<p>Have most who are applying/accepted to Penn State (Smeal in particular) taken APs in high school? Our school ranks AP and Honors the same, is it an advantage in admissions to take some APs (other than the obvious credit one might obtain before entering college)?</p>
<p>I’ve been accepted into Smeal and yes, I have taken AP classes in high school: 4 APs (2 junior year and 2 senior year) and 12 honors classes for a total of 16 honors/AP classes. I would think that PSU takes into consideration strength of high school schedule; it’s been widely assumed that they only look at your GPA and SAT scores, but in order to see the GPA they have to look at your transcript, and they will see what courses you have taken and how much you’ve challenged yourself in high school.</p>
<p>Most colleges only give weighted credit to AP classes but look favorably on taking honors classes as well. My high school also gives no added weight for honors classes.</p>