Am I taking enough APs for the schools I want to get into?

[ab2002]

@skieurope Do you think I should take Econ or Stats? I don’t have a preference, but which one do you think is better for top colleges.

[snowfairy137]

Reiterating that there is no reason the OP NEEDS to take dual enrollment classes.

[snowfairy137]

RE econ or stats: assuming you have your 5 core classes whichever one you like.

[NASA2014]

You can try and take dual enrollment classes. It would look better than taking AP classes.

[evergreen5]

I’d be very wary of the advice to take DE (involving logistical difficulties and expense) over APs offered right there in your high school. My understanding is that they are viewed as roughly equivalent, with AP being more of a known quantity. The exception for DE would be college coursework beyond the AP level available at the high school, completed at a 4-year university.

Another angle pointed out in an old thread http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2030517-ap-vs-dual-enrollment.html (quoting @tdy123 )

One issue that I haven’t seen mentioned in threads touching on this topic is the possible impact of DE classes on future law school admissions. Admissions, particularly at the top law schools, are determined by GPA and LSAT (with Harvard now also accepting the GRE in lieu of the LSAT). When it comes time to apply to law school many kids are completely blindsided to discover that those DE classes they took when they were 17, or that summer class they enrolled in when they were 15 have to be reported and calculated into their GPA for law school. At the top schools, admissions are so competitive that a .01 or .02 change in GPA can be the difference between acceptance with merit scholarship, acceptance with no merit aid, and rejection.

[CottonTales]

I love how high school kids that don’t know squat are giving other kids advice. OP, asking your peer group these questions is futile. Seek advice from your teachers, guidance counselors or adults on this site. Btw, the number of AP’s that you take is only relevant to how many your school offers. For highly selective schools, you just want to make sure your course load is rigorous enough for your GC to check the “most rigorous” box.

[ab2002]

@evergreen5 @CottonTales The DE classes at my school are a joke. Even with Kenyon (pretty selective — 25%) the classes are supposed to be ridiculously easy. Emory is my dream school (or Penn), so I just need to try my best to get in.

[skieurope]

You can try and take dual enrollment classes. It would look better than taking AP classes.

No it won’t; nor will it look worse. The quality of DE varies wildly. AP, for all its faults, is at least (in theory) a consistent product from HS to HS. Colleges will generally not prefer one over the other, and as I have stated numerous times, there is rarely a valid reason to take DE if the HS offers a comparable course.

@skieurope Do you think I should take Econ or Stats? I don’t have a preference, but which one do you think is better for top colleges.

First, don’t think of it as looking “better for top colleges;” they likely will not care. What they will care about is that you followed a rigorous course of study that was balanced across core subjects, and that you did well. As for which you should take? Flip a coin. Based on your current career plans, at some point, whether in HS or college, you will want to have taken both. If you can do both in HS, great. If you can only fit in one, take the one with the better teacher/better AP results/some other parameter of your choice.