AP Seminar – AP Students (2024)

FAQs

Do colleges care about AP Seminar? ›

The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.

The AP Capstone Diploma program is a two-year program that's based on two courses — AP Seminar and AP Research, which are both one year long. Any student can take AP Seminar, though they can only take AP Research after passing AP Seminar.

AP Seminar is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking, collaboration, and academic research skills on topics of the student's choosing. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include interdisciplinary or general elective courses.

Colleges typically view both AP Seminar and AP Research courses as equally rigorous, and both can demonstrate your willingness to take on challenging coursework. So, the decision is more about which one you feel will set you up better for academic success down the road, given your goals and priorities.

When it comes to workload, both courses can be demanding, depending on your writing abilities, time management, and the teacher's expectations. AP Lang might have more regular writing assignments, whereas AP Seminar projects involve more collaborative work and research.

Because Advanced Placement classes are typically graded on a weighted scale, students can receive a higher GPA. Instead of being graded on a scale of 1 to 4, students are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 representing an A.

Even if you don't go on to earn the AP Capstone Diploma, you will learn highly valuable critical—thinking and research skills in AP Seminar. Students who take it might place out of introductory college courses or earn college credits. AP Seminar can also help you avoid academic shock when you get to college.

The answer: absolutely! One of the best benefits of AP Capstone is gaining either the AP Seminar and Research Certificate 📜 (passing both classes) or AP Capstone Diploma 🎓 (passing both classes and 4 other AP exams). You can show this off to colleges and boost your college application!

Accordingly, colleges do not typically award college credit for AP Seminar scores, and when they do, it is most often general elective credit. Instead, AP Seminar is the ideal booster of subsequent AP scores and a powerful indicator of college readiness on a student's transcript.

Nine schools give students no credit for AP work. These institutions include some of the top schools in the country: Dartmouth University, Brown University, the California Institute of Technology, Williams College, and Amherst College.

What is the hardest AP class? ›

United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material.

According to a survey,the difficulty level of AP seminars is 5 out of 10. It is moderately difficult. The course has a higher pass rate than any AP class. In 2022, 88% of the students passed, with a 3 or higher score.

Calculus AB

This college-level calculus course is considered the hardest AP class by many students. You'll study differential equations, integral calculus, and mathematical theorems in AP Calculus AB.

Students typically take AP Seminar in grade 10 or 11, followed by AP Research. Each course is yearlong, and AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research. In both courses, students investigate a variety of topics in multiple disciplines. Students may choose to explore topics related to other AP courses they're taking.

What happens if you fail an AP class? If you fail an AP class, then your GPA will likely drop as it would for a normal class. This grade also shows up on your transcript. However, you may be able to retake the class the following year to raise your grade and increase your GPA.

What should I do? Talk to your counselor about taking the course through an authorized online provider. You should also know that you can self-study for most AP Exams*—you don't have to take the course beforehand, although we recommend you do.

The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP Exams of their choosing. The AP Seminar and Research Certificate is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.