If I take three year-long APs in the subject area (i.e science), does that look bad to colleges? I am planning to major in a STEM field.
Thanks all!
Are you taking them at the expense of taking other core classes?
There isn’t a generic “AP Science” - so I’m not clear what you mean by “in the same subject area”. Can you elaborate please?
If you meant AP Bio, AP Physics, AP Chem, etc. - they are different subject areas and that’s not uncommon - but usually done over multiple years. But ultimately, plan APs that line up with your intended major rather than simply loading up on APs.
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Which courses? Please list which science courses you’ve taken/are planning to take for each high school year.
I’ve yet to see a problem with it. I also know at least one student who added a science class (6 or 7 total in high school) and only took 3 years of history (in high school) and it still wasn’t a problem. He was a science major too.
YMMV
It depends on what, if anything, you need to “sacrifice”. Colleges prefer to see 4 years of study in each core subject: English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies. My D took every social studies and English AP offered by her school but still managed to take all the other classes in addition. Some students have to drop their foreign language to fit in extra science.
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Depends on the classes. ES, Physics 1, Physics 2 is very different than Bio, Chem, Physics C.
It’s also in context of other courses - did taking them mean giving up important other courses? Taking AP courses would rarely “look bad”. But taking ES instead of any Junior year English course, for example, would.
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