Define "Rigorous" and "Most Rigorous"

<p>In reading through college websites with older D, I'm seeing that many colleges are looking to see that a student has taken the "most rigorous" curriculum available or a "rigorous" curriculum. The "most rigorous" language is in the websites of many colleges that I would not view as the top colleges. It makes we wonder for my freshman D. At her HS, in freshman year they take the courses that they're recommended for by their 8th grade teachers. There's no placement testing as the school finds that 95+ percent of the time the 8th grade teachers are dead on.</p>

<p>Anyway, my D is taking accelerated algebra 2 (there are honors tracks available), college prep English (there's an honors track available), biology (no honors track available), area studies for social studies (there's an honors track available but only in World Civ, which didn't interest her), and honors Spanish. Next year she has to remain on her current tracks for english and math, but she will take honors chemistry (she's more of a math/science person) and probably honors social studies. AP classes (the school offers 22 of them) aren't available until junior and senior years. In math, her track will end up in senior year with AP Calculus AB, whereas the two honors tracks above her will take AP Calculus BC and an honors Multivariable Calculus. </p>

<p>Hers is obviously not the most rigorous curriculum available, but I'd like to think that it's at least rigorous. I frankly was surprised that so many colleges were looking for "most rigorous." She's not aiming for HYPS or similar, BTW. Do colleges really expect that their applicants are going to take the most rigorous courses available to them in every subject matter, or am I reading too much into it?</p>

<p>I think that the selective colleges are looking for students who enjoy academic challenge, because they will probably be challenged by their classes in college, and they don't want to accept students who aren't challenging themselves. By "most rigorous" curriculum, colleges are saying that they want students to challenge themselves as much as is reasonable. For example, taking AP classes instead of the "regular" classes shows that the student enjoys learning and is craving a challenge--difficulty is the word. But the general advice is not to have a schedule that's too difficult or too much work and that would hinder the student's social life and other aspects of high school life besides academics.</p>

<p>"HYPS or similar" colleges may not "expect" that their applicants are going to take the most rigorous courses available to them, but in fact most of their acceptances turn out that way, so it becomes a de facto requirement. The top ~20% of kids at our public high school typically end up with ~7 APs, but students can only take APs Junior & Senior years.</p>

<p>Most rigorous means they are looking for the curriculum typically taken by the top students at your school year after year-- if most top students are taking 15 APs before they get out and that's what your school offers, than pretty much any top 25 school is going to expect that to be the path taken by any applicant.</p>

<p>If 5 APs is what is offered and typical, that is their expectation.</p>

<p>The bottom line is very top schools will only take students who have differentiated themselves amongst the very top students of their own schools which requires first being on the same playing field.</p>

<p>Now some, not all, of the 25-50 schools may be more "accepting" of certain schedules that are slightly less challenging, but then you're looking at having to get those standardized test scores and ECs above and beyond as well as having interests in the area which you've challenged yourself most (don't apply to a top engineering program with AP Calc AB if most kids in your school are getting as far as MV).</p>

<p>That's just my opinion.</p>

<p>And honestly, if you can get through MV in high school and are interested in science anyway, I'd push to be on that path so long as you can handle it. I wish we got that far, it would have made college all the more easy.</p>

<p>I have a question, I took 11 APs: Bio, Physics B (highest at my school), Gov, Calculus AB, Eng. Lang, Eng. Lit, US Hist, Stats, Chem, Economics, and Comp. Sci. Our school offers more like Pschology and Art History but I did not take those.
Would that be a most rigourous curriculum? I mean bc the top 10 in our school usually take Calc BC, but I couldn't bc of a scheduling conflict but the adcoms don't know about it. I applied under engineering so do you think that I am at a disadvantage for the engineering schools at Harvard and Yale?
Other than the BC Calc I took the most rigourous curriculum, so do you think that it would still count as the most rigourous?</p>

<p>It won't look terrible because you have everything else. Taking the most rigorous curriculum doesn't mean taking every AP available, but it means that compared to other top students at your school your schedule should be as difficult. That's the way I've interpreted it.</p>

<p>BC would have been very helpful over some of the APs you took if you're interested in engineering. It's too bad you didn't have the time to take it.</p>

<p>I have no idea about the specifics of Harvard and Yale engineering, just going with general knowledge about admissions and what "most rigorous" means.</p>

<p>The admissions folks have a pretty good idea of what particular high schools offer and are able to tell if a student challenged themselves. At S2's school kids typically take one AP course sophomore year (though S1 took one as a freshman), 3 APs junior year and 3 APs senior year. Most of the rest of the course are honors. They do require, a vocational course --auto shop, etc., an art elective, and health, so not all are honors. If a student is a top musician, one course each semester is a music class as well if one wants to play in a band or orchestra. The school has great success in placing kids in top schools.</p>