How do people take so many APs?

<p>Rodney, I think that you are correct. Our hs is more like your hs, and very few students leave with more than 3 APs or an AP and a couple of dual enrollment classes. My son found that at the university he attends many students were able to have close to junior standing as an entering freshman because of the number of dual enrollment classes (classes where one gets hs and college credit with a C or better, and no standardized testing for credit necessary) offered in their high schools. I think this really helps the university with their 4 year graduation rates and it saves those families a lot of tuition dollars. We were not so fortunate. I wish my son had the same access to dual enrollment classes.</p>

<p>My son will graduate wth 11 AP classes (5 this year). That is with being in 2 choirs and having only 6 classes next year as a senior. I guess our school just ofers a lot, because there are 4 or 5 that I can think of that he will not have taken. Our public school really pushes them-I don't know if that's good or bad. </p>

<p>I do know that if you don't take pre-AP or AP classes to get the boost in points for your GPA, you're going to be left in the dust. My son's best friend, who is a senior, is what used to be called an "average" student....good behavior, lots of musical talent, okay academics. He has taken all "regular" classes and is ranked 508 out of 580. If you met him, you'd never think "bottom of the class" but he hasn't had any extra points to add to his GPA.</p>

<p>our HS offers ~14 AP's, but students are essentially precluded from taking them until Jr year. As a result, top kids usually graduate with only ~6.</p>

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I do know that if you don't take pre-AP or AP classes to get the boost in points for your GPA, you're going to be left in the dust.

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<p>Not everyone's school weights grades.</p>

<p>Also, many high schools do not rank.</p>

<p>My son's urban public school is a Title 1 school -- not a wealthy population. I believe the school offers around 27 AP courses. The school has magnet programs that attract bright students from around the district and those kids come, in part, for the strong AP program. Some kids take a lot of AP courses. The teachers tend to do some after-school review sessions as the exam get closer which helps the kids to prepare for the tests.</p>

<p>I should add one more thing. A lot of our students go on to the UCs and do get college credit for their AP exams -- so there is a real financial incentive to take the courses and to do well in them.</p>

<p>my school offers 12 AP, 10 IBs, AOF, AOIT, and the whole nine yards. They don't offer all the courses but you can also self-study.</p>

<p>It's not the number of APs your school offers that determines your acceptance in college. I know a young woman who is currently a sophomore at Harvard and whose HS did not offer any APs. The highest math she took was pre-calc, and the highest level of language was Level IV. The colleges look at you in relationship to the courses that your HS offers, and your standing within that, as well as the rigor of the courses that you took. In fact, many HS do not rank and do not calculate GPAs. There is a famous and very fine NYC school that does not even give grades! They know there is a huge variety of course offerings and philosophies among the HS in the country and the world. They can deal.</p>

<p>Some schools offer a lot and others don't. Some schools have 10 periods a day, whereas a school such as mine has 4.(Block schedule). They get an entire profile of your school and some hotshot with 11 APs won't seem superior to someone who has 7 APs at a school with less classes offered and less periods.</p>