<p>I'm a first-generation high school sophomore who is intending to go to U of M. My school offers AP Economics, AP Psych, AP Chem, AP Calc, AP Bio, AP World and APUSH. I took APUSH as a freshman and am currently taking AP World. I managed to get a B+ in both classes. I am planning on taking the other six AP classes divided in half for the next two years. Do I need to take all these classes to get into U of M? How many would a college enjoy seeing on my application? Can somebody give me an idea? Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>All of them</p>
<p>I would say to take as many of them that interest you. A strong course load is always a plus but I would never recommend taking any AP class just because you feel like you have to take it…you don’t want to waste a year of your life in a class you might hate or not do so well in.</p>
<p>(I do recommend Psych though. It’s interesting and really not very hard at all. Just a lot of memorization.)</p>
<p>I was accepted EA, so I’ll try to give some insight. I took most of the APs offered at my school (which were only available to juniors and seniors), but I received an A in most of them with the exception of physics (B+ 
). For reference, I took 10 out of 17 (it’s impossible to fit all 17 in the 4 years…). I think it’s more important for Mich to see a good GPA (hence, an A in honors vs a B in AP). B+s are fine, but I would try to avoid most of them on the transcript. Hence, if you think you won’t receive higher than a B/B+ in a class, I probably wouldn’t take it.</p>
<p>The number of AP should depend on your ability and the courses your school offered. There is no fixed number or threshold. If your school offers 10 AP classes and you take only 2 AP classes with GPA 4.0, they may think you are not challenging yourself enough. At the end, taking AP classes is not really for college application but for your only good. For UMich, you do want to maintain a good GPA though.</p>
<p>My boy is currently a second semester junior in the COE (Computer Engineering) at Michigan. I don’t know how many APs classess he took in high school but I know he got all 4s-5s on the AP exams. He enrolled at Michigan with enough AP credits such that he only needed to take one 300 Intellectual Breadth course to fulfill his non-scientific course requirements. A little more hard work in high school has made his life in COE at UMICH much easier.</p>
<p>But did he need to pay the higher tuition rate when he was in sophomore due to the number of credits he has.</p>
<p>He sure did – 1st semester sophomore year. AP course waivers don’t save you any money, especially if you are in COE or some of the other hard sciences. Some people may be able to graduate a semester early but in practice it allows you to take more relevant courses to enhance your major.</p>
<p>My D will be on the same boat. We were warned not to claim the unnecessary AP credits as it may just increase the tuition in sophomore year. It is very unlikely to graduate from CoE in less than 4 years anyway. I only know one student did that among 20+ that I knew in the past 15 years. Well, may be two as one just started the master program in the second semester of 4th year already.</p>
<p>Michigan will get your money one way or another</p>
<p>AP credits will also help if you want to do an internship during a semester. D had an internship during one winter semester and she got through her CoE program in 7 semesters</p>
<p>@mom2futeng
Do you mean your D finished CoE in 7 semesters plus one semester designated for internship?
That’s an interesting idea. Did she need to pay for the registration of the semester she did internship? Or she did that after she finished CoE in 3.5 years? My D got a renewable scholarship. I am thinking if she can finish CoE in 3.5 year, will she still get the full amount of the scholarship in the 4th year or just half of it. I guess probably only half of it as it may be dispensed per semester.</p>
<p>AP credits also allow you to register earlier as registration timing is based on credits earned. May or may not be worth it to you. Certainly if you can graduate early, it is worth it.</p>
<p>“If you’re gunning for Michigan, it’s pointless to take more than 4-5. That’s no disrespect to Michigan, it’s just not worth having no life in high school if your goal is Michigan. There are thousands of kids that get into Michigan with 2-5 AP courses. If you’re targeting an Ivy, sure, take the 12 AP courses.”</p>
<p>Horrible advise. Michigan is competitive to be accepted. While its not “Ivy” competitive, you never know if you’ll be accepted. 4.0’s are rejected every year. Carefully balance between achieving near a 4.0 (or over 3.8) and getting the most rigorous coursework you can. GPA and course rigor are the two highest determinants of the overall holistic review. Don’t chance it by cutting back on coursework if you can handle it. </p>
<p>“Horrible advise. Michigan is competitive to be accepted. While its not “Ivy” competitive, you never know if you’ll be accepted. 4.0’s are rejected every year. Carefully balance between achieving near a 4.0 (or over 3.8) and getting the most rigorous coursework you can. GPA and course rigor are the two highest determinants of the overall holistic review. Don’t chance it by cutting back on coursework if you can handle it.”</p>
<p>This needs to be repeated. Absolutely true. At our town’s high school last year, two valedictorians were rejected from UM. They both had 4.0 averages, but had never taken an honors or AP course. The accepted UM kids had slightly lower GPA, but were busting at the seams with honors and AP.</p>
<p>The scatter plots of accepted/rejected students on college websites also show this. </p>
<p>Bluebound- </p>
<p>It’s not silly propaganda. If you have a 4.0 based on only core classes for graduation and electives when honors and AP classes are available, it does not show strength of schedule or academic curiousity. These things are important in a holistic admission process. </p>
<p>This was even stated by admissions counselors at an event at the school last fall. </p>
<p>Disclaimer *I know this poster is a ■■■■■ and I should not respond, but my fear of misinformation compels me to reply. </p>
<p><a href=“University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Admissions and Acceptance Rate - Ann Arbor, MI | Cappex”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/colleges/University-of-Michigan-Ann-Arbor/admissions</a></p>
<p>I am not going to tell you the names of the kids I know that were rejected, but they were. You can also look at the stats on CC that show who got in and who didn’t. </p>
<p>A 4.0 without anything challenging behind it isn’t a golden ticket. It isn’t. Especially in a holistic admission with a competitive environment. </p>
<p>I am not surprised if someone got 4.0 and rejected. There are also students got rejected with 34+ ACT or 2300+ SAT.</p>
<p>I know what you mean, Decorative22. I don’t love UM blindly, but I do love facts and properly informed statements. </p>
<p>I’ve posted this story on this board before. As a senior, I was co-captain of a team at my school. The other co-captain applied to Michigan. He had a 35 ACT, strong ECs, and a 4.0 GPA but no honors/AP classes and mediocre essays. He was rejected. </p>
<p>This was even before Michigan joined the Common App and had its applications spike, so I would imagine they are only more particular about a strong curriculum now. </p>
<p>Course rigor matters just as much as GPA… I’d rather have a 3.8 with a decent amount of APs rather than a 4.0 with a blowoff schedule… and counselors see it this way too.</p>