5+ AP Courses for Junior Year... How much pain will I be in?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Okay, so I am preregistering for my junior year, and I got my recommendations for next year's classes which are: AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP US History, AP Psychology, Calculus Honors, AP Literature, and AP Physics C. My current course load this year is Spanish III H, AP World History, Algebra II / Trig H, AP Language / Composition, and AP Chemistry as a sophomore. So my question is: how much pain will I be in next year? Will I still be able to have a life? I'm in Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Math Club, and trying to start my own business and so I'm hoping I can still be able to pursue my interests in these fields, but I want to know what your experiences (homework, course load, difficulty, etc.) in these areas really are.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your help!</p>

<p>Edit: I forgot to mention that my GPA is a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.25 weighted (I think). Will this course load bring my GPA down?</p>

2

<p>APUSH will kill you.
If your teacher is like mine. I had two hours of homework every day from that class alone. I didn’t have that many extracurriculars and I still died. I have a B+ in the class for the semester. It’s certainly not impossible to get an A, but you CANNOT PROCRASTINATE. DO NOT. Or you will drown in homework and die. </p>

<p>AP Psycho is pretty easy. Can’t say much about Calc Honors, AP Physics C, or AP Lit, but I heard that AP Physics C was pretty difficult. You might have a hard time since you’re taking Calc simultaneously. Seeing your math/science related ECs, though, I don’t think you should be struggling. </p>

<p>AP Lit shouldn’t be too hard either, slightly harder than AP Psycho though.</p>

<p>Starting a business though…I don’t think that you’ll personally be able to juggle the work you’re likely to have.</p>

3

<p>You’ve gotta be kidding me about the business. When kids start a business in hs either their grades tank or their business tanks. </p>

<p>You will be in tons of pain. Unless you have 10 extra hours during the day, good luck.</p>

<p>Oh, and if you get all A’s, this will boost your GPA. All A’s with that load looks very, very difficult.</p>

4

<p>While your endeavors are ambitious, it would be best to not drown yourself in work especially if you want to maintain your ECs and start a business.</p>

5

<p>You would probably have a much more enjoyable life if, right now, you just dropped any thought of taking APUSH. Goddamn stupidest, most useless, hugest waste of time ever.</p>

6

<p>Do able… It takes the right mindset of anti-procrastination and time-management though.</p>

<p>It’s partly the motivation / goals you set that will push you through the year. Plan it out… “I’ll get most of my homework done at school, will spend xx minutes on each class/assignment, and I plan to do everything faster than the teachers can give it out to me.–in high school there’s more than enough time to get everything done and have fun as well.” Just some advice that I’ve taken from the highest GPA in school history / state AP scholar / perfect SAT score / a bunch of other extracurricular awards.</p>

7

<p>It really isn’t that bad, I had cross country (practices went till 5 and meets till 9) and 5 AP’s, but I managed to pull all A’s. Just have the right mindset and use your time wisely. You’ll be fine.</p>

8

<p>I thought this person was trolling when he said " Will I still be able to have a life? I’m in Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Math Club, and trying to start my own business"</p>

<p>Obviously NOT. You’re taking FIVE APS. Some people are only taking TWO, and they don’t have a social life anymore because of it (Cough Cough, my entire honors class)</p>

9

<p>“how much pain will I be in next year?”</p>

<p>Depends on how smart you are. Some people would go insane taking just one AP class.</p>

10

<p>Thank you for your initial thoughts. A few more questions… how much homework will I probably have a night? Will these classes look good on a college application (I want to go to Stanford, MIT, Caltech, or an Ivy League)? Also, I switched AP Literature to AP Language / Composition to lighten the load a bit… that should help right?</p>

11

<p>Currently doing 5 APs, it’s really not that bad. It all depends how much work your teachers give out.</p>

12

<p>FWIW, my DS took 5 APs jr year with a Physics Honors class that he said was harder than some APs! He definitely worked hard first semester, largely due to playing a varsity sport, but did find second semester much easier. He used his Sunday afternoon and evening to catch up for the week. I will tell you he is now a senior reaping the rewards of that effort. It does make a difference in college apps and scholarships, especially at most selective colleges, but also at state publics for research programs and honors colleges. Aim high and make up your mind to stay on top of it.</p>

<p>Also, he does find AP Lit more time consuming than AP Lang.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

13

<p>Did 5 APs my junior year from 0 my sophomore year. Manage your time and you will be fine.</p>

14

<p>AP Physics C will make you cry…</p>