Are Four APs Junior Year Too Many?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>I'm honestly really new to this forum, but I'm looking for advice and help on my junior year schedule.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I was unable to take an AP my sophomore year since I was involved in an orchestra class and doubled up on math. Basically I'm going head on into junior year with no real experience with AP classes. I want to push myself junior year, but I'm also not trying to kill myself and I want to be able to spend time with friends and go to big social events still. </p>

<p>My school runs on block scheduling, so each class typically lasts one semester and in total eight "slots" to fill. Each period is 86 minutes long, with four classes a day. So my junior year schedule is looking something like this: </p>

<p>AP Chemistry (year long course)
AP Human Geography (one semester)
Physics Honors (one semester)
English 11 Honors (one semester)</p>

<p>AP Chemistry (year long)
AP Calculus
AP Gov
Gym (quarter class) / Jewelry Making (quarter class)</p>

<p>It seems to me as though there's no way around it - AP Chem is a real pain in the ass and will definitely be one of my most challenging courses. I've heard AP Human Geo itself isn't too bad of a class, but the tests are simply miserable. Physics I've heard is also rather difficult, though my father's a physicist and I'm hoping to get help from him. I'm told AP Calc isn't bad on work load but the material itself is challenging, and I don't know a whole lot about AP Gov except that it's an enjoyable class that will deepen my understanding of our country and its inner-workings. I wanted to hear about other people's experiences with these AP classes and the sort of workload a night they got? I know a lot of times courses vary by school and teacher, but does what I hear concur with your own experiences? How were the exams? I wish to pass them all but I truly want fours and above on my exams. </p>

<p>I'm contemplating dropping one of my APs... I'm more confident in my ability to handle three, it's four where I get sketchy. If I did drop one, it would probably be AP Human Geo, which I'd just switch out for world history honors. The maths and sciences are important to me, so I refuse to drop AP Chem or AP Calc, but the downside to swapping APHG for world honors is that I wouldn't be able to take AP World my junior year. My school refuses to allow its students to enroll in AP World if they've previously taken honors. But I'm also told that world honors is just as difficult as AP World and it's worth it to just take the AP, which I can't do due to scheduling conflicts. </p>

<p>The other thing is, I'm really hoping to play field hockey this year in the fall which is physically grueling, and in the spring I'm on the sailing team. Sailing is less of a major commitment and is far more lax, so I'm glad that my harder classes will be in the second semester when I'll have more time. I don't play a winter sport, so I'll have a break then. Am I overloading myself? Do you think I can manage to pull it all off with my extracurricular? My gpa based on my freshman grades was a 4.08 based on a 4.33 scale since I got some A-'s and such, though I did better my sophomore year and my grades were all A's or A+'s so my gpa might be slightly (probably by some minuscule iota of a point) higher now. My first two years of high school I took all honors classes. I already know I'm not going to make it into one of those ridiculously hyped-up prestigious private schools, so I'm not really expecting to get into any sort of ivy league school, though I know I'm going to need to earn plenty of scholarships if I plan on getting to the out of state school I want. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any input I get, I'm honestly so grateful! Sorry for the huge thing, just wanted to fully explain my situation, hope no one minds. </p>

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<p>It is impossible for any of us to know your skill level, level of dedication, etc, to give you an accurate assessment of your situation. I can tell you that DS1 took 2 IB SLs and 5 APs (all full-year classes) his junior year (plus a couple of additional self-study AP tests), and didn’t have the most challenging curriculum among the students at his school (though he was close). He also captained a state championship-level team, wrote a computer program that won regional awards, yadda, yadda, yadda. You know what that means to you? NOTHING! :wink: Because colleges and Universities will, for the most part, compare your curriculum, grades, achievements, etc. to your cohort at your school and your school’s profile, which tells them what was available to you (that you did or didn’t take advantage of). Your class load and ECs will be put into the context of where YOU went to school, and not where the other students here on CC went to school. </p>

<p>A better way for you to get a feel for how your schedule will be viewed by admissions officers would be to (unobsessively) compare your schedule and level of commitment to activities outside of the classroom to your cohort at your school. Maybe you could explain to your GC that you want to make sure that, in the context of your peers, your schedule compares favorably to other students who will be applying to similar schools’ scholarship programs. She also might be able to offer guidance with regard to the level of work that will be required by each of your potential teachers. </p>

<p>When I read the comparisons of various student’s experiences with different AP’s here on CC, it’s clear that there simply is no way to compare. Classes that are EXTREMELY difficult at DS’s school are characterized as “a breeze” by some students here. Classes that are considered difficult, or only available to seniors because of the rigor, at some schools mentioned here are considered the “joke APs” at my DS’s school. So, my best advice would be to judge your schedule the way admissions officers will–in the context of your own school, teachers and peers. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Generally, the first AP classes someone takes gives them a feel for the rigor. That doesn’t exactly mean that they’re really hard classes, but I’d be concerned taking so many on suddenly. I went from taking one freshman year, two as a sophomore, and now four as a Junior. At the same time though, I feel like your first AP classes wouldn’t be as hard as they would for most people because you’re a Junior, and you’ve been in high school for two years balancing school work and extra curriculars. I can’t say what the better choice is though.</p>

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<p>Anyone else’s opinions? </p>

5

<p>I think you will be ok @blushing‌! I took 3AP courses last year (my sophomore year), and while its not 4, it was considered pretty “intense” (Chem, Euro, Physics), and I did fairly well in addition to taking like PreCalc, French and English. Don’t be afraid of the subjects, because ultimately they do move pretty slowly for topics that are covered for a whole year compared to “actual” college courses where you are expected to know all the materials in the span of 3-4 months.</p>

<p>AP exams do mean much for colleges. Although you may not get your credits waived (my older brother went to Penn and he could hardly use any of his AP credits), it does impress the admissions especially if they see you taking all these courses concurrently.</p>

<p>Anyways good luck!</p>

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<p>Hello! I’m in your shoes, as I’m a junior taking 4 AP classes (AP Lang, AP World History, AP Psych, and AP Macroeconomics). I took 1 as a freshman and 1 as a sophomore. I wish I could have taken 3 this year, but it just didn’t work.
Anyway, I don’t know if this makes you feel better, but my school actually encourages freshmen to take AP Gov. Kids who have never taken an AP class, and I was one of them! My teacher has a 80% pass rate on the exam, with 75% of those kids getting 4 ’ s or 5 ’ s. I have experience with the course, so if you have any questions, feel free to let me know!
I know we can do this! :)</p>