By the end of 11th grade, I will have taken AP: Calc AB, Calc BC, Chem, Physics Mechanics, and USH. I feel that 5 APs are too small to get to schools like ivies and stanford but my dad wont let me take AP English or WHAP, which I feel isnt fair. Do I still have a shot at top schools with only 5 APs? Please be honest.
That depends on how many APs your high school offers, and what’s the most number of APs possible in a four-year schedule.
How many AP’s are the top students taking at your school? Remember it is not an AP race with whom ever has the most wins. Quality not quantity, but you want to have a rigorous HS schedule in comparison with your fellow students.
@encadyma Tbh, I only took five AP’s sophomore and junior year combined (Calculus AB, BC, Physics C - mechanmics, Lang, Lit). As long as you are taking a challenging courseload, you should be alright.
Just wondering, is there a reason why your dad doesn’t let you take APWH or AP English?
DS and DD were both accepted into Cornell with only 3 APs apiece, but that was all their high school offered. As goldenbear said, it depends on what your school offers; you need to take courses such that your guidance counselor will rate your schedule “Most Demanding.” Perhaps your GC could speak to this better.
My high school offers every single AP. Does that mean that I have to self study 10 of them by myself? Idk if I really want to do that all just for a numerical score…
Will your counselor mark your course selection as the “most demanding” on the counselor recommendation?
Why will your father not let you take AP English?
OP - self-study does nothing for you. The top schools are not looking for scores. They are looking to see if you have challenged yourself within the context of your school’s curriculum. There is no number of APs that will definitely get you into a top school or exclude you from a top school. And admission to these top schools is based on a lot more than how many AP tests you took. These schools are looking for people with true intellectual curiosity and who like to learn for the sake of learning.
There have been several threads on this topic on this website. You can use the search function to find them.
Are you a JR now? or A sophomore?
You can take AP English your Sr year. Or 3-4 AP classes for that matter. 5 AP’s before your SR year is perfectly fine AS LONG AS YOU CAN HANDLE THEM without letting your GPA dip or without becoming a zombie student with no outside activities. I would not , however recommend taking any more than 4 AP classes in one year. period.
This is NOT a race to see who can take the most APs.
All of the Ivy’s have said so.
So I’m reading between the lines here, but in all probability, you are at a competitive high school, probably large public, possibly suburban or one like Lowell in SF or the Bronx HS of science. (Independent school do not tend to have all the AP’s, and many will have honors that are not AP rated, but are just as hard or harder.) So you feel the need to standout. Taking the all the AP’s or taking all the exams doesn’t do it.
But, first of all you do not want your grades to slip OR burn yourself out, so remember that the Ivy’s have their choice of the kids with the 780++ and the 4.8 gpa’s. So once you get past, say the 700 and the 4.0 gpa you have to standout, which does NOT mean 40 clubs. For an idea of what that means look at Cal Newport’s book “How to be a High School Superstar” and his blog.
You should do something really neat and interesting that YOU want to do and preferably it has to be validated, given the college admissions arms race at the top schools, that validation really helps. Lots of HS students are working in labs, etc. these days. So what is an example, one student was a dancer so she sent (after a lot of prompting) a video of her choreography to the performing arts department and the admissions office. Harvard admit. Another kid started a club at school that basically became the host of a regional gaming convention, Stanford admit,
By doing something that you love to do and is interesting, you will enjoy High School more to boot!
Why in the world won’t your father let you take one of the most important AP’s? AP English Language is pretty much expected for any university/LAC ranked in the top 30 (if not top 50). Excellent writing is essential, as is critical reading. (There’s one parent here who explains her son got into an Ivy without AP English !!… one.) Most freshman seminars at these universities start as “post AP” (ie., pretty much assume you took it; some students whose school didn’t offer it may be offered a bridge course over the summer or in the Fall.)
Roughly speaking 8 APs/dual enrollment classes is what top colleges want to see. If you have 5, and add AP English, you only need to find 2 APs you’re interested in and make sense for you. 3 during senior year is sufficient.
However, this won’t get you “in”, and whatabouthat is absolutely correct about what you need to do- read Cal Newport’s book.
I think if you show you Dad this post, you will have more ammunition with which to take AP English. Only taking 5 AP’s may not keep you out of top schools, but not being able to write effectively may.
your DAD should have NO say in what your SR classes are.
that should be up to you and your HS counselor.
DD took 1 AP during junior and 1 AP during senior while her public magnet high school provides 14 APs. DD was accepted to 3 ivies along with acceptance to Williams, U of Chicago, and Wellesley. Healthy number of APs is important, but don’t take more than what you can handle comfortably.
5 aps sounds extreme. At my school the required courses junior year make it so 3 APs is the max you could take. Nevertheless a lot of seniors got into ivies or equal caliber schools. My good friend got into Cornell with only one AP junior year. So, no, 5 APs are not required. Not to mention Ivy League acceptance is a crapshoot and your odds will not be changed with 3 or 5 APs. My personal advice is don’t take 5 APs unless you are really interested in the class, take classes you enjoy.
I had a GIEP meeting with my guidance counselor and she kept stressing that I do not need to take 5 APs junior year and that I should “paint a picture” of who I want to show colleges who I am. It sounded like a load of BS as I’ve never heard of anyone who has taken only 3 APs and gotten into an Ivy League.
This year I took AP Calc AB and APUSH and the three APs that I was planning for junior year were AP Calc BC, Ap Physics, and AP Chem. Should I throw in AP English and WHAP?
The issue may not be the number of AP courses/tests (and calculus BC supercedes AB, so those really should count as just one). The issue may be that the OP is not showing a well rounded base of high academic achievement in all of the usual high school academic areas by avoiding AP English when offered by the high school. At the most selective colleges, that may be noticed in an unfavorable way.
Of course, the most selective colleges also often to want to see a “spike” of exceptional achievement in some academic or extracurricular area. But the “spike” needs to be on top of a well rounded base of high academic achievement in all of the usual high school academic areas.
Having a lot of AP classes *might help you in the admissions process, but it won’t make or break you.
yes, that’s excellent. I took 4 and at my school in junior year and that was considered more than enough
Your odds will not be changed by 3 vs. 5 AP’s, and in fact 5 may diminish those odds because you’ll have less time to devote to each of them. What matters is doing well in them AND having enough time out of school to show what you’re capable of out of the classroom.
Is AP Physics = 1 or =C?
I would say junior year should have AP Cacl BC, one of either AP Physics OR AP Chem, and AP English Language.