<p>How would it look if I did not take AP Lit in my senior year? I am looking at colleges with ~20% acceptance rate. I have a lot of other commitments and I am not looking to the humanities for a career. Would the choice to decline AP Lit be a significant factor in admissions to selective colleges?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You want the GC to check off that you’ve taken the most rigorous courseload. So I would talk to your GC about it.</p>
<p>Depending on how your school teaches it, AP Lit can be a known time-eater. One novel a week in some schools. Always check with your GC of course, but if you did AP Lang as a junior, got an A and scored a 4 or 5 on the test, you can usually not take AP Lit and take a different English course, along with 3-4 other APs. A writing class that contains a section on college essays is a popular alternative for 1st semester, followed up by a creative writing or “fun” literature course like science fiction, 20th Century American novels, or film studies 2nd semester.</p>
<p>If you’re not going to go into the Humanities, I would only suggest AP Lit if you love to read.
For the rest: exactly what MrMom said. 
Make sure you DO take an English class though and if you haven’t taken English Language, take that.</p>
<p>So I talked to my guidance counselor today and she said that because the school offers 6 AP courses, I would have to take at least 6 college level courses (AP, summer credit at a university). Is paying two college courses for $2,500 worth it for not taking AP Lit during the school year?</p>
<p>Not at all. Take AP Lit and just make sure you keep up with the workload.</p>
<p>Is the guidance counselor checking off “most rigorous coursework” a critical aspect to a school with acceptance rates around 15% like Duke and UPENN?</p>
<p>Yes. Your odds of getting into such schools are virtually nil if she doesn’t check it. “very rigorous” means you’re prepared for college but slacked off in one area and didn’t offset it by somthing else, such as having science at regular level and honors/AP for the rest. “rigorous” means you prepared for college but aren’t prepared for top colleges.
Although your guidance counselor sounds very strict - the bar is typically at 4 APs not 6 out of 6. (Most rigorous doesn’t mean “has taken every AP offered by the school” but “has taken the most rigorous program of courses that is reasonable, administratively feasible, and appropriate.”) When the school offers 2-3 APs (or up to 4) the student is expected to take them all to get “most rigorous”… wondering how many applications were torpedoed because the GC checked “very rigorous” for a 5/6 AP schedule…
Anyway:
Do you have the money and nothing better to spend it on, or not?
If you think you can handle AP Lit during the year, then take it instead of a college English class over the summer.
However why would you take 2 college courses?</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 I would need to take 2 because I decided not to take AP Euro so right now I am at 4/6 APs, while taking Lit will make it 5/6.</p>
<p>I’ve decided to take two college courses over the summer. I am not sure what type of classes to take though.</p>
<p>Science (Biochem, Bio, or Chem): I could prepare for a subject class and further show my interest in science.
English: Could replace AP Lit, but could waste the credit because my AP Language score could count for the intro class.
Business: Just a more fun and applicable class to take.
Religion: A gen ed class that I could knock off.</p>
<p>I am not sure which classes to take. Which would be the most helpful for my college application?</p>
<p>bump</p>
<p>Religion is not always required but can be very interesting and useful. A bit easier than philosophy (in terms of impressing colleges, philosophy beats religion).
I agree that English composition isn’t necessary, but if you can take a 200-level (or a literature class, not Freshman composition) this could be good since odds are very high your gen eds will include one literature class. Take that OR philosophy or religion.
For the second class, take whatever you’re sure you can handle because it’s going to be very fast-paced. What science subject have you had before where you’ve gotten A’s? Science may not be the best choice unless you plan to do nothing but study during summer session, because it’ll have labs, so make sure you can handle it time-wise in addition to the level and pace. </p>