<p>I know that the average course load at Brown is four courses each semester and at most public universities it is five courses each semester. How many academic courses (not counting orchestra/band, studio art, etc.) have you taken each semester of high school?</p>
<p>At my school, we have the same classes all year, pretty much. Right now I only have four academic classes (3 are APs). Last year I had five academic classes (3 APs), and sophomore year I had five academic classes (3 Honors).</p>
<p>This year, i'm taking 3 APs plus one other "academic" class...but that class is easy, while my 2 electives (music theory and philosophy), while not technically academic, are much more challenging. (I have the same schedule throughout the year). Last year I took 2 APs plus 3 other "academic" (honors) classes and one other elective; sophomore year 5 honors academic classes plus 1 elective (I think)</p>
<p>This year, my course is as follows:
AP Macroeconomics (AP US Government in the second half of the year)
AP Calculus AB
AP English Language and Literature
Honors Journalism VIII (Newspaper... Maybe not what you would consider an "academic" course since we spend every day working on the next issue of the paper instead of sitting through lectures, etc)
AP Environmental Science
Honors Comprehensive Law Studies</p>
<p>Last year I had four APs (Chem, Lang and Comp, US History, Psych) and two honors courses (Pre-Calc, Journalism VII/Newspaper), and sophomore year I had five honors courses and one AP (Euro)</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. It sounds like course loads among high schools vary as much as they do among colleges/universities. It's hard to know if the number of academic courses each year is much of an admissions factor and if students who take 5 academic subjects are considered as well prepared as students who take seven academic subjects. I know course difficulty is an admissions boost but some kids I know load up on academic courses and do well at all of them and of course they're applying to all of the elite schools.</p>
<p>dave, does your school teach Econ Macro and Micro AP's seperately. Because my experience has been it as one course. A brutal one, admittedly</p>
<p>No, my school does not offer Micro. You have to take it online or through the local community college. </p>
<p>Which is stupid, because the state requires an economics subject to be taught in high school in order to provide students with a basic understanding of the economy. Micro would be much more useful to students than Macro, which only really helps people interested in business or in economics...</p>
<p>Micro, my dear chap, is also anal. It was frightfully boring and abstruse. I got 5 on both exams, but micro was definitely the more insufferable of the two.</p>
<p>so maybe you are better off. More does not equal better, not always. Like when my school offered Calc BC and basically that became a requirement for anyone going to ivies, because we are expected to take the most challenging option.</p>
<p>Hey...I figured I'd respond and answer your question. I've taken all academic classes with the exception of debate since freshman yr. </p>
<p>Junior Yr:
-IB Biology II
-IB Mathematics (SL)
-IB American History
-IB Chemistry II (SL)
-AP French Lang.
-AP Literature
-AP Macroeconomics (1st sem.)
-IB Theory of Knowledge (2nd sem.)
-Calculus II (1st sem.)
-Differential Equations (2nd sem.)
-Intro to Nanotechnology (2nd sem.)</p>
<p>This year...
-IB Biology III (HL)
-IB French (SL)
-IB History of the Americas (HL)
-IB English (HL)
-AP Chemistry
-Theory of Knowledge (1st sem.)
-AP US History
-Calculus III (1st sem.)
-Matrix Theory (2nd sem.)</p>
<p>um...as for totals</p>
<p>Honors/Pre-IB: 8
AP: 10
IB: 9
Dual Enrollment:7</p>