I’m a sophomore and have to plan out my schedule. I’ve come up with 5 AP classes that I want to (and most likely will) take in total, and they are the following:
-AP Statistics
-AP Chemistry
-AP Calculus AB
-AP Physics C
-AP Computer Science
I would like to take these throughout the span of my junior and senior year. Are all of these classes a good idea? Are there any classes that I should take instead of one of these? Are there any other classes I should take in addition? Also, if you got admitted into UIUC CS, which AP’s did you take? Thanks.
If I get admitted on Friday I’ll post my stats
-AP Calculus AB (essential, preferably take BC if available)
-AP Computer Science (obviously)
-AP Physics C (required for all CS majors)
-AP Chemistry (required for all CS majors)
-AP Statistics (not essential)
The above sound good even if you decide to do something else in STEM, but it might be good to get one humanities course out of the way. (AP Psych if it’s available, since it’s essentially a STEM class, else APUSH.)
There are no admissions required AP classes for CS students, but you can tell by enrollment numbers that the majority of incoming students come in with significant credit. Of all the newly enrolled CS in ENG students last year, only 100 showed up in the Fall with Freshman status.
At the risk of stating the obvious, to maximize your chance of admittance, take all the ones you will get an ‘A’ in. Course rigor is a big factor in admissions, but so is GPA (and class rank if your school ranks).
A 4.0 with a rigorous course load is better than a 3.5 with an insanely rigorous course load (numbers are made up, but you get the point). Do not bypass the most rigorous math and sciences classes at your school, but don’t over-stuff your schedule either if it will impact your grades.