3 APs and free time to spare?

<p>So it's time for my Junior year and I've decided I'm going to tough out the winter and take 3 AP classes- AP Biology, AP Government and Politics, and AP Literature. I've never taken an AP class before, but if I budget my time well, will I still have time for myself and a good night's sleep?</p>

<p>I've talked to lots of people and so far all the people who haven't taken the AP classes are telling me that this is too much but I talked to my brother who had a similar course selection through his Junior year and he thought that it was very possible. I meet all the prerequisites and so far I've found that harder courses don't have a huge impact on my grade- but the switch from CP to Honors is very different from Honors to AP, or so I hear; but I'm determined to show my stuff Junior year- and I believe this would be the best way to do it.</p>

<p>The thing is, I have a hobby that I'd also like to continue, that calls for 1-2 hours every day, And/Or the weekends completely free. That, and I'm pretty active in my ECs.</p>

<p>So, I'm wondering if you guys, who are probably more knowledgeable in this matter, have any advice!</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I’d say you’d do fine.
I’m currently taking 4 AP classes, and I have plenty of free time at home.
It may get a little stressing when the tests pile up on the same day, but other than that, it is really managable.</p>

<p>depends completely on your teachers. ask some people at your school who have taken the classes</p>

<p>I’m taking three this semester, and it’s not terrible. It’s definitely not as easy as it’s been with no AP classes, but I mean, it’s manageable.</p>

<p>No problem…I have lots of free time and I’m taking 5 IB classes this year (comparable to AP classes). AP Biology and AP Literature are mainly based on reading along with labs for bio. I’m not sure about AP Government though because I did credit by exam for my government credit.</p>

<p>You’ll do fine. I took 2 AP my junior year along with 3 other college classes at the local college. I still had time to spend 3 hours every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at practice, along with spending my entire Friday nights at football games for performances, and all day Saturdays at competitions. And I had plenty of social and study time. I had all A’s that entire semester with all that going on, so you’ll be okay :)</p>

<p>Not sure if people on CC are exaggerating, but I’ll be frank: AP homework is not “hard,” per se, but it takes time. My EC’s are every day after school, so I don’t get home until late. With a 3-AP workload, sleep is usually not my highest priority. </p>

<p>Since you have a time-consuming “hobby” that you’d like to continue, just make sure you budget your time wisely. (Don’t forget to study outside of class for your AP exams, if you want 5’s.) Other than that, it’s a reasonable schedule for a junior, and I’d say go for it and good luck!</p>

<p>it really depends on your teacher; a lot of teachers at my school run their classes at an honors level or lower (ex: lang+comp teacher rarely assigns homework, little reading, mostly lecture/menial worksheets)
however there are other teachers who are really hardcore (my schools ap euro teacher has a reputation for that, and god knows i wouldn’t want three of her)
anywho, i’ve got three ap’s now (apush, lang+comp, calc ab), and have little to no “chill” time, because of other things I’ve brought upon myself (part time job, sports, theater, politics, science club, model un, ETC)
so yeah, the workload’s pretty okay, (though some might disagree), but I’m just one of those people who won’t stop/can’t stop. it’d obviously be easier to have free time without ap’s, but hey, life isn’t supposed to be easy</p>

<p>I am in my senior year taking 4 AP classes(AP Lit, AP Macro, AP Gov, and AP Bio). I have plenty of time on my hands! I am in a lot of extracurrics and I have a part time job, and I am very social and hang out with my friends/boyfriend a lot.</p>

<p>The biggest thing that I have found with AP classes is that homework is something that HAS to be done, whether it is done a week before because you have a lot of time to spare before a lot of big events, or the night before because you were very busy with your EC’s. </p>

<p>Basically, use this time to learn to budget your time and prioritize your schedule. </p>

<p>And a statement on the classes, AP Bio is all about lecture, reading and labs. In my class, here is not a lot of homework. We are graded on projects, presentations, and labs, and of course tests. But beware that there is A LOT of material to cover, so you may feel like you are caught in a tornado! Just take your time with the material, and I reccommend doing a lot of self-testing. The more you prepare, the better.</p>

<p>AP Gov is ALL READING at my school. There is a lot of lecturing, but it is usually about 15 minutes about the material and 30 minutes of fooling around and talking about politics. We are ONLY graded on our tests and a few in-class assignments when our teacher is not at school, so our grades can be pretty bad (I have a 73). </p>

<p>If you read and really try, balance your time, and maybe ask for help if you need it, you will be FINE!</p>