<p>Hey parents,</p>
<p>I'm a rising senior, and currently ranked 3rd in a class of a little over 500. I was previously ranked 2nd, and I would love to get back to that spot. The only way for me to do this is to take AP classes online, but my mom's a bit concerned I will get too stressed and overwhelmed. Any advice in convincing her to allow me to take one or two extra AP classes online? Thanks!</p>
<p>Do NOT take them just to improve your HS ranking. One year from now that will be ancient history. Instead- use your final year of HS/childhood to do things you won’t be able to do later. The college level material will always be there. Being able to participate in various diverse HS activities won’t. You need to enjoy your life NOW, not just prepare for some distant future. Taking the AP courses online should only be done if you have a lot of extra time are would otherwise be bored- after finding time for other activities. By now they won’t be helpful for your college applications, either. No college is going to accept/reject you because you are 3rd instead of 2nd in your HS class next spring. The smartest kids have time for music, sports, academic clubs and sleep. Use the time to volunteer somewhere instead- that would be a much better life learning experience than stuffing your head with more classes.</p>
<p>What’s to prevent the current #2 kid from taking AP courses online also-- leaving you still in 3rd place? Is it possible for kids at your school to take online AP classes but hold back the reporting of the grades to the school? If so, you may find a few surprises in the spring - some kids may be “hoarding” grades that are already earned- they’ll turn them in a couple of month before graduation. (That’s what happened to my d – she was tied for 2nd place but ended up in 5th place, with the kid who was the clear #1 coming into senior year graduating in #3 spot after two latecomers turned in grades for classes taken at a local university). </p>
<p>Your mom is right – that’s not a good reason to take an online course.</p>
<p>Would your school even count online classes? </p>
<p>I think this plan isn’t wise. Have you taken all the AP classes your school offers?</p>
<p>I ditto wis75–mom’s right on this one.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the advice parents!</p>
<p>mom2collegekids - Yes, I would be taking the online AP class through a program my school directly offers so they would count the credit. I haven’t taken all of the AP classes at my school because they won’t all fit in my schedule. That’s why I’m looking to this as an alternative route. </p>
<p>The only reason I can think of to even try this is if you want to go to a college that has a special automatic scholarship for the top 2 kids in the class. Otherwise it’s not worth it. </p>
<p>And another reason to do it is if there is a course you are extremely interested in – an academic topic that excites you intellectually – that isn’t being offered at your high school. But I agree with the other posters and your mom – definitely don’t do it only because you think it might improve your ranking.</p>
<p>I found out recently that one university’s criteria for being considered to a very selective med school guaranteed admission is that your GPA is the highest possible achievable at your school. So if the OP is aiming for something like that it would make sense.</p>
<p>It’s pretty clear from the OP’s post that this is about ranking. Do you think colleges are unaware of how meaningless these rankings are? Unless you need the ranking for a particular scholarship or program I think it’s actually pretty sad to do that just to get from number 3 to number 2. No one will care. Really, they won’t. </p>
<p>I hope that you have real academic interests and I would encourage you to follow them instead of planning your schedule around trying to overtake someone else’s rank.</p>
<p>It’s worth the effort to ask yourself, “why do I want this?” Is your class rank more important than your college admissions chances? I don’t think the difference between 2/500 and 5/500 is worth taking on a significantly larger workload. An extra AP course or two will mean less time for demonstrating leadership in extracurriculars, completing good applications, and doing well in your current classes. Doing well in the latter are much, much more important than potential, marginal changes in class rank. </p>
<p>Remember, you’re assuming you’ll ace the extra courses. It’s also possible for the extra workload to tip you over the edge of exhaustion, leading to a decrease in your GPA.</p>
<p>Short take: listen to your mother.</p>
<p>btw- the smartest kids don’t always have the highest gpa’s/class ranks either. Approach your classes now and later (in college) aiming to learn as much as you can, not to get the best grades. Learning the material (and doing the work) will lead to your best grades. Do not think of it as a competition, to be the best. Think of it as a way to learn as much as you can. Ultimately this is what matters months and years later when grades, gpa’s, class standings are ancient history and don’t matter. Head to college without trying to be the top student. There are no college class rankings because everyone takes different classes and has different majors. Do not be afraid to take courses for your interest/benefit regardless of how well you can do. Music, arts, sciences… for the fun of it- not the almighty gpa. The most well educated student is not always the one with the highest gpa. Remember there is learning outside of the classroom.</p>
<p>Without questioning your decision to try to move up in rankings, I have a very good reason why you should NOT take AP classes via FLVS for this purpose.</p>
<p>You are a senior. Rankings are determined somewhere around January, give or take. However, credit is not given for FLVS AP classes until the AP exam is taken, which is in May. Your plan will not work.</p>
<p>There’s no GPA ranking for mental health, and yet it is a lot more important than where you rank in your class. Take what you will enjoy taking and let the ranking just happen. @wis75 is right. Even if you graduate as salutatorian, you really won’t even think about it a year later and no one else will, either.</p>
<p>Oh, wiscogurl, I feel for you. A year ago, my daughter was begging to add one more AP class to try to “keep up” with others in her class. And, like your mom, I wasn’t too happy with the idea. Please listen to the advice you have already received. It is very unlikely that another AP will make a difference, at least as far as college admissions go. You will be so busy next year…try to leave yourself the time to have some fun! </p>
<p>If @wiscogurl will graduate from a Wisconsin high school and attend a college or university in Wisconsin, there is a state scholarship for being at/near the top of the class. With almost 500 students in the senior class (assuming 1,500-1,999 students in the high school) there will be four Wisconsin Academic Excellence Scholarships offered ($2,250/year x 4 years).</p>
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<p>Thanks for bringing that up Madison85! That’s one of my biggest concerns in wanting to take this extra AP class.</p>
<p>This took me, maybe one bat of the eye: no.</p>
<p>As adults, we realize what opportunities High School provides. Academic, yes, but also the chance to be in a school play or be in the band or participate in sports without it have to take over your whole life.</p>