I recently met with my school counselor and officially declared my junior year schedule, which features 6 APs, a Pre-AP, and a varsity sport (drill team, if I make it). As tough of a workload this next year is bound to be, I am confident in my capability as a student and am ready to tackle my most academically challenging year head-on. I am asking for any and all advice regarding these courses and their accompanying workloads. I appreciate every person who takes the time to read and give any studying tips, recommendations for resources to peruse ahead of time, or just general advice about the classes and/or AP tests I expect to encounter during the 2019-2020 school year. Much thanks!
Junior Year Schedule:
1.) AP Seminar
2.) AP Calculus AB
3.) AP Chemistry
4.) APUSH
5.) AP Human Geography
6.) AP Spanish Language & Culture
7.) Pre-AP Physics
8.) Varsity Drill Team
Yes, AP Seminar (followed by AP Research) is considered an English credit at our school. It’s optional for me to take it, as we only need four English credits to graduate, but I want to see what it’s all about. Pre-AP Physics is the prerequisite to AP Physics 1 at our school- Pre-AP Chem is to AP Chem as Pre-AP Physics is to AP Physics 1 kind of thing.
1.) AP Seminar
2.) AP Calculus AB
3.) AP Chemistry
4.) APUSH
5.) AP Human Geography
6.) AP Spanish Language & Culture
7.) Pre-AP Physics
8.) Varsity Drill Team
I would ditch AP Human Geography. You already have a ton of APs.
Stanford U says:
“We expect applicants to pursue a reasonably challenging curriculum, choosing courses from among the most demanding courses available at your school. We ask you to exercise good judgment and to consult with your counselor, teachers and parents as you construct a curriculum that is right for you. Our hope is that your curriculum will inspire you to develop your intellectual passions, not suffer from unnecessary stress. The students who thrive at Stanford are those who are genuinely excited about learning, not necessarily those who take every single AP or IB, Honors or Accelerated class just because it has that designation.”
“The College Board needs to say a similar thing about taking A.P. courses. We have data that taking up to five A.P. courses over the course of high school helps students complete college on time. But there is no evidence that excessively cramming your schedule with A.P. classes advances you. Let us say to students, ‘If you would like to take more than 5 A.P. courses because you love the class, do so, but not to get into college.’
It really depends on you and your school, such that strangers on the internet are unlikely to give you any particularly useful advice. I’ll say that when I suggested to my own kid that she take an on-level class (school only offers on-level, community-college dual enrollment, and AP for seniors), she pointed out that the on-level classes had so much busywork that she anticipated having no less homework and much more boring classes.
She manages her workload by being entirely indifferent to her AP test scores - other than what work they do in class, she doesn’t prep or study for the AP tests at all. And also by gaming the weighting systems - if homework isn’t heavily weighted and she doesn’t need to do all of the problems to understand the material, a B-C average on homework and high As on tests is fine by her.
If you can handle it, then do it. Keep in mind that you might not be able to give your 100% for each if you have that many and that you will have a lot of work. Drop the classes that don’t interest you as much or aren’t required for your planned major.
