Ah- you mean for weighted GPA / top 10% of your class? you have a point there, @SternBusiness. To be honest though, there can’t be that many high schools where not having 10 APs keeps you out of the top 10%: only about 38K students in the US have that many (taken over up to 4 years)- out of 2.5m students who take APs at all. Given that there are 90,000 high schools, there can’t be that many schools where not having 10 APs is going to keep you out of the top 10% of the student body.
@collegemom3717 - you’re right that “there can’t be that many schools where not having 10 APs is going to keep you out of the top 10%,” but I’m very, very sure that those schools, while a statistical minority, have disproportionate representation at the Ivies and similarly selective colleges.
The adcomms always say they don’t care about APs, but year after year, the kids I see getting in are the kids with maxed out schedules, whatever that means at their schools. That Stanford quote, especially, struck me as rich–the 18-AP kid I mentioned earlier is a current Stanford undergrad.
OP, the actual grades are the most important, if you have a teacher that gives out 78s to most of their students would be concerned.
While it is really important to take a rigorous courseload, taking 6 AP classes and exams each year is a LOT. I went to a very competitive public high school in NYC that you had to test into, and I think I took a total of 12 AP classes just from the course of sophomore to senior year (although many were not offered to sophomores so most were crammed in junior/senior year).
If you are taking that many AP classes, you may not have time to actually enjoy your high school experience and make a meaningful impact. While colleges want you to be hard-working and ambitious, it is extremely difficult to balance 6 AP classes, 2-3 solid extracurricular activities, a social life, volunteering, etc. that colleges want to see as a “well-rounded” person.
Consider dropping one of the AP classes and really focusing them on things you are interested in. That way you can also participate in activities you are interested in. This way colleges will see you as more of a person who can contribute to their university rather than a string of numbers that will barely put a dent on their stats.
I remember being like you once.
It was only about 3 years ago that I believed I could “handle it all” – that I was genuinely smart and that I could overcome anything I had set my mind to. Surely, this idea does not pose any opposition at first; you somewhat get that spark of excitement and futuristic thoughts how you’ll be accepted to these grand universities, where college admission counselors will, “wow!” at your resumes and immediately accept you on the spot.
Don’t get your hopes too high, there.
As a freshmen, I thought that if I took the most vigorous courses and a hair-tearing-out workload, then universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and other top schools would honor my hard work and accept me on the spot. For my Junior and Senior year I planned to take 8 A.P. Classes total: AP Calc AB, AP Bio, APUSH, AP Lang, AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Spanish Lang, and AP Chem. Surely, these classes seem to only be half of what YOU want to do, and don’t get me wrong… Your drive is spectacular!
But there’s one thing…
It’s a bad idea.
You see, high school is that time of year where you either make-it or break-it. YOU seem to not only want to make it, but make the designs, create it, construct it, and detail it, and finally complete it. You’re getting wayyyyy ahead of yourself buddy.
Currently, I’m a junior who’s taking 4 A.P. Classes: AP Calc, AP Bio, APUSH, and AP Lang. These are all classes I chose to take, because of 3 reasons: improving my high-school transcript, bumping up my gpa, and last but NOT least… I LIKE THESE CLASSES. Well, APUSH I hate with a burning passion but that doesn’t matter. What I’m saying is that you’re taking all these classes just for the recognition and achievements, but you’re not zoning in on what you truly like and enjoy the most. I personally should take the blame for my taking APUSH, but I’ve managed it over the year. However, in your case, you’re taking all these opportunities and not leaving enough breathing room for yourself…
- Do you really think you'll have the time? (When does your school end -- what time? Will you be able to finish all homework from end of school, until 'bedtime'?)
- If you want to take 16 AP Classes, do you actually believe you will do good in all of them? (If you take 16 AP Classes and can't get higher than a B or B- in any of them, then it was a useless decision of yours).
- Are you planning to take all the AP Exams? (I'm taking APUSH especially to never take it again in college by using my 4/5 score to get college credit and test out).
- Will you be having any extracurriculars? (if all you have done is academics and never did sports, volunteering, or anything of that sort, you'll be decline since you're not "well-rounded").
- To be quite frank and honest, you'll be stressed 24/7 and not have a life. Do you want to risk your social skills and interaction capabilities?
- Do you truthfully feel that SIXTEEN AP CLASSES are necessary? As many others said, 8 is usually the cut-off. Anything above that is desperate or too much unnecessary.
- Do you like the AP Classes you're taking, or are you JUST taking them because you can? If "just because", you probably HAVE to rethink yourself quite heavily. What do you truly enjoy and won't be bored by?
If I were you, I’d talk with my counselor and my parents. I don’t know who your parents are or what their mindset is of you. I don’t know if you’re an only child. I don’t know if your dad is a lawyer and your mom is a doctor (Rich is what I mean). I don’t know if you’re a American and Caucasian. I don’t know if you’re a “prep-kid” who goes to a private school in a big city.
I don’t know you. But, I do know that you are surely in for a treat.
Think about what I said. Think about it long and hard – DON’T SKIM ANYTHING. I’m trying to help with your future so you don’t screw it up.
Don’t make a right decision; make the decision right.
Good luck! 
nice post, @bloxJacket. I don’t know the answer to your other questions, but I can tell you that the OP is probably not a ‘prep-school’ kid - b/c prep schools (at least the good ones) typically limit the number of APs you can take. Fwiw, at Sidwell Friends (school for presidential children Chelsea Clinton, Malia & Sasha Obama) students average 4-7 APs total- and even the non-famous alums go to top schools. You will find that a typical range (and only rarely find more than 9 APs) across the prep schools.
I agree with those who say don’t take AP’s just for the sake of trying to rack up the maximum number of AP classe. On the other hand, at my kids’ public HS, the AP classes are where all the smartest kids are, and the non-AP versions of the classes are too easy. Plus when it comes to doing college apps, you want your guidance counselor to say you took the most rigorous courseload available. That, in my opinion, is the reason to take lots of AP’s if they’re offered.
@collegemom3717 I’d like to say a word about the much maligned AP Stats and AP Psych. I’ve read so much about how they’re lightweight AP’s and adcoms won’t be impressed by them. But there’s another consideration, which is what is useful when you actually arrive at a highly selective college? The top colleges are usually very stingy with AP credit and award it mostly for math, hard sciences, and AP foreign language scores. 4’s and 5’s on those are also good for placement in math, science and language classes. But my D has been able to use her 5’s in AP Psych and AP Stats to satisfy prerequisites for her economics classes. By contrast, the 5’s she got in AP World History, APUSH, and AP Literature have been useless to her once she was admitted.
But surely, @collegemom3717 , for him, being ‘preppy’ isn’t such a big issue, but his decision on figuring out if his heart truly tells him to take the 16 AP Class workload as a high school student to be worth it.
But to get off of topic a bit, I actually did not know that little tid-bit of info about the, “limit the number of APs you can take.” Interesting!
@Corinthian I agree about non-APs as being “too easy” and AP classes comprising of a “rigorous courseload”. On the other hand, such a rigorous courseload of OP (16 AP Classes!!) may strike his insanity in a way that may mentally harm him or physically wear him out – causing long-term tiredness, “not wanting to do” any of the 8-hours of nightly homework, depression, and maybe even regret?
Yes, friend’s D took lots of hard classes but decided for history or something else to take regular level. It was her most enjoyable class, she did not have to be her usual Type A. Went to a top 10 school.
@bloxJacket I agree with your point. If the choice is between APUSH and regular US History, for example, then I’d say take APUSH assuming you’re someone who is organized, keeping up, getting A’s, etc. Obviously it’s different if you’re struggling. A year of US History is required in our state so you have to take it one way or another. And you need 4 years of English so for top students it makes sense to opt for AP Lang and AP Lit, which count toward the graduation requirement. But for some of the other AP’s that are more “elective” (like Geography, European History, Environmental Science), then yes, it might be better to take some fun and interesting non-AP electives, like journalism, photography, theater, culinary arts (offered at our HS), etc.
There are many reasons to take AP classes and/or self study AP’s, of which potential college credit and course acceleration are but 2. However almost always when a student presents a schedule on CC with a boatload of AP’s, it is invariable accompanied by the sentence “Will colleges be impressed?” or my personal favorite, “Will colleges envy me?” Well, no, they won’t. I’d posit that Yale was impressed with Jodie Foster’s Academy Award nomination for Taxi Driver and colleges would be rightly impressed with Malala Yousafzai’s EC’s. Racking up 18 AP’s is not even close to being in the same league. Sometimes one just needs to take the adcoms at their word.
The other problem with cramming in 16 AP’s lack of focus. It is more impressive when applying to particular college departments to have college classwork, research, and recommendations in the area of interest. Many seniors have 2+ years of math past AP Calc BC and 2+ years of college CS or science courses after AP level. The more advanced coursework also makes it easier to compete for internships in summers or, of course, international level contests.
Apart from setting yourself up for some major burnout, I have a few questions/comments regarding specific course sequencing, which seem odd to me:
Math - You have yourself going from Algebra 2 to AP Calc AB without taking either Pre-Calc or Pre-Calc Honors.Is that how your school does it (most have a Pre-Calc requirement before either AP Calc AB or BC). You then have a year of AP Stats coming between AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC.
History - APUSH and AP US Gov seems like a lot in the same year.
I think you should avoid loading up on so many APs. You reach a point of diminishing returns after a while. Are there any interesting honors classes you can take? What are GT classes?
In my school, the option of skipping pre-cal was introduced this year. Also, isn’t US/Comparative gov pretty easy?
I would rather take an AP class than an honors class and GT is “Gifted & Talented.”
Maybe my kid had a crappy teacher but did not find it easy
@Corinthian, if I had my way every single HS would take Stats before they graduate! It is such a useful course for so much of life- even just being an informed citizen. I agree that some of the APs that don’t get AdComm respect are very useful.
OP, often it’s not a question of the material being ‘hard’ in itself, but the volume of material covered.
@skieurope - I’m sympathetic to that view, but that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
(no, literally–there’s no evidence or even much reasoning for your claims)
I’m not saying I’m sure heavy AP loads impress adcomms, but I suspect they do in some cases.
Except from the adcoms themselves, as you yourself pointed out. Regardless, all my views are my opinion only, as all your views are only your opinion. At this point, we can just agree to disagree.