In today's modern educational environment, understanding what advanced standing is can offer you a comparative edge. In previous generations, those who went to college often selected a course of study and completed it at the same institution within a prescribed time frame. However, in order to cope with life situations, we may elect to change schools, take a break from academia, or even shift our scholastic focus. Below, we'll explain what this term means and how it might be applied to help you succeed in your studies.
The Early Bird
In most high schools, Advanced Placement classes are available to students, although how varied this curriculum is depends upon the school. Students who take and pass the AP test at the end of the term with a grade of 3, 4, or 5 are eligible to exempt certain lower division college courses. Essentially, when they apply for college, they will also indicate that they are applying for this advanced status, so that even while they are truly freshmen in college experience, their standing will reflect their high school achievements.
Picking up the Threads
A higher education should be a coherent narrative once you've finished and graduated. However, it may not always seem so while it's in process. Many students find that their interests are more broadly focused that a certain university curriculum allows. At times, it may be necessary to do more than shift majors or utilize electives.
Advanced standing is a status for which students may apply in the instance that they transfer schools with different curriculum requirements. In this case, this status is useful for students who take a non-traditional approach to study. Either they have elected to broaden their time-frame, taking a partial load of course credits in order to maintain a full-time job, or they have taken additional courses that have expanded this time frame. The latter may be due to the fact that a student isn't certain of their goals or desires, or because they are intent upon obtaining a dual degree.
Another case in which either transfer to a different university or resumption of studies after a lengthy hiatus can be enhanced by this standing is when a student must withdraw from university in order to cope with a personal issue. Because individuals move more frequently than they once did, this can mean that the student no longer lives in the state or region of the original institution.
Returning to studies after a decade or more of absence is difficult enough without having to start from the beginning again. In this instance, once a student applies for this special standing, a committee or academic counselor appraises their college transcripts and applies credits where appropriate. This allows students in such situations to return to the academic environment with a few credits to their name and the confidence that they can finish their degree in a timely fashion.
Biology, English, Foreign Language, and even basic Maths courses undergo little change within a single lifetime. Hence, effort expended once can be counted as applicable in any educational environment. Whether a student is attending University fresh from high school or they've elected to return after a lengthy absence, accommodating their efforts is considered a priority in their educational career. Advanced standing is simply a structured way in which the academic institution accords credit for that effort.
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