<p>~reality is, in 8th grade i had a 94 average and a 95 was needed to go onto the honors track.. i wasn't extremely passionate for academics back then so I didn't really try to do it and get into honors, i just accepted it. Therefore, i remained in regular english in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. Next year, senior year, I will be pushing myself to do AP Lit. All my other classes are the highest possible and I'm in the top 10% of my class with a good GPA. </p>
<p>~My question is, since I will not have the "most difficult course load" checked off by my guidance concealer, will this look disastrous? Will penn look at my app and immediately receive a bad impression? I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid.</p>
<p>~oh and one more thing.. I was thinking of getting one of my teacher recs from my 11th grade regular english teacher who ADORES me.. and will write the most amazing rec possible. is this a good idea? or should i ask a teacher who teaches one of my AP classes? (i will ask my math teacher as the second recommender)</p>
<p>For teacher recommendations, you should ask whoever you feel comfortable with. You shouldn't ask your AP teacher if you feel as though your academic english teacher would write a better rec. </p>
<p>If you took one regular class for 3 years and switched to AP, I don't see how that could dramatically impact your application. I don't think you should worry so much.</p>
<p>This is actually a tough, serious question. I know of students who have been accepted to Penn without the "most challenging" (or whatever) box checked, but there has to be some strong other factor present (which often is athletics, or URM status, or very high achievement in one particular field). At the very least, I think it's something that ought to be addressed head on in the application, and one would hope also by the GC (explaining why he's not checking that box, and why it shouldn't matter).</p>
<p>ill still have "very challenging courseload" but idk.. im not a urm, or a recruited athelte or anything....</p>
<p>i still have a good gpa and high in my class (top 10% somewhere), have pretty strong EC's, and my essays will be good and i am probably going to attend the precollege this summer before senior year! do you still think penn is reasonable.. also im still to hear back my SAT scores, but im shooting for the 2200 range.. soo do you think i have a good chance or no its not worth even trying?.... i really like pennnnnnnn</p>
<p>That's just ridiculous. Isn't the point of AP classes to enrich your knowledge in a subject you WANT to enrich it in? You shouldn't just take AP classes to embellish your transcript with. </p>
<p>That said, if you've taken honors/AP classes in subjects you want to pursue, that's all that matters. I've taken every AP science available to me, because I want to pursue science. On the other hand, I've never taken an advanced history class, because I have no legitimate interest in the subject.</p>
<p>^^ What he says is true. If you are interested in engineering, you would naturally be interested in and take more AP Science/Math classes. If you wanted to be an English major, you would be in more humanities APs. I think it's more important to take the weighted classes that you are interested in and excel in. Even schools like Stanford state that they don't expect you to have taken every single AP/Honors class possible at your school.</p>
<p>^ i totally agree with you
i didn't say i was taking AP Lit for that reason.. i am doing really well this year and my teacher recommended that I take it "because im on a different level than the rest of the class" (not being cocky or anything)
i thought about it and i decided to try it because i am starting to like english this year so there lol</p>
<p>Ny0rker, you have like ten thousand threads on the penn board.
my advice to you: CHILL!!!
please don't freak out about every little detail in this college admissions process. from seeing your threads and posts, you are in the range for penn. if things are fair in life, you would definitely get in. you have what it takes to get in, so just keep on doing what you're doing.
stop worrying and do something more productive; worrying and asking questions about minute details won't help you.
and NOOOO, it is not "disastrous" to not have "most difficult course load" checked off. </p>
<p>Your life is ruined. How could you not get that 95? Why only 94? Get help. And I hope you like flipping burgers. Because that's what people who can only muster a 94 do with their lives.</p>
<p>haha @ auburn.
i agree with...the person... and this is exactly what i did in high school. i took only the AP courses that i wanted to learn more in (math and science) but took honors english and history classes. if i dont get into the college i want to...it wont be because of this decision</p>