The Course Premium: Which AP Courses Actually Help in College Admissions
BrennanThe Course Premium: Which AP Courses Actually Help in College Admissions
Does AP Calculus AB help as much as BC? New Empowerly research on 11,764 students says no. And 1 in 4 AP exams last year came from a course that showed no measurable admissions advantage. Former UC Berkeley and Stanford admissions reader Brennan joins Austin Gorman, Ph.D., the report’s author, to reveal which APs actually help, and how to build a smarter schedule.
Speaker Info
Brennan
Brennan is a college admissions counselor with over a decade of experience in selective admissions and international education.
He has reviewed thousands of applications as a former admissions reader for the University of California, Berkeley, and an external reader for Stanford.
Brennan founded the college counseling department at an international school in Shanghai and has helped students gain admission to top universities worldwide.
About this Webinar
Families know AP courses matter, but colleges never say which ones matter most. Empowerly’s new research on 11,764 students admitted to 524 universities is the first to compare 36 AP courses side by side. Join Brennan, a former UC Berkeley and Stanford admissions reader and Empowerly Lead Counselor, and Austin Gorman, Ph.D., the report's author as they walk through what the data found: the six AP courses most strongly associated with admissions success, and the popular courses that showed no measurable advantage. Brennan brings the view from the reading room: why skipping some courses can send a signal of its own, how to choose APs by intended major, and how to plan the math sequence early. Whether your student is in 8th grade or junior year, you’ll leave knowing how to build a schedule that works for them, plus the questions to ask your school counselor before the next course request form is due.
In this webinar, you'll learn:
- The Strongest Six. The AP courses most consistently linked to admissions success, and why most of them are already on many students’ schedules.
- Not All APs Are Equal. Several popular courses showed no measurable advantage, and leaving out one expected course may count against your student.
- Build the Schedule by Major. Which APs matter most for STEM, healthcare, business, social sciences and the arts, plus where to start if your student is undecided.