regardless of arts and sciences, adopt the university management system-the credit system. In the United States, although the courses arranged by each middle school are different, the core courses in grades 9 to 12 are: English for four years (writing, English literature and American literature), history for three years (world history, American history and European history), mathematics for three years (geometry, algebra 1, algebra 2), and the art varies from school to school. American high schools adopt the credit system, and you can get the American high school diploma by taking 18-23 credits.

Compulsory courses: American high schools have a wide range of courses. Basic compulsory courses include English, natural sciences (such as biology, chemistry, physics or geography, environment and debate), social sciences (American history, world history, economics, psychology) and mathematics (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, etc.). ).

Elective courses: American high schools are rich in elective courses, and there are corresponding courses for students to choose from in telecommunications, transportation, industry, agriculture, water conservancy, architecture, driving, commerce, fashion, food, environment, economy, law, secretarial, foreign languages, housekeeping, shipping, maintenance and other fields. Generally, American high schools require students to take certain credits.

Common elective courses are:

Visual arts (painting, sculpture, oil painting, photography);

Performance art (chorus, drama, dance, film, band, orchestra);

Vocational courses (carpentry, metalworking, auto repair);

Computer/business courses (word processing, programming, image design, computer club, web design);

Sports (American football, baseball, basketball, tennis, track and field, swimming and water polo);

News/publishing (school newspaper, calendar, TV production);

Foreign languages (generally French, German, Spanish);

Family and consumer science and health (family economics, nutrition, early childhood development);

Analysis of the differences between AP course and IB course;

When American universities examine an applicant's academic performance, they should not only look at whether your academic performance is A or B, and what is the total GPA, but also look at the relationship between your academic performance and the difficulty of the courses selected in high school. Most American high school courses are divided into ordinary classes, honor classes and preparatory classes according to their difficulty. International schools also have IB courses (international bachelor's degree). Students don't have to choose their favorite course level, and most schools have a very strict set of regulations on the courses students choose to attend. Students should not only get excellent grades and be recommended by teachers, but also follow certain steps required by the school to be selected into honor classes and AP(IB) courses.

1. American university prerequisite courses

1)AP course introduction

AP course is the abbreviation of "Advanced Placement", which is an educational program established by American College Board (CEEB) in American high schools. It aims to provide opportunities for high school students with excellent grades and talents to take college-level courses in advance in high school, which is equivalent to the basic courses of freshmen in the United States. There are 37 subjects in 22 categories, which have been widely offered in more than 5000 senior high schools in the United States/KLOC-0.

Art-art history art history

Art-Studor art painting, studio art two-dimensional design, studio art three-dimensional design art painting, painting design 2D, painting design 3D.

Biological biology

Calculus-calculus AB, calculus BC Calculus AB, calculus BC

Chemical chemistry

China Language and Culture

Computer Science-Computer Science A, Computer Science B Computer A, Computer B

Economics-macroeconomics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, microeconomics

English Language and Writing, Reading and Writing English Language Writing, English Literature Writing Environmental Science Environmental Science

French, literature, French, French literature

German

Government and politics-comparison, American government politics comparison, American government

History-Europe, America, World European History, American History, World History

Human geography human geography

Italian language and culture

Japanese Language and Cultural Japanese

Latin literature, Virgil Latin, Latin literature

musical theory

Physics-physics b, physics c, physics b, physics c

Psychology psychology

Spanish, literature Spanish, Spanish literature

statistical data

If you do well in the AP course exam, you may apply for college credits directly, which is one of the most direct benefits of taking AP courses. ETS holds AP exam in May every year, and you can know the exam results in July. Test scores range from 1 to 5 points, and most universities regard more than 4 points as good grades and can give university credits (some schools will not change them). For example, the applicant's calculus AP test score is 5. If the university you apply for recognizes this score, you can get credit for this course without taking this course in your freshman year. This will give you the energy to take other courses that interest you. The more AP test scores are recognized by universities, the more credits they get, and the more time students spend studying other courses in universities. They may finish their studies ahead of schedule or even complete their double degrees in four years.

Generally, it costs thousands of dollars to attend college courses, while it costs only 82 dollars to take AP exams. Therefore, taking AP course can not only show students' ability, but also save money.

AP course in American senior high school is a university-level course sponsored by American College Board, which enables senior high school students to get in touch with university courses in advance and avoid the repetition of high school and junior college courses. At present, nearly 3,600 universities in more than 40 countries have recognized AP credits as a reference standard for their admission, and taking the exam has increased college credits for candidates, including Harvard, Yale and other famous universities. The AP exam is held in May every year and has been offered in 80 countries around the world. AP scores have become an important basis for admission to American universities. According to a nationwide survey conducted by the American College Admissions Advisory Committee, because American universities have generally regarded students' performance in the AP test as the basis for measuring their competence in university study, AP test scores have become one of the most important considerations for admission to many universities. AP courses that pass the exam can be counted into college credits, reduce college courses, help students shorten college hours and skip grades, and save high college tuition. More importantly, according to statistics, high school students with excellent AP test scores will have better performance and development in their future university studies. American universities have regarded AP scores as an important indicator to measure students' learning and research ability and their ability to cope with difficult courses in universities. Students who take AP exams with many subjects and high scores are particularly valued by famous American schools. Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries also regard this as one of the main conditions for granting scholarships.

2) Advantages of 2)AP course

AP course fully conforms to the enrollment concept and thinking mode of selecting materials of top universities in the United States, and its performance lies in:

First, improve the GPA score. The average score of each AP course can improve GPA by 0. 1. And GPA is precisely the first consideration when enrolling students in the top universities in the United States. GPA is the embodiment of the comprehensive learning ability of senior high school students.

Second, the best proof of students' learning ability and future development potential. In the United States, students who choose to take AP courses must pass honor courses first, while students who want to enter honor courses must pass ordinary courses first. Therefore, students who can participate in AP courses are already the embodiment of excellent students, and they have sufficient learning ability. Because students must consider the major direction of future universities in the process of choosing 37 AP courses with university difficulty, first-class universities can fully judge and affirm whether students are fully prepared and successfully grasp the future major development direction from the courses selected by students.

Third, believing that students dare to challenge academic difficulties and make clear the direction of academic development is the most important indicator of top universities in the United States. Because AP course is the content of American freshmen, it is more difficult than middle school. Therefore, it is easy for first-class universities to judge students' confidence and ability to challenge difficulties from whether they take AP or not and how many courses they have taken during middle school.

Fourth, you can change your college credits for graduating from college early or learning more other majors and courses that you are interested in. More than 90% colleges and universities in the United States and Canada accept AP exams and grant university credits. If you complete a certain number of AP course credits in middle school, it means that you can graduate one or two years in advance. In the United States, it costs about $65,438+0,000 to get credits from a famous university, while AP courses can reach about three to six university credits. Therefore, any AP course that China students take may be converted into three to six credits, or 3000 to 6000 dollars.

There are 2 million high school graduates in the United States every year, and they all take the SAT and AP courses in the American college entrance examination. Primary education in the United States is free, while higher education is charged. American high school students will complete the SAT in grade 1 1 and do two important things in the last year of high school 12. First, apply for universities and scholarships according to SAT scores; Second, attend and prepare for AP courses and exams. The purpose of the exam is to use the free education time in the last year of high school to complete some credit courses and exams in American universities in advance. Otherwise, you will have to pay high tuition fees to complete the same courses and credits at the university level. In other words, AP courses and exams can reduce college credits, reduce the cost of college education and shorten the time of college education for high school students. In addition, for China students who study this course, they can not only get American university credits, save time and money, but also solve the problem that American freshman course is difficult to adapt in China in advance.

3)AP exam:

There are 37 subjects in 22 categories in American high school AP courses, which have been widely offered in more than 5000 high schools in the United States/KLOC-0.

AP test scores are scored on a five-point scale, and candidates can get 1, 2, 3 and 5 points. Generally, credits can be exchanged for grades above three points in universities, but there are many special cases. Some famous universities accept the standard of more than four points or five points, while others do not accept AP scores.

AP exam fee for each course: $83. (According to the examination regulations of that year)

AP exam registration before March each year, the exam in May. Candidates can receive their transcripts before the end of June.

At present, only a few schools in Chinese mainland have set up AP test sites. Because of the limited examination places, most China students still need to go to Hongkong, Singapore and other test sites, just like taking the SAT.

4)AP exam subjects

Comparison of American Government and Politics Government and Politics French Computer Science A & Statistical Calculation of Spanish. China language and culture English literature and composition German French literature Japanese language and culture American history European history studio art (portfoliosdue) Music theory physics B&; C environmental science psychology English language and composition Italian language and culture art history macroeconomics world history human geography Spanish literature Latin literature Latin literature: Virgil