AP courses refer to Advanced Placement courses, which are higher in difficulty and level than general high school courses and are closer to the difficulty of undergraduate courses in U.S. universities. It is not easy to get high scores in AP courses, and S from SMOA recently got an A in AP English Language and Writing courses. Let’s take a look at how S did it.

01 Student Basic Information

S is an 8th grade student at a private high school in New Jersey and will be entering 10th grade in September of this year. Although he is in the transition between junior and senior high school, S has set a clear plan to apply to Princeton University, one of the top eight Ivy League schools in the U.S., in his 12th grade year.

Pursuing the dream of Princeton was not an easy task, and S started working hard right away. Because his high school did not offer English AP courses, he was unable to achieve a GPA of 4.0. As an international student, S understood that English academics were weak, and that a GPA of 4.0 or higher and excellent English academics and writing skills were a necessity in order to stand out from the rest of the dream school applicants.

S choose to quickly make up for his weaknesses through SMOA’s AP credit courses. SMOA originates from St. Mary’s School, a century-old U.S. boarding high school and one of the top 100 boarding high schools in the U.S. In its 159 years of history, American students and international students graduated from St. Mary’s School have been admitted to the top Ivy League schools, as well as to top universities in the world, such as the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; and more than 500 graduates of SMOA have entered MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, Boston University, NYU, etc. As an endorsement, SMOA’s U.S. high school diplomas, U.S. high school credits, and transcripts have been recognized by the top universities in the U.S. and around the world, which is of course more recognized for S’s application to Princeton University.

02 Introduction to the course of study

S chose two difficult AP courses offered by St. Mary’s Online, AP English Language and Composition and AP Calculus BC. SMOA’s AP credit courses have a full GPA of 5.0, which is extremely efficient in raising an applicant’s high school GPA and academic background; the more AP courses taken and the more A+’s earned, the higher the GPA can be improved.

Elite Foreign Teachers

Brandon Hall

• Graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in English Literature, one of the leading public research universities in the U.S..
• Has more than 15 years of experience teaching high school and college-level academic writing and English literature.
• Specializes in flexible instruction that is tailored to the characteristics and abilities of different students, helping them to improve precisely.
• Has also worked as a freelance writer and copy editor for the past 20 years.

AP English Language and Composition focuses on evidence-based analytical and argumentative writing, and rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts. Students will learn how to argue their case by evaluating, synthesizing, and citing research; reading and analyzing rhetorical elements in texts and their effects.

Because AP courses are more advanced, students read more texts than in regular and honors courses and are able to read and comprehend college-level texts. AP English Language and Composition develops students’ higher reading and writing skills and assists in the writing of papers and essays for college applications.

03 Getting an A in single subjects, effectively raising the GPA

Although S has a certain level of English proficiency from his previous studies in a U.S. middle school, it is not easy for him to get a high score or even a perfect score in an AP course. Surprisingly, through the careful teaching of foreign teachers, the effective supervision of bilingual head teachers, and S’s own continuous efforts, his final grade in AP English Language and Composition was an A, and his GPA was also effectively improved!

04 The process of study and the tips for success

01 Authentic American-style classroom emphasizes student participation, fully mobilizing S’ motivation to learn.

02 Carefully arranged practice questions and quizzes to consolidate the knowledge learned in class.

03 Free weekly office hours with a foreign teacher to fully communicate with the teacher and check for deficiencies.

04 Encouraging supervision by bilingual head teachers to help S overcome academic difficulties and challenges.

The online class is full of energy, and the teacher communicates fully with students to check and make up for deficiencies.

S shared that the classroom of foreign teacher Brandon Hall is very strict and serious, but not losing humor and lively, which is fascinating.

When encountering difficult-to-digest knowledge points or having questions about the assignments set by the teacher, S will also actively utilize the weekly free office hours of the foreign teachers to communicate directly with the foreign teacher. This not only solves academic problems, but also allows the foreign teacher to better understand S’s learning status and progress, and helps him to better check and make up for deficiencies.

Effective supervision by bilingual head teachers to help students overcome academic challenges.

The bilingual head teachers are dedicated to their duties and provide effective supervision throughout the entire process. The head teacher reminds S to attend classes and complete assignments on time.

When students achieve good results through hard work, they express congratulations; when students’ performance is not satisfactory, they encourage them and find out what the problems are and give them full trust and confidence.

05 SMOA’s 30+ AP credit courses help improve GPAs at top undergraduate schools in the U.S. and around the world.

In the background of more and more famous U.S. undergraduate schools, such as Yale University, Dartmouth College, Caltech and so on, adopting flexible standardization policy, the importance of AP credit courses and AP exams becomes more and more prominent. According to past data, students admitted to TOP 20-30 U.S. undergraduate schools, on average, take 6-8 AP courses in high school, and students admitted to TOP 30-50 U.S. undergraduate schools, on average, take 4-5 AP courses in high school.

Outside the U.S., more and more students applying to G5 undergraduate schools such as Oxbridge in the UK will also improve their competitiveness by taking additional AP credit courses. For example, many applicants for admission to the University of Cambridge, in addition to submitting Alevel/IB grades, will also submit AP grade. Cambridge encourages a comprehensive application, and generally Alevel applicants, even with 3 A’s, will submit 2-3 AP U.S. High School credits or AP exam scores to enhance competitiveness.

With regard to applying to prestigious undergraduate schools such as the University of Toronto in Canada, more and more applicants will choose to add AP courses to supplement the pre- major course selection requirements on top of the original OSSD courses.

As for Australia, excellent AP credit courses and AP scores can also help applicants apply to the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and other top eight universities in Australia.

For students who are about to enter the 2025 college application season, taking additional/supplemental AP credit courses and improving their GPA will help them to improve their competitiveness and stand out among applicants in the future, regardless of whether they want to apply to the U.S. undergraduate program or a multinational mix of countries, such as the UK, Canada, and Australia.

SMOA offers 30+ AP credit courses covering the College Board AP 7 subject areas, both popular and common subjects such as AP Calculus BC, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP Chemistry/Physics/Biology, AP English Language & Composition/Literature & Composition, and many unpopular subjects such as AP 2D Art & Design and AP Music Theory can be offered as well.

Small size classes of 3-6 students and 1 v 1 VIP customized courses with flexible schedules. We have a wide range of courses available, please contact our advisors for customized course selection and academic enhancement plans!