light on APs

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>(Sorry to repost, wanted to make less hidden)</p>

<hr>

<p>In my sophomore year, the only AP open to me was AP Euro (A and 5). The only other weighted class open to me was Honors Chemistry.</p>

<p>For my junior year, I had signed up for 4 AP classes, 1 honors class, and 2 additional ones. Due to issues with counseling however, I got stuck with 3 AP classes, 2 honors, and 2 additional.</p>

<p>Senior year, I will have 5 APs and 2 additionals.</p>

<p>Soph: AP Euro, Hon Chem, Adv Eng, Adv Alg 2, French 3, Band, Tennis</p>

<p>Junior: APUSH, AP Chem, AP Eng Lang, Honors Precalculus, Honors Physics, Band, Robotics</p>

<p>Senior, AP Calc AB, AP Physics B, AP Comparative Government, AP Economics, AP Music Theory, English, Band </p>

<p>I've gotten all so far (rising senior) As in all and am expecting 5s in all APs</p>

<p>I realize I am light on the APs before senior year (part due to scheduling conflicts). I do however, have a good total of weighted classes because of the honors. </p>

<p>All in all do you think I am at a big disadvantage here, as compared to others ?</p>

2

<p>Btw, I am also taking a community college course this summer that will be counted toward my UC GPA as if an AP.</p>

3

<p>so 10 APs? that’s not light at all</p>

<p>go worry about GPA/SATs now</p>

4

<p>Somewhere (maybe on their website) I read the average MIT student came with 5-6 AP classes. So no, at 10 you are not light … that is, unless the average student at your HS is somehow loaded up with 15 by self study and so forth.</p>

5

<p>I took a total of 3 APs in high school and no college classes and I still got accepted.</p>

6

<p>I only took 3.5 AP classes in high school (I dropped AP art studio my second semester of my senior year in exchange for early dismissal a.k.a getting out of class early). And I have never taken an AP exam in my life (b/c I didn’t wanna shell out ~$80 a piece; and I had a personally vendetta against the College Board for the existence of the SATs).</p>

7

<p>I took six…you should be fine.</p>

<p>You’ve never taken an AP exam? $80 is nothing compared to how much some colleges charge for units (except maybe for community college classes). You might actually save time/money later.</p>

8

<p>I took 11 AP classes, and I definitely probably took too many. You’re fine, what’s more important is making sure you do WELL in the classes. It’s better to take a couple less APs and get straight As than take 10 APs and get straight Cs. </p>

<p>Also, if you are fairly certain you want to go to Berkeley, do what I did. I took many CC classes while in high school in various subject areas that were UC transferable. Because I was still in high school (K-12), I didn’t have to pay ANY money for the CC classes (usually about $20 a unit, so maybe $60 a class). Now, entering Berkeley in the fall, I’ve already completed almost all of my 7 Breadth requirements and can focus on the daunting task of tackling double majors. Taking CC classes ahead of time to fulfill requirements can be helpful is you want to graduate early from college, have more time to take other classes, or explore subject areas that are not offered in high school (i.e. oceanography and anthropology). </p>

<p>Oh but make sure that if you take a CC class, check to make sure the teacher is easy/gives out many As. haha</p>

9

<p>I took 6 APs, but I was IB which gave me an instant 20 AP/IB units. </p>

<p>Taking more AP tests (even if you are going to get 3s on them) is actually a good idea in a way. AP tests might not get your out of anything, but they give you empty units which boost your TeleBEARS appointments earlier (relative to other people in your class level). Early TeleBEARS can mean a lot of good things.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for all of the input. </p>

<p>As for the CC courses, my first years, I could not take any because of family obligations. This summer, I am only taking one because HS students got last picks and only one of the only ones left fit my schedule. Would this be enough to be significant? </p>

<p>And will the honors I took have an appreciable gravitas? My total weighted is around 13 if so. And yes, so far I have gotten As in everything.</p>

11

<p>You don’t HAVE to take CC courses. The one you are taking now will only be significant if it transfers over and fulfills a breadth. I didn’t even realize that my CC courses helped until AFTER i got in. haha</p>

12

<p>Yes, my course (cultural anthropology) is a-g, UC transferable.</p>

13

<p>ok let me put the question in a more succinct way:</p>

<p>I have 9 total APs over the course of high school, along with 3 honors and a community college course.</p>

<p>The thing is, the bulk of the APs are being taken senior year, while most people at my school bulk up junior year. </p>

<p>Will this have much negative bearing?</p>

14

<p>No. College admissions aren’t that rigid.
What I recommend is not doing something because it will look good on a college application but because you actually want to do it.</p>