AP Classes: Does it look bad if you've never taken and AP course?

<p>Does it look bad if you have never taken an AP course? </p>

<p>Are you better off taking all honors courses from freshman year to senior and maintaining a B.
Or are you better off taking a few AP courses and receiving consistent C's?</p>

<p>It's kind of too late for me since I am a senior, but I just wanted to know because I thought the whole idea of taking AP course was to receive and A or a B.. not C's and D's?</p>

<p>if you're going to be getting Cs instead of As and Bs, obviously you would want to stick to honors.</p>

<p>but i can assure you that many AP classes aren't that difficult, and you would have to be a very poor student to get straight Cs. so i always recommend the AP route, at least in the easier classes like English, Psychology, Stats, etc</p>

<p>Yeah, i understand... i love learning when it comes to history, solving math equations, and interpreting text but i think some teachers dont know when too much work is too much work. The thing that discouraged me the most from taking AP classes was that some of the kids at my school would always complain about how the teachers give way too much work, and how they spend most of their time doing hours of homework, projects, and studying, just for the teacher to lash out C's at them. I do regret not taking AP classes and now i emphasis to my younger sister on how she should take them because unfortunately my parents were never really involved in my school and hardly pushed me when it came to what classes i should take.</p>

<p>I find it hilarious how the majority of people, like this note suggests, take courses just for their college app. Take whatever courses you feel comfortable taking. Obviously if you are getting straight B's in honor courses, I'd think that you wouldn't be taking AP courses. On the other hand, maybe you really enjoy learning and that subject in particular. The grade isn't always the driving force behind things. I've taken many AP courses, even if I know my GPA will take a hit. It might not be a C, but still.</p>

<p>yea i totally agree. If i knew that i would have loved US History so much I would have taken AP US History, i probably would have gotten an A. I received in A in the honors course and it wasnt a huge challenge.</p>

<p>Honestly, if you just study and manage your time well you shouldn't have any problem with AP courses. My school offered too few AP courses in my opinion (such as cutting AP Chemistry and AP Biology this year when I signed up for them). I took AP World History and AP Calc AB in sophomore year then AP US History, AP English Language, Honors Physics, and AP Calc BC in Junior year with pretty much all honors classes on the sides and still have a 4.0 GPA and I also got a 5 on every AP test except for US History which I got a 4 on. And yes, I did have a life. You just have to manage your time well. This year I'm doing AP Statistics, AP English Literature, AP Microeconomics, and AP Macroeconomics and it is not too stressful because I'm taking a few regular classes as well (Human Anatomy with college credit and Material Science). But take the courses you are interested in or the subjects you think will be relavent in your future job of interest and supplement AP classes with regular/honors classes because then you are not overloaded.</p>

<p>makes sense. i guess most of the kids that do complain are not really interested in the course itself and are probably just taking it because they think it looks "good" on their transcript.</p>

<p>If your school offers APs, it's obviously preferable that you have APs (and did well in them). However, I am living proof that you don't NEED APs if you're not offered them: I got into MIT EA and Cornell ED with only 1 AP my senior year (the 1st ever offered at my school). But since your school does offer them, Top 20-caliber universities would expect you to have them (and have done well in them).</p>