so apparently junior year is the most important year for college. i want to take 3 electives next year; would that be viewed negatively by colleges? would my schedule be seen as not rigorous enough? here’s my likely schedule:
diff eq. / calc 3
physics
ap world
ap lang
ap chem
ap comp sci
latin 3
orchestra (highest)
journalism <— this is the class i’m debating whether to keep or replace with another ap…note: if i take it, there’s a high chance I’ll be editor-in-chief
thoughts?
also, i’m aiming for top colleges, like hypsm, top 20, colleges of that status
Editor in chief is a good leadership position keep it. Your schedule looks great.
You have 4 AP’s and a post-AP class; you do not need another AP. College admissions is not a gane in which the one with the most AP’s wins. The schedule is fine.
it’s just that many of my peers are taking 5 aps, and my school offers many aps, so if i take 3 electives, wouldn’t it seem like i’m trying to avoid rigor? or does the leadership make up for it? my electives are also unweighted classes, so in taking them, i wouldn’t really be able to compete with other students gpa-wise
sorry i’m so skeptical xD i just want to be entirely sure of my decision - schedule applications are next week for me
Its better to look like you have legitimate interests like orchestra and journalism rather than trying to have the most APs. Top 20s get so many applicants that they can have their choice of well qualified students. They choose the ones with highly developed interests, ECs, awards, and leadership positions, not just the one who took the most APs.
The difference between 5 AP’s and 4 AP’s + 1 post-AP to an AO is akin to a pimple on an elephants butt.
There is no common rubric for weighted classes, so colleges will either view UW GPA or will weight according to their own standards. Regardless, for top colleges, rigor and GPA will only get you so far. None of these colleges are looking to admit a class full of academic drones. Yearbook and orchestra are fine classes.
Because you have 4 AP’s and one post-AP class, you’ll actually be considered as having more rigor than if you had 5 Ap’s. Additionally, one more Ap just makes you an undistinguishable drone in the long pile of kids with lots of AP’s. JOurnalism with a leadership position helps you stand out among those who have excellent rigor. Orchestra and journalism should absolutely stay on your schedule.
It is important that your counselor is able to tick the ‘most rigorous’ box on your form, and that’s all that matters, well if you get the grades. So speak to your counselor to double-check. AP counting is a fool’s game.