This discussion was created from comments split from: How do we spread out the AP tests in high school - over the 4 years.
<p>Do colleges look for breadth in AP courses, or is a spiky AP course load OK? For example, if a kid takes 2 English APs foreign language APs, 4 math APs, and 2 arts APs, plus multiple college level courses in math, is that acceptable? The compromise to accomodate this course load will be to only do the bare minimum in Physical Sciences and Social Sciences (2 courses each, no APs). How would colleges look at this? </p>
<p>Thoughts most welcome. </p>
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<p>The “spiky” AP and college course distribution would be fine, but some colleges may prefer a minimum of three years of high school history and social studies, and all three of biology, chemistry, and physics.</p>
<p>Thanks, UCBA. That concerns me, and I would appreciate some more guidance.</p>
<p>Assume the following constraints - no more than 6 courses in 9-10th grades and no more than 5 courses in 11-12 grade. Then potential course distribution over 4 years is:</p>
<p>1) 4 in English (2 APs in 11th-12th)
2) 5 in Math (4 APs in 9th and 10th, 2 college courses in 11th-12th)
3) 6 in two foreign languages (2 APs in 11th-12th)
4) 3 in Arts (2 APs in 11th-12th)
5) 2 in Social Sciences
6) 2 in Physical Sciences</p>
<p>Addition of 1 extra course in each of Social Sciences and Physical Sciences will require 6 courses in 11th and 12th grades, which already has 3 APs plus a college level math course in each. Isn’t that too much load on top of college apps?</p>
<p>How are there 4 APs in math–Calc AB, Calc BC, Stats, ???
Wouldn’t the college courses be a semester (or quarter) long? Do you have a plan for 4 semesters of math in 11th and 12th? (We do, but will have to be flexible about schedules.)</p>
<p>What is the kid’s major likely to be? With all that math, one would think something STEM, in which case some math-heavy sciences like an AP Physics of some sort would make sense. But, the two languages to the AP level plus 2 AP arts argues for a more humanities focus, which is contradicted by the lack of social studies.</p>
<p>Computational linguistics? (In which case, throw in AP CS…)</p>
<p>I agree that 2 years of social sciences will not meet the recommendations for most colleges and will be short of the minimum for some. My son will probably be at the minimum of 6 semesters of social sciences, and even that makes me nervous that we chose to have him take a 1 semester dual-enrollment World History instead of the AP. His social studies will likely be APUSH (2 sem), AP Micro/Macro (1 sem each), AP US Govt (1 sem), and World History dual enrollment (1 sem). The dual-enrollment semester counts as one year for Univ of Calif, but likely as one semester for privates. The reason for taking WH dual-enrollment is his desire to have at least 4 years of AP or college-level science. So, I guess that’s pretty spikey.</p>
<p>I believe that 6 year-long classes is the normal minimum schedule, though there is usually some fluff like PE and Health. My son’s school normally allows 6 courses, and that feels very limiting without an extra course at the local community college to bring it up to 7. Sports teams would make that difficult, however.</p>
<p>Thanks, mathyone. Congratulations to your daughter. It sounds a lot to me but I see all over CC that kids do pull that load. To me it is quite amazing. How do they manage that on top of extracurriculars?</p>
<p>Which college math courses did your daughter take? I will store it away from future reference. Thank you.</p>
<p>Re: #38</p>
<p>Are you counting by semesters or years for the AP courses? Because there aren’t 5 AP math courses, 6 AP language courses over two different languages, or 4 AP English courses.</p>
<p>In any case, if the student is that good in math, s/he should be able to complete AP calculus BC in one year after completing precalculus, rather than taking the two year AB then BC plan common at many high schools. But if the high school does not offer a one year BC-including-AB course, s/he may have take calculus at a local college if s/he does not want to take it at the slower AB then BC pace in high school.</p>
<p>UCBA, Apologies for the confusion. </p>
<p>What I meant was 3 HS math courses (AP Calculus BC, AP Comp Sci., AP Stats) in grades 9-10, and 2 college math classes, one each in 11th and 12th grade. The AP courses I believe are whole year. This will translate to 4 AP exams in Math. The goal is to take Calculus BC in year 9, and the other 2 in year 10.</p>
<p>English is compulsary each year, so there will be a total of 4 yearlong courses. This will translate to 2 AP exams in English.</p>
<p>Foreign language will be 4 year for the first and 2 years for the second. This will translate to 2 AP exams in foreign languages.</p>
<p>Still don’t see were your are getting four AP math exams. AP Cal BC is one exam. I’ve not known many 9th graders ready to start in Cal BC I don’t know your child’s math background but please be careful they are fully prepared for this level of math. Also most kids aren’t ready to take the AP language exam after only 2 years of a language or is you child starting one new language in 9th grade and continuing in another language as a 3rd year in 9th grade?</p>
<p>Also look at which math classes are offered at your CC. If you child scores a 5 on the CAL BC exam then they would start at CAL III this is the highest math offered by our CC so we would have to go to our local CC so we would have to go to a 4 year university for anything higher (much more expensive and more red tape).</p>
<p>Please look at a few colleges that might be in your child’s future and see if they accept transfer credit for the APs you are considering. My D’s first choice school will accept several AP’s as general electives but most won’t count toward major requirements, she would have to take Stats over again even if she took the AP Stats class but if she scores a 5 on the English Language exam they will give credit for both Eng Lit and Eng Language with out having to take the second exam. Every school is different so you really need to research this.</p>
<p>In the other thread, you mentioned that the student is fluent in the two languages from K-6.</p>
<p>Has the student talked to the foreign language teachers about what the appropriate level s/he should start in is? It is possible that s/he may be advanced enough to be at AP level already, or need only two years each to reach AP level, or even be beyond AP level (i.e. can get a 5 on the test with no additional course work).</p>
<p>For math, if the student is already at the calculus BC level in 9th grade, the progression would be:</p>
<p>9th: calculus BC
10th-12th: college math courses (semester each): multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, discrete math; more advanced math would require a four year school
as academic electives: statistics (can save a semester by taking it as a one semester course in college), CS</p>
<p>Of the sciences, physics would be the most analytical and math-intensive, while biology would be the least. However, high school physics would not be calculus based, except for AP physics C.</p>
<p>Economics is the most math-intensive of the social studies, so perhaps that can be a social studies elective beyond the required ones. But it wouldn’t use that much math at the introductory level (high school AP or beginning course in college).</p>