I have not taken any in freshman year, and I am taking only AP Biology in sophomore year. I have seen plenty of people on College Confidential that have taken plenty in freshman and sophomore years. Is one enough? I plan to take more APs in junior and senior years. We have 8 or 9 APs at my high school, but only juniors and seniors are allowed to take them. I got special permission to take AP Biology, which is a senior class, as a sophomore. I will be the only kid in my grade that is taking an AP class. Would colleges see this in a positive view, or would they see this and penalize me for only taking one as a sophomore?
You will not be penalized because of restrictions imposed by your school.
The 1 AP as a sophomore will possibly be viewed as neutral, but the grades obtained would be more of the determining factor.
You are fine, many kids that get into these schools didn’t take AP’s until junior and senior years. If your school dind’t offer them until then, that won’t be held against you. Likewise, many kids that have taken AP’s since soph year don’t get in either.