<p>Does AP classes count a lot for admission to the ivies and other top school? I'm going to be a junior and i decided to take only 1 AP (Though I could have taken many more) this year. I'll be kind of busy for things like the SAT and ACT so I want to know if this decision would hurt the admission process.</p>
<p>"I could have taken many more"</p>
<p>That's not a good thing. Colleges want to see that you've taken the hardest courses you can, that you've challenged yourself to be a great student. It's not so much "not taking enough APs" as "not challenging self as much as possible" that will hurt you at the top schools.</p>
<p>Harvard website: "Although schools provide different opportunities, students should pursue the most demanding college-preparatory program available. "</p>
<p>MIT website: "Overall, you should try to take the most stimulating courses available to you. If your high school doesn't offer courses that challenge you, you may want to explore other options, such as local college extension or summer programs."</p>
<p>Dartmouth: "Dartmouth has no specific subject requirements for prospective students. We do, however, encourage students to undertake the strongest course of study available at their secondary schools. "</p>
<p>...and so on.</p>
<p>^Ah. Damn. If i take a lot in my senior year, would that count?</p>
<p>I'm not sure, honestly :)</p>
<p>Somekidinnyc -</p>
<p>You are the only person who knows your tolerance for stress. One AP may be exactly the right number for you to be taking. In the long run, it is better for you to do well in all of your classes and to grow as a human being than it is for you to fill up on AP coursework only for the sake of saying you are taking a bazillion AP classes.</p>
<p>And, if you are looking at normal (non-Ivy) colleges and universities, the number of advanced courses is not critical. Normal institutions are looking for normal, happy, healthy students. You probably will fit right in and have a wonderful time.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>Thank you happymomof1 and zoaxanthellae for your advice. I'm mainly aiming for tech schools like MIT, Stanford and Cornell.</p>
<p>and thats why low acceptance rates at those schools cant really be taken seriously..</p>
<p>^?............</p>
<p>i have a question...i know a lot of people on CC that say they took the hardest schedule possible...assuming that their schools provide a large number of APs wouldn't that mean every class in junior and senior year would be AP classes? that's hard to believe and a huge amount of people say i took the hardest schedule possible. thanks for the help.</p>
<p>How is having almost all AP classes in junior and senior year that hard to believe? <em>confused</em></p>
<p>That's what a large majority of people at my school does (or tries to do)...</p>
<p>The GC at my son's school would say he took the "hardest schedule possible" and he took 1 AP sophomore year, 3 APs junior year and 4 APs senior year plus 2 community college classes.</p>
<p>If you only took 1 AP junior year when many more were possible, my opinion is that, in general, that courseload wouldn't appear very competitive for a place like Stanford (unless you had something else really going for you).</p>
<p>so "hardest schedule possible" is not a literal term i guess?</p>
<p>alex994 i'm talking about every class from junior to senior year would be about 14 ap classes to 16 depending on your school. that's a huge number for the amount of people saying "hardest schedule possible"</p>
<p>I'm afraid I don't quite get your question. Are you having difficulty believing that some people can take and do well in so many AP classes?</p>
<p>Again, hardest schedule possible doesn't mean you're compared with all the students in the United States but merely based on the classes which are available to your own school. It's all a matter of opportunity and availability.</p>
<p>no my question is pretty much: does the term hardest schedule possible mean what it means literally? fresnomom said her son took 7 aps in junior and senior year. and that counted as the hardest schedule possible...so it's not literal but subjective?</p>
<p>bump......</p>
<p>Aiming for top schools, I'd say it's nearly essential to be cramming in a relatively high number of AP and honors classes. Colleges claim to be interested in seeing students take what interests them and not overloading themselves, but the harsh reality is that the standardization of the AP label makes it a valuable barometer of a student's intensity. Of the 16 students who were admitted to H, Y, P, Penn, and MIT from my school, only five took fewer than two AP classes as a junior (and of those five, two were recruits and one had amazing extracurriculars). I think it definitely plays a significant role.</p>
<p>i see.....</p>
<p>Some schools have easier AP and less stressful APs which allows students to be more comfortable taking them.</p>
<p>How do colleges account for that? If all colleges saw 5 APs and judged them equally, wouldn't that be a little unfair?</p>
<p>Thats why a college application is reviewed more carefully then just 5 AP's end of story. Colleges then look at you AP scores on those 5 AP exams and then also look at your class rank which in turn help them see how difficult the class really is.</p>