<p>Study</a> hints AP classes overrated - The Boston Globe</p>
<p>Overachieving</a> Students Hear a New Message: Lighten Up - washingtonpost.com</p>
<p>The fallacy of, "take as many APs as you can "...
what are your thoughts???</p>
<p>Sure, it's fine to take APs, but only the ones you want to take, not take all of them for the sake of college admissions....</p>
<p>"carpe diem"</p>
<p>enjoy your teenage years...
-Peace! =)</p>
<p>[NYT:</a> High School Drops Its A.P. Courses, And Colleges Don’t Seem to Mind](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/nyregion/high-school-drops-its-ap-courses-and-colleges-don-t-seem-to-mind.html]NYT:”>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/nyregion/high-school-drops-its-ap-courses-and-colleges-don-t-seem-to-mind.html)</p>
<p>It’s been a while for me, but the AP courses I took in high school in the 80’s (US History, and Biology) were a joke.</p>
<p>DD’s school only offers AP’s in art, languages, math, and science, and has rigged the schedule so that you can’t really take more than four, or more than two in any one year. But at least the ones they have seem pretty rigorous.</p>
<p>I don’t lose a lot of sleep about it either way, but if I was an adcom faced with a kid who had really loaded up on AP’s, I think I’d wonder how much of a challenge they honestly were.</p>
<p>A colleague once told me his son was not admitted to Notre Dame because he hadn’t taken enough APs.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Selective colleges (like Notre Dame) look to see that you’ve taken the most challenging curriculum that YOUR school offers (if your school only offers 2 AP classes, then that’s all you have to take). When you HS transcript is sent, a school profile is sent, too. The profile lists all the classes your school offers.</p>
<p>Son’s friend was turned down by Georgetown because he chose the easy route - took Statistics his senior year instead of AP Cal.</p>
<p>However, I don’t think selective colleges really care if you don’t take the AP Lite courses. </p>
<p>I think they like to see that you’ve taken your school’s AP Bio, Chem, Physics…AP Cal…AP English (both)…AP US history, Euro, World, etc. AP foreign language</p>
<p>if your school’s scheduling precluded you from taking particular AP classes (such as only offering AP Chem and AP Physics at the same time), you need to have your counselor make a note of that.</p>
<p>Duel enrollment is the best way to go imo.</p>
<p>Yes, I think it’s very important for the high school’s counselor to check the “most demanding possible” box if supplemental applications ask about an applicant’s course load.</p>
<p>Gordon_Gekko: I agree. Dual enrollment is even more impressive.</p>
<p>I didn’t take any AP or college classes whilst in HS, and I still got into 9 out of 11 schools when I applied.</p>
<p>Umm… I REALLY don’t know how to ask this w/o sounding arrogant -if there’s a smiley for “humbly” it should go here- but I would like to know the answer, so I’ll ask: Were the 11 schools “Selective Colleges”? If so, did you have incredible stats, or other impressive accomplishments?</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Schools that use EZ “formula admissions” don’t care if you didn’t take AP classes. Their admission standards are something like this…
If you took the minimum required college prep courses, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and your SAT is at least XXXX (or ACT similar), then you’re accepted.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>How would he know this is precisely the reason he did not get into Georgetown?
Did it say so in the rejection letter? 
</p>
<p>In fact, Georgetown must have accepted quite a few students who never took a Calculus class at all (AP or otherwise) in high school. Otherwise, why would they be offering 13 sections of Calculus I this fall, in addition to 2 sections of Pre-Calculus and only 3 sections of Calculus II?</p>
<p>They weren’t highly selective colleges, no, but they weren’t ones that are looked down on either. And I had terrible stats…sub 3.0uw GPA, and 23 ACT composite. I did however have many ECs, including leadership, and a part time job on top of school.</p>
<p>The answer is proportionate to the level of college to which you’re applying AND what you want to get out of your education.</p>
<p>Large, decent, in-state college probably doesn’t care much, and you’ll get a good education at a value rate. But maybe not a scholarship! You can choose to just get by and be VERY happy. Many are. You can take easier classes in high school and college, and supplement them with the arts or athletics, etc. You can have less homework and more time to volunteer or contemplate your navel (some of you are going to be way to young to know what that means…I’m a child of the 60s).</p>
<p>I’d call the above route the “middle road”, and it’s a PERFECTLY fine road to travel. </p>
<p>Then there is the “whatever road” (we won’t talk about the kids who don’t do a thing and get kicked out of school, etc.).</p>
<p>Then there is the … “highway”. SOME kids are driven to pursue the topmost in their lives/career, etc. THOSE kids need challenge AND want to know they’re doing the most they can. They want a CAREER, a profession. They want money and accolades. They want a well “respected” college name. To get onto that elite highway, there are some tolls to be paid. This kid still goes to parties and movies…but they don’t always have to FIND something fun to do EVERY Friday night. ON rare occasion they’ve even been known to cram for a Saturday SAT II or Monday AP exam. They DO read the prep books. They do agonize when they don’t get an A. It’s NOT for everyone. We each have different goals, and handle stress differently. Neither is a BETTER choice overall…only BETTER for each individual. For those kids…who want “it all”…they have to work for it. AP classes are only one thing on that list of “must haves”. If Harvard, for example, gets 30,000 applications…a HUGE number of them are competitive in ALL AREAS. That’s the nature of the beast today. Some kids are willing to continually “up the ante” - do MORE than the next kid - to achieve their goals. And it’s necessary because MANY are doing that. </p>
<p>So…are APs necessary? Not for our local technical school with associates degrees. And not even for our state university (unless you want scholarships!). But, for the top level, yes. One SHOULD have to WORK more to achieve the most. I’d LOVE to live a life where I get up at 8 and have siestas and weekends where I don’t work, etc. BUT…instead…I have to pay for today’s college tuition! Seems so many these days want “it all” without paying for it (free education, no AP classes for me please, etc.).</p>
<p>So these kids bump up their effort…to reach whatever is THEIR next level of achievement, so they can grab the NEXT level on the bar. And that’s what they’re for. One more way to separate the wheat from the chaff, men from boys, etc.</p>
<p>You CAN “enjoy your teenage years” and still work hard and be successful. Most of the kids you know who take many many AP courses ARE that type of overachiever. They are able to work hard, relax, enjoy, have it all…and feel proud of what all they could fit into a day. Because TIME is really all we have on this earth…and very little of it. You can spend it doing whatever you want. Some work, some play. And everyone has to decide what is the cutoff for each, in their own life. You get the result that is equal to your effort. No one says you have to take them. </p>
<p>Did you all know some kids actually get PAID (by the communitey, or school corp, or…?). Yep. $100 per test.</p>
<p>^^^^ Nice post</p>
<p>R124687 - I agree that the route I took was pretty middle of the road. At my HS, it’s expected that about 1/5 of the class will go to an Ivy League school. Kids who are going to do that take many APs. I have a friend who is a senior this year and is taking 5! I just took honors level classes, except math which I took at the regents level. I didn’t really challenge myself, and honestly, I didn’t really try either. If I had, then I would’ve had more like a 3.5uw GPA. I was the type of kid who hated HS but I knew that I had to get through it so that I could go to college. I really only did what I had to do so my parents wouldn’t yell at me.</p>
<p>my quote…</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>In fact, Georgetown must have accepted quite a few students who never took a Calculus class at all (AP or otherwise) in high school. Otherwise, why would they be offering 13 sections of Calculus I this fall, in addition to 2 sections of Pre-Calculus and only 3 sections of Calculus II?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<</p>
<p>His family had an inside connection with Georgetown’s admin office. He had applied ED, but was then carried over to RA, but then ultimately rejected.</p>
<p>Just because Georgetown offers those classes, doesn’t mean anything. If a person went to a high school from a poor or rural town, his school may not even offer calculus or AP cal. No college penalizes a student if their school didn’t offer a class.</p>
<p>Taking Cal I in high school does not allow you to skip Cal I in college. Also, some kids take AP Cal in HS, but they don’t pass the AP test, so they have to take Cal I in college.</p>
<p>Also, math placement scores can affect some placement into math classes. My friend’s child did a gap year . Even though she had taken high school Calculus, her placement scores put her back into Pre-cal for college. </p>
<p>Therefore, Georgetown’s course offerings don’t really reveal anything.</p>
<p>It appears to me that colleges want you to do AP/CL classes as a proof point that you can perform at that level and load. But when it comes to giving college credit for it, they tend to balk e.g. Stanford.</p>
<p>Perhaps you didn’t learn it the right way. Now forget what you learned in school do it here the right way from our profs.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>That…or more likely…we need for you to take that class again so that we can keep all of our profs employed.</p>
<p>Ummm… My S had an A in AP Physics, but he doesn’t find his Physics course at Williams easy at all. Maybe there IS a difference in the quality of the course?</p>
<p>^^^^ Well o.k., I hardly know all the facts about Georgetown admissions. Even 13 Calculus I sections (depending on size) may represent only a minority of the entering class. Maybe the other freshmen all took AP Calculus and placed out.</p>
<p>Still, I’m a little skeptical that GU would reject a student just for taking Stat instead of AP Calculus. More likely, I think, it must have been part of a bigger pattern. Though I accept the larger point that the most selective colleges like to admit kids who have taken the most challenging classes available.</p>