I am a currently a sophomore in 5 AP Classes; do you guys have any tips for me?
They are:
AP Calculus BC
AP Chemistry
AP World History
AP Seminar
AP Psychology
I got in to Calculus by taking Algebra 2 over the summer in 8th-9th grade, and Pre-AP Precal in 9th grade.
Last summer (in july) I tested out of Chem 1 to go to AP Chem. However, the test was very basic, I did not do Kinetics, Equilibrium, Thermo, all the hard stuff…
Do you guys have any tips for me to get a 5 on all of these exams? I don’t go to a very good school (my Calc class has 13 other seniors and my chem class has 8 other upperclassmen). What are some prep books I can use?
Why do you need to take so many AP classes? Is it for college purposes or because you genuinely like the subjects? I feel as if you are overloading yourself and will burn out by the first semester. You should definitely do honors chemistry before AP. AP is much more in depth
ummm @sprights I really like the subjects, and yes, I want to go to an ivy league school.
I already have credit for chem 1, so I can’t go back and do honors. What I can do to review over honors material? (textbook, review book, etc.)
My plan is to take 5 this year, 5 junior year, and 6 senior year. I don’t want be one of those people who take 7 junior and senior year, which is why I am taking many classes early.
@pianoswim - I’d ditch Princeton’s AP Chem book. I took the class last year and none of the review books on the market are that great for the revised exam, frankly.
I recommend downloading the PDF of Brown/Lemay online and going through that, chapter-by-chapter, as you learn the content in school. It helped me loads more than Barron’s/Princeton ever did, although I had to cram ~20 chapters in a month before the AP because I discovered it too late.
For BC, I would recommend Princeton Review for calc. It is what most of the people in my school use and 90<% pass.
Have you taken AB calculus? I would advise you not to skip that as the fundamentals are very important.
Not sure about chemistry, only took the honors course.
Barrons should be fine for AP World… I can’t remember if they changed that test. Maybe they didn’t change it at all.
Not sure what AP Seminar is or if it even has a review book, and I would recommend Princeton Review for Psych.
For chemistry, review matter, bonding and attractions, formulas and compounds, chemical equations, stoichiometry, reactions, kinetic theory, energetics, heat and energy transfers, acids/bases, nuclear chemistry, and organic chemistry, etc. AP Chemistry is one of the hardest AP courses, it will aid you tremendously if you have a solid honors chemistry background.
Ask to switch to Calc AB and take BC junior year. Check right now whether your local Community college offers Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, or Calc 3, which, with such a regiment (AB Soph, BC Jr) would be the expectation.
Be aware that Ivies are quite content if you take 8 APs OVER ALL 4 YEARS. 10 should be the MAX. After that, the law of diminishing value applies. Stanford even explicitely tells you “it’s not a game of who has the most Aps wins”. In fact colleges really dislike the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to APs.
In addition, I doubt you attend a “pretty bad high school” since 1° your HS offers so many APs (“pretty bad HS” typically only offer 2-4, total) and 2° you speak of seniors taking 7 APs.
BTW, these seniors do not help themselves and will be very disappointed when they get their admission results (cf. Stanford’s remark).
Looking at your schedule:
AP Calculus BC -> switch to AB
AP Chemistry -> Ask the Honors Chem teacher what book s/he uses and look for it in the school library. Use Khan Academy. No one’s impressed with a C in AP classes, no matter how young they were when they took it.
AP World History -> OK, it’s either a sophomore or senior class. Lots of reading, just do it and ask questions.
AP Seminar -> Isn’t that a Junior class? Since the second Level for it comes next year, you will have completed the sequence at the end of junior year and you will have to take one more English/Humanities class: what will you do for English Senior Year? Will you take AP Language, or Ethics, Composition, or Philosophy at a local CC? AP Language is best taken Junior Year (or sophomore year if you’re advanced), so your sequence is out of whack and you need to figure it out.
AP Psychology -> drop, keep for senior year. It’s an “AP Lite” anyway.
Are you on level 2 or 3 Honors for your foreign language? If you have a heritage language, did you pursue it to the highest level and learn an actual language foreign to you? You would need to be on Foreign Language Honors Level 4 or AP by senior year.
Have you taken an art class? This tends to be well-seen generally, and is required if you live in CA or intend to go to college in CA.
What electives are you taking?
@MYOS1634 , Thanks for the comments
I am testing out of Chinese 1 and 2 for language credit and taking the AP Chinese test.
I am in varsity choir now and made the Texas All State Choir last year.
Seminar- a LOT of sophomores take the class at my school and they get 5s; my teacher is amazing.
I am going to take Calc 3 at Rice this summer, and that is why I’m doing BC… plus AB is cheap
Yeah, I’m gonna take AP Lang my senior year for English. Note: I’m still in English 2
I’m in swim also, and its a class at my school. Since swim is 1st semester and Water Polo is 2nd semester, I decided to only do swim 1st semester and do psych 2nd semester…
so my current schedule is:
AP Calc BC
AP Seminar
WHAP
varsity choir
AP Chem
Swim 1st semester/AP Psych 2nd semester
English 2
I took French 1 honors last year, and I can’t do it this year because some classes in my school are only offered on 1 specific period. I had to fit in seminar, whap, and French in 2nd and 3rd period, so I decided to drop French and just take the AP Chinese exam because I am already fluent.
Also, how about ECs? I am currently 3rd in Texas for piano, founder of Math Club, swim team, all state choir…what else can I add?
The issue is that for the colleges you’re targeting, you’ll be expected to have an AP Chinese score PLUS 3 years of a language foreign to you (2 semesters in community college is considered sufficient, too).
If you take Calc3 at Rice this summer, what math classes will you take junior and senior year? What do you like about math? What’s the point of this acceleration, from your point of view?
Your EC’s are good and there’s nothing to add there, keep going. Just make sure you do “fun things” - watch silly TV shows, go camping with friends… things that aren’t competitive, that are done just for fun and bring no medal hence proving you’re not after trinkets but do things for their own sake.
@MYOS1634 I might continue to take French honors in high school junior and senior year, since I’m doing a lot of APs now.
I will take AP Stats and AP Comp Sci( our school lets us do that as a math) Junior and Senior year
I really like math, and it is my favorite subject, and that is really the only reason why I am accelerating so much. I aced Honors Precal without much studying, so I decided to go to BC.
One very possible outcome is you are biting off more than you can chew and it will hurt your admissions chances rather than help. Or you will continue with the grind for the next three years, be burnt out and get into a “prestigious” school. And then wonder for the next four years what you are doing there. And then take a wall street job and be burnt out there within two years… And then back to graduate school to find yourself.
Don’t waste your next 9 years so you can have a cool shirt and your parents have a bumper sticker. Find your passion and enjoy life - and love learning (not mastering tests). Many schools want leaders, passionate students who will be an asset to their campus. You can have a 2400 and a 4.0 with 15 APs and get rejected… There will be kids with 20+ APs and 10+ dual enrollment courses.
Smell the roses, have a school/life balance, get great summer experience, start a club, make an impact. Learn a lot. And in the process schools will want you…
Ap stats = AP lite, for kids who can’t/won’t take Calculus (AB). So, if you really like math, you need to plan and take at least one semester of math at a community college (or Rice). Your current plan is actually counterproductive. Either you love math and you continue with it at the college level while in high school, or you just took whatever classes which you top with a “gut” math class like AP Stats… guess what colleges will prefer. if your choice junior year is AP stats, DO NOT take Calc3 in the summer, take it during junior year. In fact, do not take BC now… take AB now, then BC next year, then Calc 3 senior year. That will make more sense to colleges. If you really love math, keep with BC, but plan your next years carefully.
The problem with going way overboard like you’re doing is that it can easily turn against you
1° lack of sleep
2° suspicion you aren’t enjoying your classes, just taking as many as possible
3° risk for lower grades because you’re taking on too much
4° risk of burn out
@MYOS1634 thanks I want to challenge myself, so I’m taking BC
ill try to take calc 3 during the summer, but idk because my school doesn’t offer it ; ill have to go to rice and then back
also, one of my counselors has called rice and asked them if they want me to study there early ( as an undergrad student), basically I graduate 1 year early and go to Rice
should I take the opportunity if I get it?
This is the first time I know about AP Seminar. I looked it up on College Board last night. The class could be overwhelming for students who have not had a lot of experience in critical reading. This new AP class probably will generate a lot of debates in HS.
Here is my take: If you strongly feel that you can take them then go ahead. If you are hesistant then don’t take them. You have to ask yourself: will theese classes be a breeze to me? Your are the only one who can answer. Nobody can measure your level of challenge. How often and how fast can I read books? How did I do on critical reading?
Besides, there are lots of other things you can do instead of taking a lot of APs: math and science competitions, research, creative writing, publishing, and other ECs.
My old sat critical reading is 690; I’m ok at critical reading
do you know any competitions out there? I only do musical competitions (3rd in Texas for piano, 2nd Austin Piano Festival, 3rd Texas State Piano Competition, All State Choir), and would like to add some other ones too.
Do you live near a community college (or any college, not Rice) that offers a post-multivariable class?
Otherwise, your math sequence may well be counter productive.
Colleges will wonder why you’d push yourself to the point you’re taking multivariable summer after sophomore year… and then, nothing (or basically).
What kind of scholarship would you get if you applied to Rice as a junior? Is Rice your ultimate goal? Because once you’re admitted, you’re a freshman there.
@pianoswim - no school, let alone Rice will commit to admit you before you have started sophomore year, without test scores and no proven extra curriculars.
Let’s be real. You can dual enroll at a community college, not have admission to Rice.
