Many applicants to the most selective university programs share high grades, high test scores, solid recommendations and generous doses of community service and volunteer activities. Yet, if they want to set themselves apart from the pool of exceptional students, a significant research experience in STEM or the social sciences helps.
Some students in preparation for the challenges of college take four AP courses junior year, and another four or five senior year. Invariably, this makes for late nights studying, even cramming, although for many, this sometimes translates into delving into the subject and gaining a solid sense of the material. Whatever the motivation for joining a AP classes, it’s worth knowing how they’re perceived and used beyond high school.
Parents are constantly seeking an edge for getting their students into the most selective schools possible. Graduates of one program (though using its international spelling convention, it should be "programme"), gained such an edge in 2003. Their admissions prospects into Harvard improved by 2%; into Yale by 2%; into Stanford by over 4.5%; and into the UCs by over 26%. The programme I'm referring to is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; it's quite a lengthy and impressive name. Yet, it's a program well respected by some of the heavyweights in the selective school universe:
