My friends are taking AP classes and I’m iffy about it.
Do you have to? No. Some CSU’s (Cal Poly SLO) would like to see you take the most rigorous classes (but you don’t have to take all AP’s!). Some AP’s will give you general ed credit which helps once you’re there.
Cal states can be pretty generous with AP course credit and they do look at HS rigor according to the common data sets. If AP’s are available, you should try to take advantage. My son at SDSU was able to opt out of 5 classes due to his AP credit so basically 1 semester. Good AP courses to take include AP Lit or Language, Calculus, Biology, Art History, Foreign Language, Pysch, Chem and Physics. Passing scores may get you out of several Pre-req courses or General Ed requirements.
AP courses will give you a GPA boost of honors points (8 semesters) 10-11th grade which will make you a more competitive applicant for the top CSU’s such as Cal Poly SLO, Pomona, SDSU, CSU Long Beach, Fullerton, SJSU etc…