As a junior, I plan to do AP Chemistry, AP Lang, AP Music Theory, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP US History, and AP Latin. Is this too much? (I would say I’m pretty smart, and I plan to go to Ivy League.)
Probably. Why not wait to take AP stats and/or AP music theory sentior year?
It’s not an arms race to see who can take the most APs. I know students admitted to Harvard and other ivies who took 4 years of Band and the like with “only” 6-8 AP/IB classes.
Make sure you are doing more than academic classes to show your depth and breadth in other areas.
A serious burnout seems a real possibility. My D, in a super selective HS, sees it all the time.
Check with your G.C. to see how many APs the other students from your school (who were accepted to Ivy league schools) have taken. Ultimately, you should take the number you can handle while still maintaining a manageable amount of stress, high grades and meaningful participation in your ECs. Ask the other students who have already taken the classes in your school what the workload is like; AP busywork varies widely from school to school, or even teacher to teacher. Often it’s not the difficulty of the material, but the ability to complete the homework each night and still have time for your ECs. Ivies want to see a well-rounded student; after 7-10, it’s clear you can handle the material, so they will want to know what other meaningful experiences/accomplishments you can offer.
You mean that you plan to apply to an Ivy League. Whether you get accepted is entirely out of your control.
And yes, 7 APs is overkill. Particularly for a student that cannot do a google search to find out what Subject Tests are offered:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/2165181-what-are-sat-subject-tests.html#latest
I took 7 APs in junior year (APUSH, APLang, APPhys E&M, APPhys Mech, APCalc BC, APEnviron, and APChem) and while I got A’s and 5’s on them by some otherworldly miracle, there was a definite cost to my health. I think I burned out and had to take three days off of school at least once a month because I was sick. It’s not work it.
Do something valuable like research instead, or at least just take the APs relevant to your major. Your list is a mash-up of a lot of different things.
Does your school have another math class for your senior year? If not, I’d hold off on either BC or Stats - that’s what my D will do to stay at 6 Junior year.
Whether it’s too much is completely student-dependent. It’s certainly on the extreme end, but tippy top students like pushing themselves. How rigorous has your schedule been? You should be in at least 3-4 AP/dual enrollment classes this year, and performing very well in them, to have this as a reasonable plan.
Are you taking AP Music Theory do it having an interest in it or because it is an AP Class. If your only taking it since it is an AP class why not take an honors art/music class or even something like honors accounting? Sometimes it is the different classes that help set you apart. Also some colleges may feel you are playing the AP game unless you have shown a true interest in music already.
You also have to look at the trade off. Sure having 7 APs make you seem like a competitive candidate, but that’s not all that colleges value! There’s also extracurriculars, volunteer work, and other activities.
Ivies especially want an all-rounded student. Ask yourself if you would be able to balance those activities on top of your 7 APs. If not, you might need to make some schedule changes.