There were several comments on the thread indicating that colleges do not want to see all AP classes.
What if your child does extremely well in AP Classes? Regular courses are not challenging for my son, so he has chosen to take the highest level course offerings possible. Not because he wants to show off with an all AP schedule, but because he truly enjoys the process of learning. He has two regular volunteer commitments, is involved in two clubs/organizations and is an athlete (above average, but not standout). He has maintained straight As the last two semesters.
Should he not take the classes?
Edit to add: He doesn’t appear to be stressed out, and is very organized. He can usually make a plan and sticks to it.
He should take the most challenging courseload that he can succeed in without being stressed out. If for your child it is all AP classes, then go with it. I would also talk to his guidance counselor before setting any schedule in stone as he/she should have a sense of your son’s abilities and the demands of the classes going forward.
IMHO - happy1 is correct - and Marathonmom - my son was like yours - He needed the AP challenge.
He was admitted to all the schools he applied to (3), and 2 put him into Honors colleges even though he didn’t apply Honors. My son took mostly AP classes - and started college as a “Freshman with Sophomore Standing”. He will finish with a Masters in engineering after 4 years. And he didn’t have to take SAT IIs because he scored all 5s on his AP tests. I have not read the thread you referenced, but it looks to me as if “someone is wrong on the internets - Oh No!” Good luck to you both!
It’s perfectly fine. Those posters going around and telling everyone not to take more than 6-8 AP’s because colleges frown on it don’t know what they are talking about. Do kids with only 6-8 AP’s get into elite schools? Yes they do. But so too do the kids that have many more AP classes and excelled in them. If he prefers AP classes, let him take them.
As one of those posters, I take exception to the comment that I do not know what I am talking about. I’ve been through this process myself, thank you.
I stand by my assertion that there is a law of diminishing returns in the admissions process in taking more than 6-8 AP’s, and many colleges say as much. To quote Stanford:
@skieurope If you don’t understand my statement that colleges don’t “frown” on students taking more than 6-8 AP’s then I don’t know what to tell you. That’s the advice with which I take exception and I stand by my statements as well.
If taking 6 APs is a delight and you can do ECs and not get stressed…go for it!
If taking 6 APs means you get C’s in half of them, 3 hours of sleep at night and are totally stressed out…don’t do it!
Good luck to you both!