April 8, 2025 • 21 mins
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer shares her expertise about Advanced Placement and dual credit courses, explaining the differences between these options and offering guidance on how students can choose the right path for their academic journey.
• AP courses align with College Board standards and prepare students for both the AP exam and university-level work
• Dual credit courses are approved by Colorado Christian University and allow students to earn college credits while in high school
• Students should consider limiting themselves to one or two advanced courses at a time due to the increased rigor and time commitment
• Important to research which credits will transfer to prospective universities before choosing courses
• AP exam preparation should include completing the full course, utilizing practice exams, and maintaining personal well-being
• The community of teachers and staff are available to support students pursuing academic excellence
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stephanie Shafer (00:02):
Hi, this is Stephanie Shafer and you're
listening to the NorthStarNarrative, a podcast from
NorthStar Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey everybody, thanks forjoining us again for another
episode.
I'm so excited to have one ofour incredible teachers that's
(00:24):
been with NorthStar for a longtime.
She's been on the podcast, butit has been a while, so it's
good to have her back and she'sactually gotten her PhD since
then.
Yes, mrs Seana Sundermeyer, somaybe we can start with her
telling a little bit about that,what it was like to get her PhD
and just some next steps she'sbeen able to take with that.
(00:46):
Yeah, you want to start andgive us a little update since
you were on last.
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (00:51):
Sure, so, starting around the time of
COVID, actually we were livingon the West Coast in California
and things were pretty strictthat way, so there weren't too
many options for activities.
So I'm like, hey, you know,I've been really contemplating
about working on my doctoraldegree and, you know, prayed
(01:12):
about it, and God really openedsome doors to work through
Murray State University, whichis actually in Kentucky, and
they had an online program thatreally piqued my interest.
They had an online program thatreally piqued my interest.
The degree was over Englishpedagogy and technology, which
here at NorthStar, you know, wetotally embrace the online world
(01:34):
, and so I thought this would bea great fit for just furthering
my studies and just becomingworking to become a stronger
teacher.
And so, like I said, the doorsopened up and I jumped in and it
was a three-year degree.
I met some wonderful friendsand learned so much and
graduated in May of 2023.
(01:56):
And it's enhanced my, I think,effectiveness and attunement to
students, just being able torecognize where they're coming
from and think of additionalresources to help them in an
online platform to approachtheir learning more creatively.
So it was a wonderful journey.
(02:17):
I'm glad I've done it.
It was a lot of work and youknow I celebrated just working
through it and finishing and,yeah, grateful for the
opportunity.
Stephanie Shafer (02:27):
Yeah, that's so cool and just exciting.
I know to be a little bit pastcollege and then to get a degree
I've done that too and so it'sa little bit more to juggle when
you have a family and stuff.
But I think you become maybeeven a better student as you
learn the value of the education.
(02:48):
And yeah, just really diggingin, what do you?
What'd you think?
Dr. Seana Sundermeye (02:53):
Absolutely .
I think when you are working onsomething like that that takes
really concentrated effort, youlearn how to manage your time
well and to set aside, you know,family time to find that
balance too.
Because I think when you findthat balance it makes you a
healthier person, because youknow how valuable it is to have
(03:17):
that time with family and youknow how much more effective you
are and you're doing yourschoolwork when you do have
other outlets that go beyondacademics.
So I think you're right,stephanie, I think it makes you
just a stronger person, kind ofa more mature outlook, and it
gives me kind of credibility andtalking with my students too,
(03:38):
like hey, I've been on that sideof you know, working with
professors and having homeworkand projects, and it's really
good to also have those brainbreaks, to be able to step aside
.
And you know, give yourselfbalance, give yourself a fresh
mind, a renewal of the mind, sothat you are able to be more
(03:59):
effective in your schoolwork too.
Stephanie Shafer (04:01):
Definitely, and I think one cool thing,
unique thing about NorthStar iswe really help students to get
to that place while they're inhigh school and hopefully
learning to manage time andvalue their time as they get to
college.
Just, you have to being in thisunique online environment and
not sitting in a brick andmortar classroom, so it's
incredible to watch our studentsreally grow in that too.
(04:23):
But today we are going to betalking about something really
important for students,especially students in high
school, and parents as theylearn to navigate AP courses and
dual credit courses.
So we're going to talk aboutthe differences and how to
choose the right one, and justsome best advice and tips from
Dr Sundermeyer.
So we recently had an APwebinar, so if you're in our
(04:46):
community, hopefully you're ableto join that.
If not, we'll have recordingswe're sending out so you can
really check out some greatinformation.
We had several teachers andstaff members advisors on there
giving some wonderfulinformation, but we wanted to
share a little bit with you onthe podcast now.
So thank you so much, drSundermeyer, for coming to share
(05:07):
these wonderful tips and forcreating the webinar and just
all the information that youlove to share with our family,
so super, super thankful forthat.
All right, let's start with justsome general questions.
What is the difference betweenAP and dual credit, and how do
students know if they want topursue one both?
Just how do you even getstarted to think about that?
And like what grades should youstart thinking about?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (05:28):
Sure.
So the AP course itself.
It is actually designed by ourcourse writers, which is
wonderful that we have thisin-house curriculum team that
works very diligently and makingsure that we adhere to not just
really strong standards, ofcourse, like our other courses,
but in this scenario, with AP,it actually aligns with our
(05:51):
college board standards so thatevery unit, every module,
coincides with the differentfocuses that's probably not the
proper word, but you know ourtopics within the college board
sense and so that every lesson,every assessment or project,
(06:14):
it's kind of a formative way forstudents to prepare for the AP
exam.
It's equipping them in theirskills and their understanding
to be able to put their bestfoot forward when it does come
time for the AP exam.
Also, university ready, liketime commitment, the additional
(06:51):
rigor that's associated with theAP course, as well as the
intentional practice that ispresent, are all things that
really kind of up our studentsgame, so to speak.
It allows them to really becomeprepared for college work,
prepared for college work.
In the two courses that Iactually am associated with
teaching AP Literature andComposition and AP Language and
Composition we have a very kindof annotations heavy approach
(07:12):
with those courses and I alwaystell my students.
You know annotations are soimportant.
Notetaking that's somethingthat can go across the board and
prepare you for taking noteswhatever field you decide to do,
and I encourage them.
You know, even in present day,you know, if I have a physical
book in hand, I lovehighlighting or writing in the
margins because I can always goback and look back at those
(07:35):
notes and they're kind of likelittle triggers for me, like, oh
yeah, I remember reading thatsection and instead of having to
reread the whole chapter, Ihave my personal notes that
coincide with my learning alongthe way, and so these are life
skills that help our studentswithin the AP courses.
So that's the AP course, thedual credit courses, I will say
(07:59):
some of our AP courses are alsooffered at the dual credit level
, but we do have some coursesthat are dual credit that are
not necessarily AP as well.
Our dual credit courses arealso aligning with higher
standards, greater rigor, andthey represent course
(08:22):
equivalents that are offered atCCU.
Ccu is, I'll just say, oursister school that we work with.
It's the school that has ananalyst represented at their
university, Colorado ChristianUniversity.
They take a look at our syllabifor each of the courses.
They look to make sure that ourstandards are aligning with
(08:45):
these course equivalents.
They look at the assignments,the assessments, our projects,
our labs and it's almost likethey give us a stamp of approval
and they say, yes, thesecourses have high rigor, they
have high academic standards and, yes, we would deem these as
our course equivalents.
(09:06):
And they give us a wonderfulopportunity to offer this to our
students so that, as they'retaking these courses, they can
also earn these kind of generaleducation course credits at a
less lesser cost than they wouldhaving gone to university later
on.
And it's just a wonderful tooland resource that our students
(09:29):
can take advantage of Ourcourses.
Our DC courses are also taughtby DC approved qualified
teachers.
So each of these teachers holda master's degree or higher and
they're kind of like yourexperts in the field, they're
like a professor.
And CCU has looked at thequalifications of each of these
(09:50):
teachers and has once again,through their analyst and their
group there at the university,they have approved these
teachers to be, I'll say, worthy, you know, credible, to be able
to use them as the teachers forthese courses, to offer the
dual credit as well.
So it's a wonderful opportunityif students decide to take the
(10:14):
dual credit road and earncollege credit along the way, as
they are taking these higherlevel courses.
Stephanie Shafer (10:22):
That's some really great information on the
difference in AP and dual credit.
What would you recommend toparents as they're guiding their
students into this area?
When is it time for students tostart looking?
How do they pick the rightcourses for them?
And then, should they belooking AP tests down the road?
How soon do they look at that?
Just some, maybe, like atimeline of how to get started.
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (10:46):
Sure, there's several different
qualifiers.
I would say it may be differentfor each student too, so it's
really looking into what thestudent is looking for within
their course schedule.
We often tell students not totake more than one or two AP
courses at a time because of theheavy course load.
And I would say probably thesame thing would go for a dual
credit course because there isthat higher rigor, there's more
(11:09):
of a time commitment than aregular course and also the
choice in what classes to take.
Also, I think wisdom can begleaned from our advisors, from
the advising team, and they'resuch wonderful resources.
We have Ms Tasha Calvin and MsMegan Carpenter, who are
(11:31):
wonderful.
They also need to look intotheir respective university and
see what kinds of allotments aremade at the university level.
For example, some universitieswill take a score of a three or
a four from the AP exam.
That may play into what thestudent wants to pursue for the
(11:55):
classes.
Sometimes some credits transferover well, regarding the dual
credit choice.
So I think it means aconversation with the university
for the student to theuniversity people If they can
see which ones could transferover, which ones may not
transfer over.
That may play into their choice, their course choices as well,
(12:24):
in putting together a schedule.
It requires an intentionalconversation with our advisors
here at NorthStar, with parentsof course, and just in giving
that wisdom from the home sideof life and being able to tackle
the additional rigor.
But I think it also means aconversation with the intended
(12:44):
universities, just to have thoseexpectations of reality and
what will transfer over and whatis accepted.
So I think all those thingsplay into these types of
decisions.
Stephanie Shafer (12:55):
Yeah, it can be big decisions and you want to
make the best decision for youas a student and parents
encouraging your students.
So, as you're looking at that,what is the workload like
compared to a course that is notAP?
And then, what is it like tobegin preparing for the AP exam?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (13:15):
Sure.
So the course load within whatwe offer, the regular course
itself, again, these assignmentsand assessments and practice
times.
We offer the progress checkswhich are like little practice
portions of the tests.
We have larger projects likeessays or labs.
(13:35):
Students can expect, I wouldsay, between 60 and 90 minutes a
day designated for thatcoursework.
Those things include, likereading, researching,
note-taking, project preparationand, of course, that regular
practice time within the APclassroom to prepare for the AP
(13:58):
exam.
As far as knowing justpreparation for the AP exam
itself, just some tips we areabout two months out from the
exams itself which occur in May,for some exams less than two
months away and some tips that Ilike to tell students is you
(14:20):
know, in all the I call them theexpert panel, the fellow AP
teachers, we all have suggestedthe best way to prepare for the
AP exam is to finish thecomplete course, to go through
all of it.
Our course designers, as notedbefore, everything was put
together very thoughtfully,intentionally.
(14:40):
Each of these assignments areformative in equipping them to
prepare for success, for doingwell for this exam.
So completing the course isprobably the number one, top
priority, taking advantage ofthose progress checks again,
those are from the college boardwriters, I like to tell
(15:02):
students these are the writersof your AP exams.
They're also the writers of theSATs too, and so no better way
to prepare for these exams thangoing right to the source.
And another component of our APclassroom is taking advantage
of the mock AP exams.
A lot of these mock exams areprevious AP exams from years
(15:25):
before, and so that's such agreat way to know where you
really stand, what yourstrengths are, what your
weaknesses are and how you canadjust accordingly.
So just taking these exams andgetting a true, authentic taste
of the formation of thequestions, your pacing, and just
(15:47):
recognizing what it is you needto work on for the real deal in
May.
Another thing is just takingcare of yourself.
So early on, with us talking toanother, we talked about just
this life balance.
So a lot of AP students tend tobe very high achievers.
They designate a lot of timeinto their studies and academics
(16:10):
.
Well, there is that other sideof recognizing that you are a
human being and that God createdus for rest and eating well and
fueling our bodies inthoughtful ways, and so just
taking those intentional timesto walk away from the studies,
(16:31):
to get outside, to get good rest, to eat well I think all of
those things are also also needto be put into consideration and
to preparing well for the APexam and just entrusting the
exam to God as well.
You know, I tell my students,you know, at the end of the day,
(16:51):
um, this number, this score,doesn't define who you are, it's
not your identity.
And so just entrusting all ofthis to God and knowing that he
will care for you at the time ofthe exam, that he is with you
during the exam, and justpraying his peace and presence
with you, I think goes a longway as well.
(17:11):
So I like to encourage mystudents in that way too.
Stephanie Shafer (17:16):
Such good truth.
Yes, one more logistic point.
So where can they take an APexam test?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (17:25):
So we here at NorthStar we don't offer
a site for the AP exams.
However, you are welcome toreach out to our advising team
once again for just somesuggestions.
It really varies where you live, so it is important to find a
(17:45):
testing center near you.
Again, if you reach out to ouradvising team, they can help
point you in the right way.
But we don't offer one here atNorthStar, if that makes sense.
So it is really important foreach respective student to seek
out testing sites in theirrespective regions as well, just
to know where to go and what isavailable, because that can
(18:08):
vary from region to region too.
Stephanie Shafer (18:12):
Yeah, super important to check on that early
in.
And also you mentioneduniversities.
You want to check and see whatis accepted which aren't
university, and so there are alot of things to think through
and we just wanted to share afew tips and a little bit of
information this morning.
But we definitely have morewith our advising and with the
(18:35):
webinar, so definitely want tocheck that out.
Dr Sundermeyer, is there anyother tip you would love to tell
a student or parent abouteither AP DC just being in high
school and preparing for what'snext after graduating?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (18:52):
Sure, I'll just leave it with this.
So I want to encourageprospective AP and DC students
that we are celebrating with youjust in the area of desiring to
do well, to pursue excellencein taking these types of courses
.
Here at NorthStar, we have awonderful group of teachers and
(19:15):
administrators and staff who arecelebrating you, who desire to
encourage you.
There's a plethora of resourcesthat are present as well, and
so when you go on this journeyof taking an AP or a dual credit
course, you are not taking thejourney alone.
You've got wonderful peoplethat will come alongside you to
(19:36):
support you along the way, toanswer questions that you may
have, to give you additionalhelps and resources that are
attuned to your specific needsand resources that are attuned
to your specific needs, and Ifind great encouragement in that
and knowing that we're allworking together to help you to
pursue this excellence.
So please reach out with anyquestions.
(19:59):
We are happy to be there foryou and encourage you along the
way, and can't wait to see thegrowth that will take place as
well.
Stephanie Shafer (20:09):
Yeah, so true.
Thanks so much again forsharing just a little bit and
everybody listening.
We've got a lot more resources,a lot of things along the lines
of college and universitychoices and just so much, so
much good, rich, deepinformation that all of our
incredible faculty and staffhave created along the way.
So reach out to us anytime.
(20:31):
Thanks so much, thank you.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday.
If you have any questions forour guests or would like
information about NorthStar,please email us.
At podcast at nsaschool, welove having guests on our show
and getting to hear theirstories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
(20:52):
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
upcoming stories.
Hi, this is Stephanie Shafer and you're
listening to the NorthStarNarrative, a podcast from
NorthStar Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey everybody, thanks forjoining us again for another
episode.
I'm so excited to have one ofour incredible teachers that's
(00:24):
been with NorthStar for a longtime.
She's been on the podcast, butit has been a while, so it's
good to have her back and she'sactually gotten her PhD since
then.
Yes, mrs Seana Sundermeyer, somaybe we can start with her
telling a little bit about that,what it was like to get her PhD
and just some next steps she'sbeen able to take with that.
(00:46):
Yeah, you want to start andgive us a little update since
you were on last.
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (00:51):
Sure, so, starting around the time of
COVID, actually we were livingon the West Coast in California
and things were pretty strictthat way, so there weren't too
many options for activities.
So I'm like, hey, you know,I've been really contemplating
about working on my doctoraldegree and, you know, prayed
(01:12):
about it, and God really openedsome doors to work through
Murray State University, whichis actually in Kentucky, and
they had an online program thatreally piqued my interest.
They had an online program thatreally piqued my interest.
The degree was over Englishpedagogy and technology, which
here at NorthStar, you know, wetotally embrace the online world
(01:34):
, and so I thought this would bea great fit for just furthering
my studies and just becomingworking to become a stronger
teacher.
And so, like I said, the doorsopened up and I jumped in and it
was a three-year degree.
I met some wonderful friendsand learned so much and
graduated in May of 2023.
(01:56):
And it's enhanced my, I think,effectiveness and attunement to
students, just being able torecognize where they're coming
from and think of additionalresources to help them in an
online platform to approachtheir learning more creatively.
So it was a wonderful journey.
(02:17):
I'm glad I've done it.
It was a lot of work and youknow I celebrated just working
through it and finishing and,yeah, grateful for the
opportunity.
Stephanie Shafer (02:27):
Yeah, that's so cool and just exciting.
I know to be a little bit pastcollege and then to get a degree
I've done that too and so it'sa little bit more to juggle when
you have a family and stuff.
But I think you become maybeeven a better student as you
learn the value of the education.
(02:48):
And yeah, just really diggingin, what do you?
What'd you think?
Dr. Seana Sundermeye (02:53):
Absolutely .
I think when you are working onsomething like that that takes
really concentrated effort, youlearn how to manage your time
well and to set aside, you know,family time to find that
balance too.
Because I think when you findthat balance it makes you a
healthier person, because youknow how valuable it is to have
(03:17):
that time with family and youknow how much more effective you
are and you're doing yourschoolwork when you do have
other outlets that go beyondacademics.
So I think you're right,stephanie, I think it makes you
just a stronger person, kind ofa more mature outlook, and it
gives me kind of credibility andtalking with my students too,
(03:38):
like hey, I've been on that sideof you know, working with
professors and having homeworkand projects, and it's really
good to also have those brainbreaks, to be able to step aside
.
And you know, give yourselfbalance, give yourself a fresh
mind, a renewal of the mind, sothat you are able to be more
(03:59):
effective in your schoolwork too.
Stephanie Shafer (04:01):
Definitely, and I think one cool thing,
unique thing about NorthStar iswe really help students to get
to that place while they're inhigh school and hopefully
learning to manage time andvalue their time as they get to
college.
Just, you have to being in thisunique online environment and
not sitting in a brick andmortar classroom, so it's
incredible to watch our studentsreally grow in that too.
(04:23):
But today we are going to betalking about something really
important for students,especially students in high
school, and parents as theylearn to navigate AP courses and
dual credit courses.
So we're going to talk aboutthe differences and how to
choose the right one, and justsome best advice and tips from
Dr Sundermeyer.
So we recently had an APwebinar, so if you're in our
(04:46):
community, hopefully you're ableto join that.
If not, we'll have recordingswe're sending out so you can
really check out some greatinformation.
We had several teachers andstaff members advisors on there
giving some wonderfulinformation, but we wanted to
share a little bit with you onthe podcast now.
So thank you so much, drSundermeyer, for coming to share
(05:07):
these wonderful tips and forcreating the webinar and just
all the information that youlove to share with our family,
so super, super thankful forthat.
All right, let's start with justsome general questions.
What is the difference betweenAP and dual credit, and how do
students know if they want topursue one both?
Just how do you even getstarted to think about that?
And like what grades should youstart thinking about?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (05:28):
Sure.
So the AP course itself.
It is actually designed by ourcourse writers, which is
wonderful that we have thisin-house curriculum team that
works very diligently and makingsure that we adhere to not just
really strong standards, ofcourse, like our other courses,
but in this scenario, with AP,it actually aligns with our
(05:51):
college board standards so thatevery unit, every module,
coincides with the differentfocuses that's probably not the
proper word, but you know ourtopics within the college board
sense and so that every lesson,every assessment or project,
(06:14):
it's kind of a formative way forstudents to prepare for the AP
exam.
It's equipping them in theirskills and their understanding
to be able to put their bestfoot forward when it does come
time for the AP exam.
Also, university ready, liketime commitment, the additional
(06:51):
rigor that's associated with theAP course, as well as the
intentional practice that ispresent, are all things that
really kind of up our studentsgame, so to speak.
It allows them to really becomeprepared for college work,
prepared for college work.
In the two courses that Iactually am associated with
teaching AP Literature andComposition and AP Language and
Composition we have a very kindof annotations heavy approach
(07:12):
with those courses and I alwaystell my students.
You know annotations are soimportant.
Notetaking that's somethingthat can go across the board and
prepare you for taking noteswhatever field you decide to do,
and I encourage them.
You know, even in present day,you know, if I have a physical
book in hand, I lovehighlighting or writing in the
margins because I can always goback and look back at those
(07:35):
notes and they're kind of likelittle triggers for me, like, oh
yeah, I remember reading thatsection and instead of having to
reread the whole chapter, Ihave my personal notes that
coincide with my learning alongthe way, and so these are life
skills that help our studentswithin the AP courses.
So that's the AP course, thedual credit courses, I will say
(07:59):
some of our AP courses are alsooffered at the dual credit level
, but we do have some coursesthat are dual credit that are
not necessarily AP as well.
Our dual credit courses arealso aligning with higher
standards, greater rigor, andthey represent course
(08:22):
equivalents that are offered atCCU.
Ccu is, I'll just say, oursister school that we work with.
It's the school that has ananalyst represented at their
university, Colorado ChristianUniversity.
They take a look at our syllabifor each of the courses.
They look to make sure that ourstandards are aligning with
(08:45):
these course equivalents.
They look at the assignments,the assessments, our projects,
our labs and it's almost likethey give us a stamp of approval
and they say, yes, thesecourses have high rigor, they
have high academic standards and, yes, we would deem these as
our course equivalents.
(09:06):
And they give us a wonderfulopportunity to offer this to our
students so that, as they'retaking these courses, they can
also earn these kind of generaleducation course credits at a
less lesser cost than they wouldhaving gone to university later
on.
And it's just a wonderful tooland resource that our students
(09:29):
can take advantage of Ourcourses.
Our DC courses are also taughtby DC approved qualified
teachers.
So each of these teachers holda master's degree or higher and
they're kind of like yourexperts in the field, they're
like a professor.
And CCU has looked at thequalifications of each of these
(09:50):
teachers and has once again,through their analyst and their
group there at the university,they have approved these
teachers to be, I'll say, worthy, you know, credible, to be able
to use them as the teachers forthese courses, to offer the
dual credit as well.
So it's a wonderful opportunityif students decide to take the
(10:14):
dual credit road and earncollege credit along the way, as
they are taking these higherlevel courses.
Stephanie Shafer (10:22):
That's some really great information on the
difference in AP and dual credit.
What would you recommend toparents as they're guiding their
students into this area?
When is it time for students tostart looking?
How do they pick the rightcourses for them?
And then, should they belooking AP tests down the road?
How soon do they look at that?
Just some, maybe, like atimeline of how to get started.
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (10:46):
Sure, there's several different
qualifiers.
I would say it may be differentfor each student too, so it's
really looking into what thestudent is looking for within
their course schedule.
We often tell students not totake more than one or two AP
courses at a time because of theheavy course load.
And I would say probably thesame thing would go for a dual
credit course because there isthat higher rigor, there's more
(11:09):
of a time commitment than aregular course and also the
choice in what classes to take.
Also, I think wisdom can begleaned from our advisors, from
the advising team, and they'resuch wonderful resources.
We have Ms Tasha Calvin and MsMegan Carpenter, who are
(11:31):
wonderful.
They also need to look intotheir respective university and
see what kinds of allotments aremade at the university level.
For example, some universitieswill take a score of a three or
a four from the AP exam.
That may play into what thestudent wants to pursue for the
(11:55):
classes.
Sometimes some credits transferover well, regarding the dual
credit choice.
So I think it means aconversation with the university
for the student to theuniversity people If they can
see which ones could transferover, which ones may not
transfer over.
That may play into their choice, their course choices as well,
(12:24):
in putting together a schedule.
It requires an intentionalconversation with our advisors
here at NorthStar, with parentsof course, and just in giving
that wisdom from the home sideof life and being able to tackle
the additional rigor.
But I think it also means aconversation with the intended
(12:44):
universities, just to have thoseexpectations of reality and
what will transfer over and whatis accepted.
So I think all those thingsplay into these types of
decisions.
Stephanie Shafer (12:55):
Yeah, it can be big decisions and you want to
make the best decision for youas a student and parents
encouraging your students.
So, as you're looking at that,what is the workload like
compared to a course that is notAP?
And then, what is it like tobegin preparing for the AP exam?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (13:15):
Sure.
So the course load within whatwe offer, the regular course
itself, again, these assignmentsand assessments and practice
times.
We offer the progress checkswhich are like little practice
portions of the tests.
We have larger projects likeessays or labs.
(13:35):
Students can expect, I wouldsay, between 60 and 90 minutes a
day designated for thatcoursework.
Those things include, likereading, researching,
note-taking, project preparationand, of course, that regular
practice time within the APclassroom to prepare for the AP
(13:58):
exam.
As far as knowing justpreparation for the AP exam
itself, just some tips we areabout two months out from the
exams itself which occur in May,for some exams less than two
months away and some tips that Ilike to tell students is you
(14:20):
know, in all the I call them theexpert panel, the fellow AP
teachers, we all have suggestedthe best way to prepare for the
AP exam is to finish thecomplete course, to go through
all of it.
Our course designers, as notedbefore, everything was put
together very thoughtfully,intentionally.
(14:40):
Each of these assignments areformative in equipping them to
prepare for success, for doingwell for this exam.
So completing the course isprobably the number one, top
priority, taking advantage ofthose progress checks again,
those are from the college boardwriters, I like to tell
(15:02):
students these are the writersof your AP exams.
They're also the writers of theSATs too, and so no better way
to prepare for these exams thangoing right to the source.
And another component of our APclassroom is taking advantage
of the mock AP exams.
A lot of these mock exams areprevious AP exams from years
(15:25):
before, and so that's such agreat way to know where you
really stand, what yourstrengths are, what your
weaknesses are and how you canadjust accordingly.
So just taking these exams andgetting a true, authentic taste
of the formation of thequestions, your pacing, and just
(15:47):
recognizing what it is you needto work on for the real deal in
May.
Another thing is just takingcare of yourself.
So early on, with us talking toanother, we talked about just
this life balance.
So a lot of AP students tend tobe very high achievers.
They designate a lot of timeinto their studies and academics
(16:10):
.
Well, there is that other sideof recognizing that you are a
human being and that God createdus for rest and eating well and
fueling our bodies inthoughtful ways, and so just
taking those intentional timesto walk away from the studies,
(16:31):
to get outside, to get good rest, to eat well I think all of
those things are also also needto be put into consideration and
to preparing well for the APexam and just entrusting the
exam to God as well.
You know, I tell my students,you know, at the end of the day,
(16:51):
um, this number, this score,doesn't define who you are, it's
not your identity.
And so just entrusting all ofthis to God and knowing that he
will care for you at the time ofthe exam, that he is with you
during the exam, and justpraying his peace and presence
with you, I think goes a longway as well.
(17:11):
So I like to encourage mystudents in that way too.
Stephanie Shafer (17:16):
Such good truth.
Yes, one more logistic point.
So where can they take an APexam test?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (17:25):
So we here at NorthStar we don't offer
a site for the AP exams.
However, you are welcome toreach out to our advising team
once again for just somesuggestions.
It really varies where you live, so it is important to find a
(17:45):
testing center near you.
Again, if you reach out to ouradvising team, they can help
point you in the right way.
But we don't offer one here atNorthStar, if that makes sense.
So it is really important foreach respective student to seek
out testing sites in theirrespective regions as well, just
to know where to go and what isavailable, because that can
(18:08):
vary from region to region too.
Stephanie Shafer (18:12):
Yeah, super important to check on that early
in.
And also you mentioneduniversities.
You want to check and see whatis accepted which aren't
university, and so there are alot of things to think through
and we just wanted to share afew tips and a little bit of
information this morning.
But we definitely have morewith our advising and with the
(18:35):
webinar, so definitely want tocheck that out.
Dr Sundermeyer, is there anyother tip you would love to tell
a student or parent abouteither AP DC just being in high
school and preparing for what'snext after graduating?
Dr. Seana Sundermeyer (18:52):
Sure, I'll just leave it with this.
So I want to encourageprospective AP and DC students
that we are celebrating with youjust in the area of desiring to
do well, to pursue excellencein taking these types of courses
.
Here at NorthStar, we have awonderful group of teachers and
(19:15):
administrators and staff who arecelebrating you, who desire to
encourage you.
There's a plethora of resourcesthat are present as well, and
so when you go on this journeyof taking an AP or a dual credit
course, you are not taking thejourney alone.
You've got wonderful peoplethat will come alongside you to
(19:36):
support you along the way, toanswer questions that you may
have, to give you additionalhelps and resources that are
attuned to your specific needsand resources that are attuned
to your specific needs, and Ifind great encouragement in that
and knowing that we're allworking together to help you to
pursue this excellence.
So please reach out with anyquestions.
(19:59):
We are happy to be there foryou and encourage you along the
way, and can't wait to see thegrowth that will take place as
well.
Stephanie Shafer (20:09):
Yeah, so true.
Thanks so much again forsharing just a little bit and
everybody listening.
We've got a lot more resources,a lot of things along the lines
of college and universitychoices and just so much, so
much good, rich, deepinformation that all of our
incredible faculty and staffhave created along the way.
So reach out to us anytime.
(20:31):
Thanks so much, thank you.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday.
If you have any questions forour guests or would like
information about NorthStar,please email us.
At podcast at nsaschool, welove having guests on our show
and getting to hear theirstories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
(20:52):
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
upcoming stories.
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