I’m debating whether or not I should take APES or AP CS A during my senior year along with my 4 other AP’s, Physics C, Literature, Statistics, and Calculus BC. I’ve already taken AP Chem and AP Bio so I was wonder if I had already learned a portion of what is taught in APES.
You won’t get much out of APES and colleges won’t be impressed.
You have earned to right to take whichever class is more interesting to you, whichever class has the better teacher etc.
Colleges will want to see that you are taking a rigorous course load as offered by your high school. Also, if you earn a 4 or 5 on AP exams, many schools will allow you to use those toward degree credits, so you can potentially save tuition by graduating a little early. Or, you can use those “free” credits to take non-major/non-required classes you may want to explore.
At my son’s school, the senior class has a “May Term” project and unless they are taking AP classes, they have no final exams in any of their 2nd semester classes. So, while a senior might want to arrange to not take any AP classes to avoid year end exams, they still take AP classes so they have a rigorous schedule of classes. My son is a senior and is taking AP Chem, AP Physics and AP Calc BC, along with Honors Economics and a combo History/English class about the history of NYC (they will go on field trips and write 5 papers, etc.)
His counselor warned him that some of the schools on his list (UVa, for example) would hold him not continuing to take Spanish this year and not taking AP Lit, against him and that it would hurt his chances there. That advice caused him to drop UVa from his long list. (He’s applying to Engineering Colleges and has had enough of languages.)
I second what happy1 said: go with the best teacher.
My student took both classes, and our APES teacher was exceptionally good. He enjoyed the class.
AP Computer Science A was so-so. He’d already taught himself programming, so it was a little boring.
Our school had a prerequisite for AP CS-A; I think it was AP Computer Science Principles? Have you taken that? Was it easy for you?