<p>I am deciding which classes to take 11th grade, and I know it is important to choose a class schedule that is challenging but that is possible to do well in. </p>
<p>I also know that colleges look at the amount of APs each high school offers, which at my school is 25ish. I was wondering if there is an ideal number of APs that most Harvard applicants have. Not an exact number of course, but the average for 11th and 12th. </p>
<p>I am a competitive applicant who has taken the hardest class schedule each year thus far, including 2 APs 10th when all of the 10th take 0. </p>
<p>Here is my current schedule for 11th:
- AP Calculus AB
- AP English Language
- Honors Biology
- Honors Spanish 4
- Honors Orchestra 3
- Regular US History / AP US History </p>
<p>I was wondering what I should choose between regular USH and APUSH. At my school APUSH is the notoriously hardest class possible to take, with the average for each DBQ at like a C- and the average grade in the class (which is only extremely smart history students) is a B. </p>
<p>I'm wondering, should I take the risk of APUSH (I like all subjects, including history) or should I stick with a safer class load of 2 APs and 3 Honors, instead of the more competitive 3 APs and 3 Honors, so I can maintain a high weighted GPA likely? </p>
<p>TL;DR: Deciding whether or not to take APUSH if have the schedule above. It's a hard class and want to keep a strong weighted GPA since will be applying to Harvard and other top schools. :) </p>
<p>There is no “ideal” number of AP’s to get into Harvard, as all high schools are different. You need to look in context of your school what other top students have as a schedule. Ask your guidance counselor if your proposed schedule would be checked as “most rigorous” on the secondary school report.</p>
<p>Don’t take an AP class if you can’t get at least a B. An honors class with an A is better than an AP class with a C. That said, Harvard is not really looking for applicants to play it safe.</p>
<p>In terms of how many APs you should take, find out how many the best students at your school typically take. Then meet or exceed that number.</p>
<p>Your other question is whether you should take a weaker course load to maximize your GPA. That isn’t what either of my sons did, both of whom were accepted to Harvard. Rather, they took more AP classes than anyone else in the school, and they took the hardest AP classes offered. My younger son actually exceeded the number of APs allowed by the school’s academic rules. They also went beyond the top of the school’s curriculum in some subjects. They didn’t get an A in every AP class, but my older son got all 5s on the AP exams, and my younger son nearly so.</p>
<p>At least for my sons, Harvard preferred all-out effort to perfect grades.</p>
<p>Thank you so much @notjoe for the feedback. If I truly enjoy learning about history, especially US history, then I should just take APUSH, correct? :)</p>
<p>And thank you @skieurope for the info, I will be sure to ask my guidance counselor if my schedule for the next years will be checked as the most rigorous possible. </p>
<p>“If I truly enjoy learning about history, especially US history, then I should just take APUSH, correct?”</p>
<p>That’s entirely your call. I only related my sons’ experiences. They didn’t get in by modulating the difficulty of their academic load in order to get higher grades. But neither did they receive any grade in any course lower than a B, and only a few of those.</p>
<p>Many high schools across the country have eliminated AP classes, yet students from those schools are admitted every year to Harvard. There is no set number of AP’s that will gain you admission to Harvard. What matters is that you take the most demanding course load your high school offers. At some high schools that could mean lots of honor classes with no AP’s (because the school doesn’t offer them), at other high schools it could be 5 AP’s (because that’s the most that is allowed), and at other high schools it could be 10+ (because that’s what the top 1% of students are taking). </p>
<p>I recommend having at least 4 AP’s of which 1 from each subject area (math, science, english, SS)
Many tutors are recommending APUSH for those that will be taking the 2016 version SAT for which I agree. Many schools split USHistory into 2 parts. USHistory 1 which covers up to year 1890 or so. APUSH class covers from 1890 to 2000. However, the AP test is of the combined courses. Those who don’t take APUSH take USHistory 2.
Did you take USHistory 1 in 10th grade?</p>
<p>^^^ If an applicant scores a 5 on their AP Foreign Language exam, they are exempt from taking a foreign language at Harvard. That’s NOT true for any other AP course at Harvard, unless the student opts for “Advanced Standing” (graduating in 3 years instead of 4).</p>
<p>So, IMHO, the OP should take AP Spanish, as that course would allow them to meet Harvard’s graduation requirements and, should they be admitted, give them more room in their schedule for electives. See: <a href=“Office of Undergraduate Education”>Office of Undergraduate Education;
<p>There is no set number, but if you are offered 25 and you are taking 3, they will see the you did not take the most demanding schedule possible, which will look bad.</p>
<p>A friend’s (unhooked but incredible) kid will be starting at H this fall; took exactly 3 APs even though the high school offered many more. Selective schools look at the X factors of the applicants and not just stats.</p>
<p>@TomsRiverParent I took Modern World History this year, but my school’s APUSH class covers all of the time periods you mentioned in one year, it’s not split up. </p>
<p>@gibby I agree. So what you’re saying is that if a school like mine offers 25ish AP classes, and the top kids in 11th grade take about 3-4 APs, then I should take 3 to be competitive, yes?</p>
<p>Talk to your guidance counselor because your GC must rate the rigor of your course load as compared to all other college bound students in your high school. To be a competitive applicant you need a “Most Demanding” rating AND you need to do well in whatever courses you take. If your GC will give you a “Most Demanding” rating with 3 AP’s, then take 3. If your GC will only give a “Most Demanding” rating to students with 4 or more AP’s, then you should consider taking more if you think you can handle the work. See Secondary School Report (SSR), top of page 2, especially the upper right hand side of the page: <a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/documents/UG_Admissions_SecondarySchoolReport.pdf”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/documents/UG_Admissions_SecondarySchoolReport.pdf</a></p>
<p>I would put things this way: If you are the kind of person whom Harvard might accept, your curriculum will be challenging, rigorous, and thoughtfully assembled. And the thoughts with which it is assembled will not include the thought “this will be an easy A to boost my GPA/class rank.”</p>
<p>APs are one tool for constructing a challenging, rigorous curriculum, but not the only one.</p>
<p>@texaspg Yes, at my school 1-2 get in consistently every year. Last year, the one that matriculated to Harvard (the other went to Stanford) took 2 AP classes junior year. This year, one who got into Harvard took a lot of AP classes, about 3 11th and 3 - 4 12th. So it truly varies based on other factors in the applicant’s profile, I suppose. But it’s always around the same number, of 3ish junior year and 4ish senior year. I personally have also taken 2 AP classes sophomore year, which helps me as well. </p>
<p>texaspg,
Ivy admits student profiles. Generally speaking for 25-75th percentile: Top 10% of class, 3.9+ gpa unweighted, 2100-2400 on SAT. Probably 5 AP courses on average.<br>
Harvard, 25% of incoming class is 2380+ on SAT.</p>
<p>skieurope, So, what is your point.
What does that have to do with 75th percentile of how all schools report?
It is typical to add the scores for 25th percentile and 75th percentile.
are you really going to quibble whether the 75th percentile was a 2380 or a 2350? smh</p>