如果你的學校有提供 AP Capstone Diploma，那麼應該參加嗎？美國有哪些大學接受這項文憑呢？
什麼是 AP Capstone?
AP Capstone 是 College Board 提供的一項 AP 課程，底下包含了 AP Seminar 和 AP Research 這兩門課程。
這兩門課程並不是提供學生上特定主題，主要目的是培養學生研究、分析、寫作、協作和演講等技能。課程時間為兩年，第一年先上 AP Seminar，第二年再上 AP Research。
什麼是 AP Capstone Diploma?
如下圖所示，如果學生完成了 Seminar 和 Research 課程，就可以得到 AP Capstone Award；但是如果你想得到 AP Capstone Diploma，除了上面這兩堂課外，還需要選擇其它四門 AP 科目，並得到 3 以上的分數才行。
如果想知道 AP Capstone Award 是什麼、該如何得到這個獎項，可以參考下面這篇文章：
哪些大學接受 AP Capstone Diploma?
AP Capstone Diploma 從 2014 年推出至今，已經有不少美國和國際大學承認這項文憑。至於具體有哪些大學認可，我們也把它整理成下表的清單，學生可以參考看看：
| 學校名稱 | 位置 |
| Auburn University | Alabama |
| University of Arizona | Arizona |
| University of Arkansas | Arkansas |
| California Institute of Technology | California |
| California State University: Chico | California |
| Claremont McKenna College | California |
| Pitzer College | California |
| University of California at Berkeley | California |
| University of California at Santa Barbara | California |
| University of California, Los Angeles | California |
| University of San Diego | California |
| University of Southern California | California |
| William Jessup University | California |
| Adams State University | Colorado |
| Colorado College | Colorado |
| Colorado Mesa University | Colorado |
| Colorado Mountain College | Colorado |
| Colorado State University | Colorado |
| Johnson & Wales University: Denver | Colorado |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Colorado |
| Naropa University | Colorado |
| University of Colorado Denver | Colorado |
| University of Colorado, Boulder | Colorado |
| University of Colorado: Colorado Springs | Colorado |
| University of Denver | Colorado |
| University of Northern Colorado | Colorado |
| Yale University | Connecticut |
| Georgetown University | District of Columbia |
| Howard University | District of Columbia |
| Flagler College | Florida |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Florida |
| Florida Atlantic University | Florida |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Florida |
| Florida International University | Florida |
| Florida Polytechnic University | Florida |
| Florida State University | Florida |
| Johnson & Wales University: North Miami | Florida |
| Lynn University | Florida |
| Rollins College | Florida |
| Stetson University | Florida |
| University of Florida | Florida |
| University of Miami | Florida |
| University of Central Florida | Florida |
| University of North Florida | Florida |
| University of South Florida | Florida |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia |
| Georgia State University | Georgia |
| Kennesaw State University | Georgia |
| University of Georgia | Georgia |
| Illinois State University | Illinois |
| University of Chicago | Illinois |
| Ball State University | Indiana |
| DePauw University | Indiana |
| Hanover College | Indiana |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana |
| Marian University | Indiana |
| University of Iowa | Iowa |
| Kansas State University | Kansas |
| Newman University | Kansas |
| University of Kansas | Kansas |
| Colby College | Maine |
| Husson University | Maine |
| Bowie State University | Maryland |
| Johns Hopkins University | Maryland |
| St. John’s College | Maryland |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Maryland |
| Amherst College | Massachusetts |
| Boston College | Massachusetts |
| Boston University | Massachusetts |
| Bridgewater State University | Massachusetts |
| Harvard College | Massachusetts |
| Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | Massachusetts |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts |
| Northeastern University | Massachusetts |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Massachusetts |
| University of Michigan | Michigan |
| St. Olaf College | Minnesota |
| University of Minnesota: Twin Cities | Minnesota |
| University of Missouri | Missouri |
| Carroll College | Montana |
| Drew University | New Jersey |
| Georgian Court University | New Jersey |
| Princeton University | New Jersey |
| Columbia University | New York |
| Fordham University | New York |
| Iona College | New York |
| Marist College | New York |
| New York University | New York |
| The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York |
| University of Rochester | New York |
| Johnson & Wales University: Charlotte | North Carolina |
| North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University | North Carolina |
| Queens University of Charlotte | North Carolina |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | North Carolina |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
| University of North Carolina Charlotte | North Carolina |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | North Carolina |
| Baldwin Wallace University | Ohio |
| Cleveland State University | Ohio |
| College of Wooster | Ohio |
| Kent State University | Ohio |
| Miami University | Ohio |
| Miami University: Oxford | Ohio |
| Otterbein University | Ohio |
| The Ohio State University | Ohio |
| University of Akron | Ohio |
| University of Dayton | Ohio |
| University of Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| Arcadia University | Pennsylvania |
| Bryn Mawr | Pennsylvania |
| Bucknell University | Pennsylvania |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania |
| Gettysburg College | Pennsylvania |
| Robert Morris University | Pennsylvania |
| Susquehanna University | Pennsylvania |
| Washington & Jefferson College | Pennsylvania |
| Brown University | Rhode Island |
| Johnson & Wales University: Providence | Rhode Island |
| Clemson University | South Carolina |
| College of Charleston | South Carolina |
| University of South Carolina | South Carolina |
| Tennessee State University | Tennessee |
| Tennessee Tech University | Tennessee |
| University of Memphis | Tennessee |
| Vanderbilt University | Tennessee |
| Austin College | Texas |
| Baylor University | Texas |
| Rice University | Texas |
| Southern Methodist University | Texas |
| St. Edwards University | Texas |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Texas |
| Texas A&M University | Texas |
| Texas Christian University | Texas |
| Texas State University San Marcos | Texas |
| Texas Wesleyan University | Texas |
| University of Houston | Texas |
| University of North Texas at Dallas | Texas |
| University of Texas at Arlington | Texas |
| University of Texas at Austin | Texas |
| University of Vermont | Vermont |
| College of William and Mary | Virginia |
| Marymount University | Virginia |
| University of Mary Washington | Virginia |
| University of Richmond | Virginia |
| University of Washington | Washington |
| Western Washington University | Washington |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin |
| University of Wisconsin-River Falls | Wisconsin |
| University of Alberta | Canada |
| SOAS, University of London | United Kingdom |
拿到 AP Capstone Diploma 對你會有幫助嗎？
得到AP Capstone Diploma 的好處有：
- 讓學生在申請大學時脫穎而出。
- 培養學生提早具備大學應有的學術技能，以及從中得到自信跟解決問題的能力。
- 提前獲得大學學分，並且多數大學都有承認。
從上面這些好處來看，對學生有沒有幫助一問應該是無庸置疑的，而且這不只是外在（拿到證書、增加大學申請競爭力、獲得學分），對學生內在的培養也是有幫助的。
我們建議學生拿到 AP Capstone Diploma 嗎？
根據上一段的分析，看起來拿到 AP Capstone Diploma 對學生有不少幫助，不過它並不是必須，我們也不會特別建議學生一定要拿到這個文憑。
為什麼？
AP 確實可以代表學生具備大學應有的學術技能，所以如果學生在高中時期上過一些 AP 課程，且拿到 3 以上的分數，確實會增加大學為你加分的機會。
但是如果學生沒有上 AP Seminar 和 AP Research，或是學校沒有開這堂課，那就不能被加分嗎？當然不是，所以我們才會說「不是必須」。
AP Capstone Diploma 只是證明學生有具備大學該有的能力，可是不是唯一的方式。除了 AP 之外，IB、honors，或者去上一些大學開的線上課程，也都是證明自己學術能力的方式。
所以如果你的學校剛好有開設 AP Seminar 和 AP Research 這兩堂課，且你也有興趣的話，那可以去上課，並完成 Diploma 該有的條件；如果沒辦法上這些課程也沒關係，你還有上面這些方是可以證明自己的能力。
不知道可以怎麼做？歡迎跟我們的 Ivy-Way 升學顧問安排一小時的升學諮詢，讓我們依照你的情況幫你分析並給你建議，你就會有更清楚的方向了！