<p>Hi, thanks for your help in advanced. I am a rising junior in a Canadian high school, and in our school board, most schools offer pre AP courses in grade 11 then actual AP courses in grade 12. I'd like to try to get into an Ivy league school, but I'm reading everywhere that at least 6 AP courses are recommended.
The problem is I really can't take more than one AP during junior year because the only course that lines up in the way where I can take the pre AP first semester, then grade 12 AP second semester is English, and all other subjects either have the grade 12 AP course first semester (won't be able to take the prerequisite first) or the prerequisite grade 11 course is in semester 2.
At best, I'd be able to take 2 AP sciences, 2 AP math, and AP economics. That would be 1 AP exam before applications, and 5 (at the very most, and only if the schedule fits. and they are definitely not all taking place before applications)
Will this really hurt my chances? I have heard that universities take into account limitations due to what your school offers, but I don't know how accurate that is or if it even applies to the Ivy schools.
Also, aside from my grade 10 English mark, I have gotten an A in everything, so would it be wise to retake it (remedial summer class) since I've heard American schools are heavy on GPAs?
And should I be taking AP prep classes outside of class? They cost a lot and they don't seem to be worth it to me, what do you think?
Any help would be highly appreciated, thanks!</p>
<p>First of all, you don’t need to take a remedial class just because you didn’t get an A originally. Almost-straight A’s is nothing to be ashamed of, even at the US’s most competitive colleges.</p>
<p>Second of all, I’m in much the same boat as you. My school offers a lot of APs (like 15-20), but it is difficult to take more than two, three, or MAYBE four before senior year because of all the prerequisites and other miscellaneous requirements (like the only way to get into AP Calc before senior year is to get above a certain score on a test that’s administered in 7th grade - you just get one shot). Because of this, I was worried that I would be considered lazy or unintelligent because I’ve taken only a small fraction of the APs my school offers. From what I’ve heard, the guidance counselor may mention the situation in his/her recommendation letter - but you have a better shot at him/her mentioning this if you actually tell him/her to. At my high school, the seniors fill out a questionnaire for their guidance counselors, in which they can mention any issues they’re concerned about or things that they want considered for placement on their recommendation letters. I’m going to ask my counselor to mention that I’ve tried to take the hardest classes possible (at my school, honors classes are almost as hard, sometimes as hard, as APs) but that, due to the curriculum’s structure, I haven’t been able to take a lot of APs. I’m not sure how the counselor system works in Canada (in fact, I don’t know if you even have them there), but it’s worth checking out.</p>
<p>I see. How are you doing with extra curriculars and leadership opportunities?</p>