I am a rising Sophomore and attend a small school in a rural area, and am curious as to how many AP courses I should take next year. As of right now, I plan on taking AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP English Language and Composition, and AP U.S. History, in addition to Latin I through the Apex Learning program, and P.E. I have heard that these are some of the most challenging AP courses, and have some of the most challenging AP exams. Here is a little of my background information. I have taken the ACT four times, twice as an 8th grader, and twice as a Freshman. My scores compositely increased as so: 24, 27, 28, 31. With my current score of 31, my sub-scores are as follows: Math: 35, English: 33, Reading: 28, Science: 29. I am about to finish an AP Calculus AB course that I have taken over my summer vacation, and I have steadily maintained an A. I have always been skilled in math, and above all out of the four AP’s I plan on taking, I feel most prepared for the AP Calculus BC. With the AP U.S. History, I had always preferred History to other subject areas up to my Freshman year, but now I prefer Math after learning more of it through intensive studies in Algebra and Pre-Calculus. I already have a good hold on U.S. History, as I took an ordinary, though quite rigorous U.S. History class my Freshman year. At my school, all 8th graders take Biology, and if they pass the EOC for the course, they get high school credit. I passed the EOC as an 8th grader, and then took Advanced Biology my Freshman year, which was more focused on the six kingdoms of life and was very in-depth. I always maintained an A in these courses, the highest in these classes to that extent, but Biology is not my focus. With the AP English Language, I have always been commended for having excellent writing skills and superb vocabulary usage. At the end of my 8th grade year, as most schools probably do, my class took an EOC in On-Demand Writing. I received a perfect score on this section, which is of course in the first percentile in my state. This is my rational for taking these courses. Each one will be online, through a nationally recognized program known as BAVEL. I work much better online than in an actual classroom setting, which I believe will aid me in my endeavors with these courses. I want to attend an Ivy League college when I graduate high school, preferably Harvard. With Harvard University, I believe that you are only awarded recognition of your AP scores if you score a 5, which, with four AP exams, will probably be very difficult. But, I have every intention of scoring a 5 on each of these exams. So, has anyone else ever been in such a predicament? Should I take on these four AP courses, or lessen my load to maybe two or three?
You and your GC know your abilities the best. Those subjects are atypical for a sophomore, but you seem to have the background. You are correct in your assumption that these 4 are among the most challenging AP courses, and depending on how the course is set-up, can be very time-consuming. It is not common for a sophomore to take 4 AP classes, but it does happen.
You are correct that Harvard only accepts scores of 5 (which is not dissimilar from most top private universities), but it only matters if the student accepts advanced standing, which few do. However, you’re getting ahead of yourself; at this point, you have no idea which college will accept you, so your focus needs to be on maximizing you GPA and test scores.
FWIW, AP English Language will be very helpful when it comes to writing college essays, and of course, it will also be a valuable life skill. In advance of you taking the class, I will give you some advice: paragraphs are your friend. 
You seem like a hard worker. I say you should go along with it. AP Biology and APUSH are both time consuming classes, but I think with the preparation you’ve already gained, your confidence in mathematics, and the fact that AP English Language won’t be too hard with your already exceptional writing skills, it will balance out. Just try reviewing some concepts you’ve already learned so as not to become a victim of “summer brain drain.” That will give you somewhat of a head start. Of course, if you end up feeling in over your head, you can always talk to your counselor about dropping a course in the first few weeks if that’s something your school permits. Just give it a shot. Good luck!
Thank you guys for the advice!
@skieurope Just to let you know, my GPA for my Freshman year was a 4.05, as I took College Algebra and College Pre-Calculus online, which upped my GPA from an already 4.0.
You definitely seem to have the skills and intelligence to take these classes. If the online program that you are taking the classes from is good, you should be fine on the AP exams. I know that at my school, the online classes are an absolute joke, and my school is pretty highly ranked.
Really? I believe the program I plan on taking these courses from is very good, but I have no prior experience with it, so I really don’t know.
It sounds like this will be fine because it’s all well thought out, but just in case, ask whether you’ll be allowed to “drop down” in one of these, under what conditions and by which deadline - most likely candidate is AP English Language to Honors English, taking AP English Language the following year.
Are you planning to have a heavily dual-enrollment schedule junior and senior year?
If you’re aiming for top 25 universities/LACs, be aware that your ECs and especially national distinction in one (or research in a nearby university) will make the difference between first cut and potential admission.
Remember to think about safeties first (visit your flagship’s honors college, for instance).
I plan on taking the same amount, if not more than the number of AP’s I take my Sophomore year, as I do my Junior and Senior year. With the dropping of the courses, each one is approximately $500, and my school has agreed to pay for each one of my AP courses. However, if I drop out of one, I will be responsible for paying for the course. This is why I am giving a lot of thought as to whether or not I can handle the AP load I am taking on, as my family is not of the affluent part of society. Up to this point, I have shown distinction in my standardized test scores. However, I am now entering my second year of high school, so this is the time when my scores will really count. Another thing I neglected to mention in my first post, is as to whether or not top-notch colleges will consider your location in the admissions process? For example, would Columbia University prioritize a student with a 31 on the ACT from Eastern Kentucky, or a 34 from a student who attended a preparation school in New York?
You’ll probably be fine. The online classes at my school are mostly designed for people who need more credits because they failed classes. I have heard that the AP classes are much easier online through the program my school uses vs. taking them in school. It is called Indiana Online Academy btw
@iubaccounting Thank you for the advice/information!
Ok. I don’t think you should go too buckwild with the APs. If you want to, then sure. One of my friends got into MIT this year and he only took 3 AP classes (AP Calc BC, AP Chinese, AP Chem) freshman through junior and 4 AP tests (all of the above and APLAC). He got a 4 in APLAC and then the rest 5s. If you aren’t good at Chinese, Math, or CS, then our school doesn’t offer that many weighted classes for underclassmen. Just do whatever you think you can handle. Don’t do things just for colleges. My friend was top 20 for USNCO, and he had his own lab and everything. It comes to show that AP Classes aren’t everything. You are not special because you take a lot of APs; to top schools, they are a penny a dozen. Find what makes you happy, and then excel in it.
@michelle426 As I mentioned in my first post, I have a reason to take every one of these AP courses, whether it be because it is my favorite subject, or it is an area I excel. I have always been well-rounded, and I intend to stay that way by taking a variety of difficult courses. I appreciate your input and advice!