<p>hi! i'm a high school junior trying to figure out my senior year schedule. the main question i have is whether or not to take AP French. i'm talking to my school guidance counselor about it soon, but i'm not sure how helpful it's going to be so i was hoping to get some sort of popular opinion on it...</p>
<p>my schedule regardless would be something like this:
AP English
AP European History
AP Psychology
AP Calc (probably AB, though i'm considering BC)
Honors International Relations
*French Accelerated or AP
Chorus</p>
<p>the main things i'm thinking about for this decision:
-is there a big difference between 4 and 5 APs?
-i'm worried about being bored in French 5 Accelerated (down a level) since it'll cover information that i've already done, but i'm worried that taking AP would be too much work on top of everything else...what's worse?</p>
<p>i'd love feedback on either of those two points, and anything else that i should be considering. thanks so much!! :)</p>
<p>Here’s something for you to consider: taking the same language all four years in high school (and the AP in senior year) is a plus in admissions. </p>
<p>And here’s something else: if you think the class will hamper your grades, or your time to commit to other classes/extracurriculars/apps, then don’t take it. One of my friends opted out of AP Spanish for senior year and got accepted into Dartmouth. Another one went for AP Spanish and got into Columbia. It all boils down to how you can handle the course.</p>
<p>The difference between 4 and 5 APs is probably not a huge difference in college admissions, but can be a huge difference in workload. However, I do agree that dedication to one language, culminating in an AP class, looks really good. </p>
<p>Here’s my recommendation. If you decide on AB Calc, take AP French. If you decide on BC Calc, do not take AP French. I’m in BC Calc right now (plus 3 other APs) and I know a lot of people in AB. It’s a huge difference.</p>
<p>thanks; that’s kind of what i was thinking too (if i take BC there’s no way i’m taking AP french). i’m just hoping that the AP won’t be too much of a workload since i’ve heard it’s a huge step up from honors. i’ll probably talk to my french teacher soon about how hard she thinks it’ll be for me…</p>
<p>Talk to past/current students, for both BC and French. That’s probably your best chance to really “understand” how the course really is. Teachers might hold you in a high enough regard to try and sell you their course.</p>
<p>I think the big difference between 4 and 5 APs is whether guidance will describe your workload as “very rigorous” or “most rigorous.” Top colleges tend to want kids with the “most rigorous” courseload. However, if you think it’ll affect your grades, just stay with 4.</p>
<p>I pretty much agree with what’s been said above- Calc AB with French or Calc BC. I just want to point out that if you plan on majoring in math/science, you should probably go for BC. If you want to do international relations, go for French.</p>
<p>Take this from a kid who took/is taking 10+ AP’s - Not worth it.</p>
<p>Although taking AP classes is a very important factor in the college admissions process, there is no need to overdo it. Although teachers may tell you that academic rigor is more important than grades themselves, this often not always the case. My teachers always told us that a B in an AP course was an A in a college’s eyes (not sure if this is the case with you), and unfortunately, I didn’t realize how BS this was until I calculated my GPA senior year. All B’s in all AP courses is still a 3.0 GPA - which will kill you when applying to college as it did me. My advice: Don’t go overboard. Take half AP’s, half fluff/easier classes to help bolster your grades. This way, when applying to college, you’ll have both a decent GPA <em>and</em> several AP’s.</p>
<p>Just like spiritinthenight said, although 1 extra AP class probably won’t make a huge difference in an admissioner’s eyes, you WILL feel the difference in regards to the workload.</p>
<p>Without knowing to which colleges you’re planning to apply it’s difficult to answer your question. For most colleges, excluding the very selective, your proposed schedule is very strong.</p>
<p>For the very selective colleges, the depth of your curriculum in core courses matters a great deal. Also which core courses you take relative to those that are offered distinguishes your schedule from a less rigorous schedule. So first, if you’re in fact planning to apply to very selective colleges, take AP French. It will stand out, both in meeting the recommended 4 years of one foreign language from many of the most selective colleges, and most likely setting the stage for full language placement in college (be sure to take the AP exam!). And second your schedule seems to be missing a lab science course (e.g. physics, chemistry, or biology). Since you’re planning to take AP Calculus, I encourage you to couple that with a lab science course – especially physics if it’s offered. Should you take these two courses you can lighten up your schedule elsewhere, as by dropping the two electives Psych and Int’l Relations. You can defer these to college.</p>
<p>the reaches i’m applying to are swarthmore and pomona (the other one’s i’m pretty sure i could get into with only 4 APs), so do you think a higher workload with a slightly lower grade is worth it?
and i really hate science so i was looking forward to really focusing on social sciences next year; even if i apply as a poly sci or IR major, will the lack of science hurt me?</p>
<p>Schools like Pomona and Swarthmore will have an abundance of applicants who received "A"s in the most rigorous course loads. Neither taking easier classes or getting "B"s is a good option.</p>
<p>well since getting perfect grades in all AP courses isn’t possible for me, i was more wondering what the better alternative was…i understand that you need competitive grades, but i do well in all my classes (i’m at least in the top 10% of my class, top 1% SAT scores, 4.3 GPA); i’m just thinking that 6 honors courses might be too much, and i’m wondering if it would be worth it.</p>
<p>i’m also not sure how much energy in 1st semester senior year goes into college apps…is that a big time commitment? i’m just trying to get an idea of whether or not i’ll have the time to do well in 5 AP classes, especially since i’m used to taking 5 classes (the norm at my school) and next year i’ll be taking 6…</p>
<p>has anyone on here gone up in number of classes? was it a big deal?</p>