<p>I'd appreciate the opinions of the forumites on D1's 11th grade schedule, which she is generally happy with. APUSH, AP English Lit, AP Chem, AP Calc AB, Ceramics, Peer College Counseling. She takes a foreign language class outside of the school. She is contemplating swapping Peer College Counseling for AP Environmental. Each has its own stresses. PCC has a difficult to get along with supervisor. AP Enviro is yet another AP in an already packed year, though it would be easier than the other APs.</p>
<p>D1 asked if one was better than the other for college admissions purposes. She is not aiming towards tippy-top schools. My feeling is that she should do 4 APs and work on bringing up her grades instead of adding in the additional AP. Our school does not weight GPAs for ranking. D1 already has 3 APs under her belt (World, Euro, Phys B), but will not be eligible for AP National Scholar by the end of her junior year even if she takes the 5th AP. There are no other schedule swaps possible.</p>
<p>My D had Enviro last year and enjoyed it. It was not nearly as challenging or rigorous as other APs she took in the past, but she loves science and policy so it was a good fit for her the way the course was instructed. I note that the 4 APs your D is enrolled in are among what I would consider more rigorous. I would be hesitant to add another one unless it was a subject she was extremely passionate about and that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’d have her stick with the current game plan.</p>
<p>I am not a fan of APs in general. At our school, if you take an AP course then you have to take the exam, another added stress. Even if AP score is not required, colleges think it’s strange when you don’t report it when you have taken the class.</p>
<p>YDS, Peer College Counseling is helping out the counselors in the (resident school, not magnet school) college office. It is, in her words, being a TA in the office. </p>
<p>In my ideal world, D1 would actually be giving advice to confused fellow high school students, distilled from the pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned from CC. She would gratefully listen as I passed on nuggets of information, and would then be able to help the overworked counseling staff at her large, urban high school. Inspirational music would swell over the scene. </p>
<p>'My feeling is that she should do 4 APs and work on bringing up her grades instead of adding in the additional AP."
This is absolutely correct. Overall GPA, especially if it is trending upward despite an increase in the rigor of classes, is a far more important factor in college admissions decisions, than the addition of one more AP class. 4 is plenty for a JR, and her unusual Peer Counseling commitment will set her apart from all the students who pile on the AP classes.</p>