@osuprof “Schools do not want to encourage the following behavior: take as many AP credits as possible each year, maintain all As, prepare for SAT/ACT from 8th grade, and nothing else matters.”
I completely agree with you. These students have not shown that they can manage time well, and they also have not shown achievement outside the classroom. Some students and parents do not understand that when they take 15 or 20 APs, they significantly harm their chances at a top school because even if they get As and 5s in all of them, it will be very difficult to show impressive ECs on top of that. Taking 6-10 APs and showing achievement outside the classroom would be better.
If a student is planning to take 7 APs in a semester, they will almost always be better off to drop one AP per semester and replace it with a study hall, and drop another AP and replace it with a PE class. Suddenly you can have friends, you can handle ECs, and your grades will probably improve. Students should focus on the most important classes and do them well, and not on the volume of classes.