AP in a University
University of Wisconsin–Madison
In 2011, 75 percent of all freshmen entering the University of Wisconsin–Madison came with AP scores — a record high — illustrating heightened competitiveness for the university. Bobbie Jean St. Arnauld, freshman admissions manager at UW–Madison, said that AP courses on students’ transcripts “tell us that they’re challenging themselves … preparing for the rigor that they will encounter at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. These students are going to be the most successful.”
In 2009, UW–Madison conducted a research study (.pdf/98.3KB) to further explore the value of AP. Requires Adobe Reader (latest version recommended). Joanne Berg, vice provost for enrollment management, said the study was done “to demystify some of the things we were hearing from faculty members.” She said the study showed “that students who took AP credits … were able to graduate sooner than other students … were able to start advanced courses sooner, and actually free up courses for other students who weren’t able to take AP credits.”
For Gloria Mari-Beffa, professor of mathematics, the study revealed that “students who came with a 3, 4, or 5 on the exams were doing as well or better than those taking our classes and exams. So we used that data to adjust our credit evaluation.”
AP Reader Charles J. James, professor of German, said, “I worked every summer with teachers who teach AP, and my impression is that their courses are just as rigorous as the courses that we place students into here.”
