<p>AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Physics (B)
AP English Literature
AP Calculus (AB)
AP Calculus (BC)
These are the classes I want to take senior year. Is this going REALLY difficult? I really want to challenge myself with these courses, to heighten my chance to get into Rice University. I am taking AP Statistics & Pre-Caculus my junior year to help with these science and math courses.</p>
<p>6 AP are manageable if chosen wisely. My D is taking 6 AP her Junior year. But you plan to take 3 sciences AP at once. Looks like GPA killer to me. Did you take any of those regular science classes before? </p>
<p>It’s going to be fairly difficult, but not too bad. Assuming you’re a science/math guy, the three sciences actually shouldn’t be a huge problem. They’re all very different. </p>
<p>Yes I am. I’m a Sophomore right now and I’m taking Pre-AP Chemistry. I took Pre-AP Biology Freshman Year and plan to take Pre-AP Physics next year(Junior Year). Chemistry is my hardest class, I manage to keep at steady -A. This is partly due to my horrible teacher! </p>
<p>Are you on a block schedule? If not, how/why are you taking Calc AB and BC concurrently? Also which AP Physics are you taking as the Physics B exam is discontinued.</p>
<p>I managed somewhat the IB equivalent in my junior year, but psychology instead of physics. Taking AP physics this year.</p>
<p>Anyways, 6 APs is manageable. The only thing I would be worried about is AP Biology. Not that it’s hard necessarily, but I have heard from kids at my school that there are a lot of labs and projects, and usually bio labs are more intensive. And as for physics, your junior year will help you determine if physics is hard for you or not. </p>
<p>This has bad idea written all over it. And it will impress no one, even if successfully completed, which no college will ever see, since OP is taking it senior year. Just sounds like a way to have a really bad senior year.</p>
<pre><code> Junior Year Schedule
</code></pre>
<p>Pre-AP (Honors) Physics
AP Biology
Anatomy & Physiology
Pre-Calculus
AP Statistics
AP U.S. History
AP English 3
Pre-AP (Honors) Spanish 3
Is this a good or crazy schedule for Junior Year? I love Science & I’m pretty good with Math(usually an -A or A). I really want to challenge myself! :)</p>
<p>It sounds like a REALLY bad idea. Keep inmind that top schools, such as Rice, only expect a total of 4 to 8 AP classes FOR THE ENTIRE TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL. After the 8th, there’s a law of diminishing returns, meaning “it’s not worth the misery”.
Note that NO college is impressed by a string of C’s or even B-s in 6 APs. They’re much more impressed by A’s in 3 APs and A’s in the rest of your choices.
In addition, you’ll have to pick between AP Calculus (AB) and AP Calculus (BC) since those are either designed as level1/level2 at some high schools, or as AB over 2 semesters vs. AB over one semester +BC over one semester.
I also notice you don’t have a foreign language and you don’t have a social science, which top schools will expect.
Choose 3-4 APs that are meaningful to you. I’d suggest AP Calc (either one), plus one or two sciences, plus perhaps one more, with Honors or AP Spanish 4 and Honors Social Science.
If you take AP Calc, AP Stats won’t bring you much benefit for colleges, even though it’s a very interesting and useful class. </p>
<p>A Possible schedule
Junior Year
Pre-AP (Honors) Physics
AP Biology
Pre-Calculus
AP U.S. History
AP English Language
Pre-AP (Honors) Spanish 3
- 1 class that you find interesting (CS, Art…)</p>
<p>Senior year
AP Chemistry
AP Physics 1
AP Calculus (AB)
+1 more AP such as AP Government, AP Economics…
Anatomy & Physiology
Spanish 4H
1 class you find fun or interesting </p>
<p>Get involve in clubs of interest, stick with them, and achieve something with them. FIRST Robotics, coding/hackathon, choir, SADD, a job, volunteering at the Boys&Girls club, etc. It doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as you show commitment and success.</p>
<p>Only the OP knows if he/she can handle that course load. There is no way for strangers on CC to assess if they can handle that course load, some can and others can’t. My daughter was in full IB and took an AP as a 7th class. Many students can successfully handle that kind of course load and only the OP can gauge if they are one of them. I am always confused when a student asks this type of question, they are the only one who knows if they have the smarts and work ethic to handle that.</p>
<p>it really depends on your school, your goals, and your study habits. for example, ap lit at my school is insane, while calculus isn’t as bad. do you want all A’s? how many APs/HNS did you take as a junior, and how did you do?</p>
<p>I would just check on the calc. I know schools do it differently. At my Ds school you went from honors pre-calc to EITHER AB or BC. Part of the BC test is an AB subscore - I can’t see the reasoning to take both.</p>
<p>Also, be aware that if you are planning on being STEM major, which I assume you are given how much science you want to take, many colleges suggest you not take the AP credit and retake science in college so it may not gain you as much as you think in credit hours in college. Also agree that taking additional foreign language will help you more than multiple science and might completely get you out of a language requirement in college which is a real time saver.</p>
<p>@running for life, the OP is just a sophomore. While I think setting a goal is great, planning out classes 2 years in advance is a bit overboard and not necessary, IMO.</p>
<p>You are getting an A minus in a class and blame it on a horrible teacher? . That tells me a lot about.you…just saying. </p>
<p>I dont understand why you are waiting to take all three sciences senior year. You should be taking AP Bio now and AP chem next year. You will have labs in all these classes, which is very time consuming. My son is taking 7 AP’s (3 virtual) and Dual enrollment at Georgia Tech. Not having a problem, but he’s pretty smart. As a junior he took 6. As you can see, it can be done, if you are ready to do the work. He had no problems, but he is a really good time manager, and he is pretty intelligent. SO, if you have those qualities, do it, my suggestion though is to at least take Bio or Chem before senior year or the colleges will wonder why you waited so long. </p>
<p>I just saw your schedule for next year. Are you taking pre chem this year? Lose the pre Physics you don’t need it. Take the AP bio next year, along with pre chem, if you are not taking it now. Is you Calc AB a full year or half year? My son’s school did AB first semester, BC second semester. If AB is a full year, lose anatomy (useless in high school) and take AB calc as a junior and BC as a senior. The colleges want to see BC calc (if your school carries it) rather than AB. </p>
<p>Yes, I am currently a sohpomore. I’m just planning out my junior and senior classes. I never said that it this was final. I put this so I could read all of your comments and suggestions so I can make the right choices to help me, rather than hurt me…</p>
<p>@ ZBD5421, I’m going to take precalc next my year(my junior year) and AB Calculus. Or do you think that’s a bad Idea? Oh and AB is a year long!</p>
<p>^actually, for the record, there’s no significant difference for admission purposes between AB and BC, even at Harvard, the exception being for Mudd, CalTech, MIT, Olin, and to a lesser extent the other Tech schools that are ranked in the top 50.
Strictly speaking, outside of Mudd and CalTech, top colleges want to see Precalc completed with an A.
They also don’t like the “everything but the kitchen sink” applied to APs. They want to see meaningful choices reflecting a passion for learning, that’s correlated to other endeavors outside of school, including but not limited to, competitions and awards. They don’t want to see a student who took APs because s/he tought it’d be impressive or, as OP states, “hardcore”. I realize OP is still young and may not have expressed his/her goals clearly, but right now it’s easy to see OP is interested in STEM fields and it’s equally obvious OP is trying the “all AP’s” approach.</p>
<pre><code> Junior Year Schedule
</code></pre>
<p>Pre-AP Physics
AP Biology
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus (AB)
AP U.S. History
AP English 3
Pre-AP Spanish 3
(Elective) Anatomy & Physiology </p>
<pre><code> Senior Year Schedule
</code></pre>
<p>AP Chemistry
AP Physics (B)
AP Calculus (BC)
AP English Literature(4)
CNA (nursing assistant class)
CNA (nursing assistant class)
-is this a better planned out schedule? I really want to take Anatomy & Physiology, so I’m not going drop it. Oh and for my AP government and economics class, I’m going to take them this summer.</p>