Enough AP classes??

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

So, I will be a senior in high school this year.

I am wondering if I am taking enough AP classes to have a chance of getting into the schools I want.

I am looking at University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and Oberlin College to name a few.

Also, most people in my school don’t take AP classes until junior year, if at all.

Freshman Year: 3 Honors, 0 AP

Sophomore Year: 3 Honors, 0 AP

Junior Year: 0 Honors, 0 AP

Senior Year: 1 Honors, 3 AP

I am just wondering if I am screwed, especially since I didn’t do anything rigorous my junior year.

I think I read online somewhere that the average for selective schools is around 7, and I’m nowhere close.

Also, I know AP classes are not the biggest thing, so: my GPA is 3.9, my ACT was 33 (34 when superscored), and my SAT was 1340.

Thanks!

2

You will be judged in context of your high school, not based on absolute number of APs. Is there on the high end for your school? If so, you should be okay. But why did you not take any honors in junior year? That could raise a red flag.

3

It depends on how many APs your school offers. If your schedule did not allow for you to take any APs until senior year, that is out of your control and colleges cannot judge you for that. However, if there were AP classes offered and you simply chose not to take them, that may be a problem. Anyways, your GPA and SAT/ACT scores look great, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

4

You may want to apply RD to all so that you can submit your mid-year grades.

5

Why didn’t you do anything rigorous your junior year?

Are you prepared for top colleges?

6

Do your best with your senior year, do just as much as you can! That’s obvious. My advice would be: do something unique. Pursue a passion of yours. Heavily. Do something with your year that interests you, and go big with it! Take advantage of opportunities that will make you a more intelligent, better person. You will look much better. I took 17 college classes, and 18 honors classes, 4.0 gpa, 33 ACT, countless ECs…didn’t get into northwestern. I think my problem is I looked like a zombie to them. They don’t want someone with a passion for studying ap classes or doing extracurriculars that don’t interest them. They don’t want a person like that on campus! They want truly passionate go getters that aren’t afraid to pursue what they love with serious tenacity.

7

I didn’t take any advanced courses junior year because there were no more honors classes left to take except for math. I would have had to take AP classes, and my schedule didn’t allow for some, and for a few others, I was in a slump around course selection time and thought I couldnt do it. Talking to teachers now, though, they said they thought I could have done well, so that’s my fault :stuck_out_tongue:

I’d say I’m about average as far as AP classes go. They almost cut them a few years back because not enough people were taking them.

Also, I’m planning to apply to colleges using the Questrbridge National College Match.

I’m heavily involved in orchestra, so hopefully that commitment helps :slight_smile: