I will only be taking 1 AP sophomore year (AP us gov) and I have already taken 1 AP freshman year (APHUG). I plan on taking 4 APs junior year and 1 dual enrollment, and 5 APs senior year with 1 dual enrollment. Do you think this would be considered a rigorous enough schedule for top schools such as the Ivies? Also, I know how it depends on how well I do in these classes, but I’m just wondering if this schedule would be good enough for the Ivies and considered rigorous enough. Thanks.
Also, would this schedule be considered rigorous enough for my guidance counselor to check off the box saying that I took the most rigorous schedule I could take for my school? Our school has around 22 APs, and there is no limit to the amount we can take as long as we have enough room in our schedule for sophomore-senior year.
Yes. 6-8 APs or equivalent are enough, IMO, assuming they are across a few subject areas. While there may be valid reasons to take more, college admissions is not one of them. However, these colleges all evaluate holistically, and class rigor is but one part of the application packet.
That is a question for your GC.
Colleges also look at class rank. It is apparent the kids who take more aps will have a higher class rank due to higher weighting. Is it too late to change your schedule for sophmore year, I don’t see why you shouldn’t do perhaps two aps.
If I want to take pre calc sophomore year so I can take AP Calc junior year, I can’t take more than 1 AP.
So that would be 13 college level classes in total, with 11 being AP and 2 being dual enrollment. Not bad, definitely above average and will probably be marked “most rigorous” by your guidance counselor on you college apps. Lots of people get into Ivies with only 7 total AP classes! But that’s not the point because remember for Ivies, your transcript and high school classes (regardless of AP/DE or honors/pre-ap or on level) are only one part of your application. You also have to consider other factors such as SAT/ACT, your essay, your ECs, etc.
@theinvokingsyndicate is right when it comes to class rank, but if you take honors/pre-ap classes and no “on level” (no weight) classes and you keep your grades up (all As), your class rank should be fine (unless your whole school has geniuses who have 98s in every class).
Even Stanford doesn’t expect you take every AP out there:
“We expect applicants to pursue a reasonably challenging curriculum, choosing courses from among the most demanding courses available at your school. We ask you to exercise good judgment and to consult with your counselor, teachers and parents as you construct a curriculum that is right for you. Our hope is that your curriculum will inspire you to develop your intellectual passions, not suffer from unnecessary stress. The students who thrive at Stanford are those who are genuinely excited about learning, not necessarily those who take every single AP or IB, Honors or Accelerated class just because it has that designation.”
IMO this is a question you must ask your HS guidance counselor as that is the one opinion that will count. I agree that you don’t need to take every AP that is offered but the level of schedule that will qualify for “most rigorous” will vary from HS to HS depending on what is offered at that particular school.