AP Science Exams Should Count As Cores

We are writing in regard to the recent debate over the elimination of the Science A and B core exemptions (Staff Editorial, Dec.15). Since we deal with this issue as Advanced Standing Peer Counselors, we bring a unique understanding of the benefits of these excemptions.

AP science courses are in many ways more rigorous than the Core courses they currently bypass. This is particularly true in Physics C, which makes use of singlevariable calculus, in contrast to most Science A courses which cannot assume as high a level of mathematical preparation. Even in chemistry and biology, lab and field experience in high school AP science courses is almost universally more substantial than in Harvard's science Cores.

The proposed bypass elimination penalizes students who pursued many academic interests at a high level in high school but focus rather quickly (on a non-science field) in college. Forcing students to take higher departmental courses is not a viable option, since science courses tend to specialize more quickly than their counterparts in the humanities. --Gopal Garuda '98, Lonne   Jaffe '99. Sandrine Goffard '98,   Amir Zarrinpar '99, Charlotte   Chui '98, Lee Koffler '98,   Rebecca Onie '98-'97,   Advanced Standing Peer   Counselors