3APs vs 4APs

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I am a senior right now. In the past, I took zero APs freshman year, one AP (WH) sophomore year, and four APs (Calc AB, Lang, Gov, Chem) junior year. This year, I originally signed up for three APs (Calc BC, Lit, Music Theory) because those are the only ones I didn’t mind putting the effort into because I really want to learn about them and they relate to my college major prospects (I’ll explain below). However, I was peer pressured into taking another because of my fear that colleges will think I am lazy and my friends are all taking five or six (which I think is INSANE… I go to a small private college-prep school so, it’s abnormal to NOT take AP courses sadly.)

So, anyway, I signed up for APUSH. And I’m really regretting it because while I want to learn about our country, I’m behind because I did not do the summer hw and I had the teacher for WH and she’s nice but she is very EXTREME and gives a LOT OF WORK. She was supportive of my switching to APUSH, but now I want to switch back to normal history and stick with my 3 APs.

I want to double major in musical theatre and mathematics. So I’m applying to schools with top of the line musical theatre programs that will also let me study mathematics. (My top schools are U of Michigan and NYU, for instance.) I’ve been a straight A kid all throughout HS, with my only B coming from AP Chem in semester 1 of Junior year.

I don’t care about going to a super amazing or super selective school. I’m probably not even applying to any of the Ivies. I just want to go to a school I like, though.

I don’t have many extracurriculars going on RN but I will be doing mock trial, the school play, working as an unpaid writer for a website that I just got hired for, and dealing with the three APs I actually WANT to take. Maybe I’ll do a community theatre show too if I have time.

So, am I crazy for not wanting to take more than 3 APs? Should I stick with APUSH and suffer? Or is life too short to take APs solely because I want my transcript to look good? I will not get an A in APUSH, I can guarantee that right now. Probably a B. What do you think I should do?

2

3 is fine. Just use the time this frees up in a way that is meaningful to you. It is bad in school, bad at work, and bad in life to take on so much that you can’t give your time and energy yo what you love.

Do make sure you have some schools on your list that you’d be happy with that aren’t as hard to get into. You clearly are trying to manage your stress on this, and that’ll help.