Queens Gateway
AP Capstone Scholars
What Is AP Capstone?
About the AP Capstone Diploma Program
AP Capstone is a diploma program from College Board based on two year-long AP Courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. It is a rigorous and rewarding two-year program that equips you with skills that are at the core of every college course. Studies show that AP Capstone scholars earn higher grades their freshman year of college. It boosts your other AP scores and you can add AP Capstone Certificate/Diploma Candidate under the Honors and Distinctions section on college applications. Upon successful completion of your AP Research paper, you can apply and submit it to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
There are two AP awards that you can earn:
If you earn a score of 3 or higher on both AP Seminar and Research exams, you will receive the "AP Seminar and Research Certificate."
If you pass AP Seminar and Research and four additional AP Exams during high school, you will receive the "AP Capstone Diploma."
AP Seminar Performance Tasks
Completed in class:
(2) Individual essays - a research report and a synthesis essay
(1) Group presentation graded by teacher
(1) Individual presentation graded by teacher
On the day of the AP exam:
(1) Short response test - read an argument and answer (3) prompts
(1) Essay test - review given sources and write a synthesis essay
AP Research Performance Tasks
(1) Academic paper completed in class, in chunks, over the course of the year
(1) Individual presentation graded by teacher
Is AP Capstone for me?
Queens Gateway AP Capstone Program
In Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary High School’s first year participating in the AP Capstone™ Program, 95% scored a three or higher on the AP exam. Capstone’s research, critical thinking, and collaborative focus prepared students for rigorous coursework in all academic areas. In the 2022-2023 school year, Queens Gateway had one of the nationwide's highest number of students who received a 5 on the exam. Instead of focusing on one specific academic discipline, AP Seminar and AP Research are interdisciplinary: students are empowered to create research projects based on topics of personal interest and they are assessed on the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills needed to complete their projects.
98% of the AP Research students who've submitted their papers to the College Board have received a 3 or higher. Examples of research topics include:
Harry Potter series and its reflection on positive gender representation in children’s literature
Discrimination against the mental health stigma and its impact on the South Asian American teen’s willingness to receive help and their interactions with others
The hidden relationship between Latin films and the development of cultural identity
A study of academic stress and how it reflects the need for a mental health intervention program at Queens Gateway to Health Sciences
Social media violence and adolescent bystander intervention
The creation of content-specific learning styles for the purpose of more effective learning
Winter urbanizations and its effect on the behavioral patterns of eastern gray squirrels in Central Park
Resolving Educational Issues: Exploring the Association between Screen Time and Intrinsic Academic Motivation
The Impact of Music Production Elements on the Commercial Success of Rap Songs
At Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School, 25 students have earned the AP Capstone Diploma™ and 50 have earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™ during the 2020-21 school year. The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students to develop critical thinking, research, collaboration, and presentation skills that are critical to academic success.
Benefits for Queens Gateway AP Capstone Scholars
*Scholars will have first pick for AP courses
*End of year celebration banquet
*Scholarship for a dual credit course (contingent upon funding)
*QG AP Capstone Scholar Swag (Scholar Day)
*Small Group College Counseling- scholarship, essay writing, internships
*Participation in District-Wide Symposium
AP Capstone Scholars TedTalk 2023
AP Research Wedding 2023
Queens Gateway AP Capstone Scholar Admission Protocol
There are two ways that you can qualify for the program:
You must be a rising tenth grader or eleventh grader
Program Sent Teacher Recommendation Route
Teacher Recommendation- This recommendation is sent by the program to staff for recommendations
Prepared Reading
Panel Interview
Application Route-If you do not receive an automatic recommendation, you still have a chance
Complete Application
Panel Interview