How good is it to get National AP Scholar after *sophomore* year?

<p>How good is it to get National AP Scholar after 10th grade/sophomore year in high school? I know most people get it after junior year...but how bouts right after teh sophomore year?</p>

<p>Most of the AP awards only tell how many tests you took, and an idea of the scores. Of course, they can look at your application and see that (if you list it). What is even more important is what you took. If it looks like you padded it with the easy ones just to get your numbers up then not so impressive. Besides, are you going to point it out on your application that you got it after sophomore year? because it might get missed otherwise.</p>

<p>I know 2 kids. By the end of junior year, kid #1 had 7 APs, all were 5s, and included some of the toughest ones. Kid #2 had 9 APs, One score of 3, one score of 4 and the rest were 5s. A National AP scholar! But, in that list of APs was not nearly as hard as kid #1. Both are impressive, but I think kid #1 was more so, despite the lack of awards.</p>

<p>Of course taking AP classes is always a good idea! But, in answer to your question - not so much. Of course, depending on your state, you might make State Scholar.</p>

<p>Very few kids make National AP Scholar ever. Only 800 per year or so make it as juniors. I’d have to look at the reports to say for sure, but I’d guess that no more than five or ten students per year achieve this award as sophomores.</p>

<p>How good is it?</p>

<p>I can’t really say, but it is indicative of uncommon rigor and mastery at an early age. I think it is very impressive.</p>

<p>Making any of the AP scholar designations is highly dependent on the school. Many schools don’t even offer APs to sophomores, so I personally don’t think colleges use these awards for much of anything when it comes to admissions. What they’ll look for is rigor of coursework–which it sounds like you have. Keep it up.</p>

<p>Ty guys y’all flattuh meh</p>

<p>@anotherparent How is this list of AP’s? Easy padding? Or challenging somewhat?</p>

<p>AP Human Geography
AP World History
AP Environmental Science
AP Psychology
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP Comparative Government
AP Chinese Language and Culture</p>

<p>My major in college is gonna be something Econ or Finance related, mainly Macroeconomics and how the psychology of people affect funding of government and other biz institutions</p>

<p>My son took 13 AP’s. He said the hardest were AP Physics, AP Chemistry, and AP Art History. That being said, all the AP tests are difficult and good for you to be taking such a challenging course load. Passing 8 AP exams with scores high enough to be a National AP Scholar, no matter when it is done, is something in which to be proud.</p>

<p>I’d say those are a little light as far as AP rigor goes; no calculus, chem, bio, or physics. But to me that doesn’t diminish the achievement in the least.</p>

<p>As someone noted above, this would put you on track to be a State AP Scholar which, while too late for college apps, is the most impressive AP award.</p>

<p>Not bad, three are pretty easy - Geo, psych and Comp Govt. Chinese is padding if you speak it at home. Add some sciences and math. I assume you are planning to do more in your junior/senior year? If not then it really backfires on you, because it looks like you are slacking. </p>

<p>If you are majoring in econ/finance then definitely add Calc and Stat. Stat is considered a fairly easy one.</p>

<p>Of course, easy is relative. My son (kid #1 in the example) took three APs in his sophomore year - Calc BC and Physics C (both). Now many would consider them among the hardest, but he took them because, for him, they would be the easiest.</p>

<p>Is it really possible to say that people who don’t take math or science APs are lacking in rigor. I mean that is completely subjective. After all they may find those the easiest while you find it challenging. It depends on the individual as he/she may find a subject easy which you find hard, while you may find a subject easy and that individual might find it hard. Look at it this way, some people consider physics to be the hardest science, while others find it to be easy (some find it to be the easiest science. Neither of those groups of people would be wrong as they are opinions. Just like how when it comes to literature some people may find it hard, and think of it as a challenge to write poems, stories and what not while to others things like that come naturally. I think in comparing rigor you would have to do it with say, Regular French and AP French, not between AP French and AP Spanish. What I’m trying to say is you can’t really compare two toyally different subjects like AP Psychology and AP Chemistry because the areas taught and tested on are completely different. As the old saying goes, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.</p>

<p>As for when you take APs (and receive the title), I don’t think it matters when you take it. Shouldn’t someone who became an AP Scholar Junior year celebrate just as much as someone who became an AP scholar in his/her freshman year? After all, it is the same material that they are being taught and tested on, so they both deserve the same recognition.</p>

<p>Those ones are generally thought of as <em>harder</em> though, especially compared to AP tests such as Environmental Science, Psychology, and to a lesser extent Human Geography and Comparative Government.
That list is still very impressive, especially considering you’re a sophomore. Getting State AP Scholar junior year, in time for college apps, would be incredibly beneficial yo your app if you catch my drift ;)</p>