<p>There's no doubt in my mind that certain AP classes are objectively more difficult than others due to scope and subject matter, and certainly within a particular high school the difficulty factor could vary even more because of teaching styles.</p>
<p>But here's my question: If a kid were to bypass, for example, the perceived "heavy duty" science classes like AP Chem and AP Physics C and take courses like AP Environmental Science instead, would adcoms of elite schools look at that with some disdain, or is an AP an AP?</p>
<p>The poster AdOfficer weighed in on this question. I forget which thread, because he/she has been on a number of threads. You can click on AdOfficer's CC "profile" to get a list of posts. The first time it came up was in reference to AP Calc. vs. Statistics, so you can also do a search with those key words.</p>
<p>My own view is that one has to look at the preparation for & the quality of the course at the school in question. What's the teacher like: how effectively does he/she communicate, explain, challenge, assign, supplement, inspire, & ultimately prepare for the Exam? Thus, with "integrated" math which leaves big holes in D's education, + lack of pre-calc, + difficulty of AP Calc in itself, it would have been a poor choice for my D at this school. AP Env. Sci., which some people consider "soft," is actually a lot more rigorous, engaging, etc. at this school than some students report at their own. </p>
<p>You'll see that admissions committees do have their standards & preferences when you find these posts.</p>
<p>Thanks, epiphany. I skimmed through adofficer's posts but only found his opinion on Calculus versus statistics.</p>
<p>My D is bright but not brilliant. I see her possibly aiming for good LAC like Bucknell or Lafayette. The problem is that at our hs there's a pretty big gap between the AP level courses, which are very difficult, and the next level down. So while I don't think she can handle more than one or two serious AP's a year, the regular or "academic" level is pretty useless. So we're looking for her to have quality, challenging courses at which she can be reasonably successful, rather than difficult AP's in which she'd struggle for a "C." But I am wondering if colleges would view a course like AP Environmental Science, for example, as too soft and hence no better than regular Biology II, which at our hs would be much easier.</p>
<p>Here another way to look at it: Colleges judge the "quality" of APs by deciding which APs to grant college credit for. While most schools award credit for AP biology or AP psych, fewer schools (mostly the less selective ones) give college credit for AP Environmental Science.</p>
<p>AP is definitely not AP, but I would not recommend your D to take hard science APs if she is not that type of science person.</p>
<p>I have been told by admissions officers at selective schools that they see a red flag when they see difficult courses only in an area where the student excels. So, someone who is good at math and avoids LA courses, or someone who is good verbally and avoids hard science courses, may be hurting his or her chances.</p>
<p>That said, those same people have told me that it's best not to see any Cs. So, pick your poison.</p>
<p>If I were given the choice between a passing grade with lots of work in a class that I do not really enjoy but that looks good on my college app, and an A or a B in a less challenging class I would enjoy but that's only suboptimal in the admission process, my decision would be clear. At some point you need to stop thinking about college admission and start thinking about yourself.</p>
<p>I agree with posts 4, 5, and 6, esp. 6. Think about it: if a student chooses not to, or cannot (because of the h.school's limitations) enroll in a course for which there is no mid-level preparation, or is poorly taught, over-enrolled, conflicts with the student's preferred course choices, one of 2 things will tend to happen: The student has not intended, or will not intend to seek the most rigorous U's on the planet, or conversely if the student is quite capable beyond the high school's ability to meet that capability intellectually, the student will choose alternate offerings as a highschooler in comm. colleges & summer options.</p>
<p>I sympathize with the OP's dissatisfication with appropriate bridge courses at many schools. At D's school, Honors is a pre-req to most AP's. However, not all AP's have an Honors step!</p>