Hi there! I am going to be a freshmen next year at my local public high school, and I have a few questions that I hope you would be able to answer. My first question is, can I take one honors course my freshman year and then work my way up to 6 AP classes junior year? Would that look bad on my application? My second question is, can I still get into Yale and other top Ivys without being valedictorian? My third question is, does it matter which AP classes you take? For example, I will not be able to take AP U.S. History 2 due to prerequisites. I will instead have to take AP European History. Would that also affect my chances? I know some of these are weird questions but I am just curious.
You are not even a freshman in HS. It is incredibly premature to even think about any college or group of colleges at this point, especially the hyper-competitive ones. You have no HS GPA and no standardized testing.
You need to recognize that HS should be an experience in and of itself – a time of learning and growth and not just a 4 year college application prep experience.
It is good to take school seriously and know that college will be on your horizon, but it is too early to start planning for specific colleges. I would highly recommend that you get off of CC until your junior year of HS.
When you start HS you should focus on:
- Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage. If you want to attend at top school your schedule would need to be sufficiently strong that your guidance counselor will check the box saying on your college recommendation saying that you have taken the most rigorous curriculum available at the school. Let the guidance counselor direct you on what courses you take if you want this designation.
- When the time comes study for standardized tests.
- Get involved in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
- Enjoying spending time with your family and friends.
When the time comes (junior year of HS) honestly asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. Recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
But for now - relax!
First off, Yale and cohorts are a huge stretch for anyone. You should not be planning your high school career around getting into a school were even with perfect stats and the highest rigor people are still rejected.
How many honors courses are offered at your school freshman year? It you are taking what is available, colleges wont hold that against you. If that’s not the case, shoot for as much course rigor as possible, especially because you’ll be missing pre-reqs down the road.
Relax! Its too early to stress about this stuff!
To answer your questions:
You want to take the most competitive courses possible. Yes, it is okay to slack a little bit and perhaps not take every AP that your school offers, but you want to make sure you’re in the top 10% of your class with a good unweighted GPA. What is the average amount of honors classes freshman take in your school? If most kids take one, you should take two.
You don’t need to be valedictorian to get into any school, especially if your school is competitive, meaning that it sends multiple students to Ivies or Ivy equivalents each year during the admissions cycle. Some AP classes such as AP Environmental Science and AP Calculus AB are seen as easier courses. Certainly don’t take AB calc if BC is offered at your school. You want to be near the top of your class, so take the courses that all the top students take.
But it’s not just your grades and classes that matter. Your extracurriculars, and standardized test scores, matter almost as much. Make sure you devote time to extracurricular activities, such as clubs, work, sports, or student government
Your main goal is to enjoy highschool. You seem like a smart, devoted kid - if you don’t worry about things and just take more advanced courses than not, you will have the same chance at getting into Yale as everyone else. If you waste your 4 years in highschool toiling over whether your extra-curricular activities and test scores are acceptable or not, you will hate highschool for only a slightly increased chance at getting into a good school. Highschool will last 10 times longer if you don’t like what you are doing. Enjoy it.
Okay, I’m gonna take a different stance here and say that you should be proud of yourself for prioritizing college early on. I did the same thing in 9th grade after watching this documentary called “Ivy Dreams” - I recommend it to anyone looking to start early and aim high in the college admissions process. However, you’re not gonna be screwed because of 1 Honors class. They are going to look at your application holistically, and your freshman year will have the least amount of weight compared to your other years in high school.
However, what is important is that you pursue your passions and enjoy high school. In the end, the best schools (e.g. Yale) are still crapshoots, and you can’t try and set yourself up over 4 years to get into Yale, because even the best possible candidates can still be waitlisted or rejected. Good for you for thinking about your future, but don’t get so involved with college apps that you forget to enjoy high school.
I know it is early to be thinking about college. But this is a huge dream of mine. I understand what you are trying to say though, it is too early. Lol