<p>Hi. I'm a junior in high school and the oldest in my family, so my family and I have not yet experienced the whole process of finding colleges. I've been trying my best to get a head start, but there is one thing that nobody seems to be able to give me a straight answer on, so I figured I'd come here.
I'm taking one AP class this year and am considering taking another, but these two are known as the hardest classes to take and both require hours of essay writing a night. I don't mind the work and am no stranger to AP classes, but I definitely burned myself out last year and don't want that to happen junior year.
Is it better to take two AP's and have your grades suffer or to swap one for an honors class and have a higher overall GPA? I am in the top percent of my classes and had never gotten a B in any class before AP Euro (Soph year) had me awake until 2AM every night. How much influence does a weighted average hold against a person's true average? Are they both sent in to colleges? And which one is listed on the average statistics for each college on Naviance? I've gotten to many different answers...
I have the grades and the dedication to apply to some top schools, but which decision will better help my chances?
Extremely confused and stressing out, please help! :/</p>
<p>P.S - Schools I aspire to go to would be Cornell, Yale (dream school!), NYU, etc.</p>
<p>Naviance seems to list the weighted GPA, at least at our school.
If you’re looking at Ivies, my guess is you need more than one AP. However, that may not be the case depending on your school. Have you talked to your guidance counselor? I’d ask what number of AP classes is “normal” among students with the aspirations you expressed, and I would also ask her if your course load will be considered “most rigorous”, which is a question the common app asks counselors to answer with respect to the applicant. Obviously you need “most rigorous” to be checked to have a shot at the top schools. FWIW, here most kids who are serious about top schools carried 2-3 AP classes as juniors and will pick up a few more as seniors to 4-5. Each area is different though.</p>
<p>Colleges definitely look for rigorous schedules, so take as many AP’s as you can.
Taking 2 AP’s junior year is by no means unheard of…In fact, many juniors I know take 3,4+ AP classes and continue to do so in senior year as well. Don’t worry, it is definitely not an unmanageable course load if you manage your time properly. In fact, looking at the schools you want to apply to, I would definitely recommend taking 2 AP’s (taking more would be optimal).
Schools see both weighted and unweighted GPA…I’m not sure which one they take into account more. Many colleges also have their own weighting system.
Taking multiple AP classes is not something to worry about–most competitive students have multiple AP’s in their schedules, and you need to as well if you want to get into those schools. The workload will be larger than in honors classes, sure, but it will not be as hard as students taking 4+ AP’s–as many do. You can absolutely take 2 AP classes, keep your grades up, and fill your afternoon with worthwhile EC’s. To get into the schools you’re looking at, it’s what you have to do.</p>
<p>Good luck! :D</p>