How do people take so many APs?

<p>I see people on CC who are taking up to 10 AP classes! I really don't understand this. First of all, My class schedule only has 7 blocks. Secondly, my school (it is a small, non very competative public school) only offers about 8 AP classes all together. Also, the school recomend that students take no more that three AP classes senior year. Sometimes students take one junior year, but never before that.</p>

<p>I understand that colleges condsider all of this when looking at applicants...but i guess im just wondering how some schools are SO competative?</p>

<p>Parents are really wealthy. That translates into a wealthy SD. Both of those translate into more AP classes. All of the above translate into smarter (or at least more driven) kids.</p>

<p>Seems like a waste of time to me, but that's just my opinion.</p>

<p>its not wealth, its public schools that offer opportunity. I will have 13 aps by graduation and i go to an average public school and my parents are not rich</p>

<p>Because if there is a large population, you will typically have some schools with very qualified people. Of course, all of my school's AP courses are online, so you could probably could take 24 if you had the prereq's and the ability to invent time. </p>

<p>Sometimes people also have 1 semester AP classes, so they could take 5 and 5.</p>

<p>I really agree with your darkblue. I'm not sure I would be handle the stresses of self-studying on top of so many difficult classes, personally. Maybe, I would. Not sure, at all. But I believe that putting proper time and effort can make it worth it. For example, I took AP US and did well. So now, I will get out of an Intro History course! It's not a waste of time, completely. But stressing like, that is a huge waste of time.</p>

<p>I think some schools all the kids want prestige and they were told the foolish advice that putting yourself under such intense pressure will make the difference.</p>

<p>public schools are funded almost exclusively with local bond measures and such. that's why you see such disparity between schools in the rich districts and schools in the poor ones. i go to a public school with a very wealthy general population and we have around 20 APs. you would be hard-pressed to find a school in a lower-middle income district (especially a smaller school) that could afford to provide that many AP classes.</p>

<p>here's some data on it:</p>

<p>Percent of Students Receiving Free/Reduced Price Lunches- Number of AP Classes Offered at the School:</p>

<p>0-10% - 7.60 AP Classes
10-25% - 6.77
25-50% - 5.72
50-75% - 4.23
75-100% - 2.50</p>

<p>There is a direct correlation between district wealth and number of AP classes offered.</p>

<p>And as far as school recommendations go, some people don't listen. </p>

<p>At my school you can take AP US sophomore year, and then 2-3 junior year and about 5-6 senior year. That would put you at ten total, I suppose.</p>

<p>That's about what I did. AP US as a sophomore, two last year, six this year.</p>

<p>This thread made me curious, so I checked out our HS program of studies. They offer 2 English AP classes, 3 language, 3 science, 3 math, 2 social studies (adding a third Euro next year), so that would be 14 total. My D took Chem, English Lang, and US Hist last year, and Govt, French, Eng lit, Calc AB and Stats this year. In some departments at our school, it is either a non-challenging regular class or AP, there is no in between. (And they are required to take the AP test for each class, district will pay half the fee if they score 3 or higher.) Ours is a district growing very rapidly and an influx of wealthy, more demanding parents is causing some changes.</p>

<p>I'll have had 7, but I'm pretty sure the max you can take is 10.</p>

<p>Sophomore year you can take either AP Bio or AP Chem if you learn the HChem stuff over the summer. Junior year you can take USH, Lang/Comp (or Lit/Comp), and the Bio/Chem test you didn't take the year before. Senior year you can take a foreign language AP, AP Physics, AP Calc, AP Stats, AP Lit (or Lang, whatever you didn't do previously), and AP Euro.</p>

<p>I'll add that only completely crazy people at my school take more than 5 APs (senior year, at least), and nobody in my graduating class will have had more than 8, to my knowledge.</p>

<p>Haha, I took all of mine because I figured that if I could physically handle the work, I should do them. I'm not taking all of the tests, but I like the challenge. Teachers treat AP students better at my school- not exactly fair, but true. The classes are also smaller and lean more towards discussion.</p>

<p>Most probably do it to make their transcript look better (appeal to colleges) or get out of college classes. I'm planning to enjoy my college learning experience, so I don't really want to skip out on any classes...</p>

<p>Public school........opportunity? Boy, I never thought I'd ever hear those two together in the same sentence! (At least not when you're talking about Florida.)</p>

<p>I'm taking 4 APs this year (Chemistry, Eng Lit, Psychology, and French) and that is quite unusual. ( I took 3 last year)</p>

<p>Some people don't take APs until their senior year, and then usually only one or two. I think we offer around 18 AP courses.</p>

<p>Our Principal wants us to take more AP classes so we can end up on U.S. News' top high schools report. This year, AP Euro was offered to sophomores (their first AP class)</p>

<p>Honors and AP courses are weighted the same (lame). They are given 4.5 for an A, but you can only have 4 weighted classes, so If you take any more, your grades won't be weighted. I also have two more honors courses, which don't receive any extra weight. :(</p>

<p>By the way, my school is considered one of the most resource abundant and well-funded schools in my county, and probably south eastern Wisconsin as well. (it's public)</p>

<p>I remember back when I was in high school my friends and I taking eight APs was considered crazy. Every semester we had to go down to our guidance councilor and they'd have a discussion with each of us individually to make sure we wouldn't shoot up the school or anything. Pretty much the only AP I can think of that might have even been worth the time to take in addition to the eight I already had would be Statistics. Hated that class my junior year and it made it so I couldn't take this sweet class on steel refineries. >=(</p>

<p>Yay! We're getting rid of APs slowly!</p>

<p>Honestly? I was able to take a lot (14 total, 8 my junior year of HS) because I read abnormally quickly. As in, pushing 1500 words per minute (the average reader does 120) for nontechnical material, if I'm focusing. It's my freak talent. :) It <em>really</em> cuts down on the amount of time you have to spend working and studying in the numerous reading-heavy AP classes.</p>

<p>I chose to take a lot of them because in our area, they <em>were</em> the best classes in most cases, with the best students. Things may have changed in the last few years, but when I was in HS, in my home state (even in wealthier schools), they were considered a tremendous opportunity and a novelty that few people did, not something that everyone did a lot of to look good on applications.</p>

<p>Wow! This thread makes me realize how lucky we are to go to the public school we do. 30% free and reduced lunch students, 22 AP classes offered. Our school was in the top 500 nationally in the ranking that measured the number of AP tests taken in proportion to the school's population. Lots of kids from all walks of life taking APs at our school!</p>

<p>My school is rural and not wealthy, so we have limited resources. We offer AP English Lit, AP Bio, and AP US..oh also AP German now, which I took the test for last year and got a 5 because our German program is surprisingly awesome. I didn't take any of the others because, despite their AP titles, they are jokes and hardly anyone takes or passes the exams. Plus, they're not subjects that are relevant to my studies (IR). So, instead, I took up a local community college's offer of online courses, for which my school reimbursed me, and took Macro/Micro Econ, English Comp I, and Cultural Anthropology. Last year I took Honors Econ, so I'm studying to take the AP tests on my own. I got into my first choice school and I didn't take any AP classes, so it's all about making smart decisions and doing the best with what you have.</p>

<p>One thing all of you are neglecting to acknowledge: If your school's schedule is in semester blocks, you have double the amount of opportunity to take AP courses.....If, as in our HS, you have full year courses, there are only a certain number you can humanly take....In addition, if you go to a school where you are not allowed into AP until you take the corresponding honors course (i.e. Science), it changes the picture....There are schools I am aware of that call all of their honors courses AP; it makes it very easy for a student to take all of their academic subjects as AP....That is how some students have high numbers of AP courses (since freshman year, infact)</p>