<p>My school only offers 7 APs (0 IBs and 0 classes labeled "Honors" although I am sure there are equivalents):</p>
<p>2 Science (Bio & Physics)<br>
2 Calc (AB & BC)
1 Math (Stats)
1 History (US)
1 Studio Art </p>
<p>All the APs are only offered senior year except for APUSH which I did not take. I go to a very competitive High School (ranked in top 15 in state) yet they are not very big on the APs. I plan to go into business and have a huge passion for it so unfortunately classes like APUSH and AP Bio are the absolute last courses I'd ever want to take. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, my school does not offer APs that interest me (Govt., Economics, English, Computer Science) so I plan to only take Stats and Calc. Will only taking 2/7 completely void my chances of getting accepted into ivy league? I suppose I could take physics if I really had to (if it is strongly suggested) but I'd rather not. Do you think I could get into top undergrad business schools with only 2? Would even taking AP science classes help/be worth it for me?</p>
<p>Also is it worth mentioning in the "additional info" section or elsewhere that my school does not offer APs that interest me - or does that make me sound pretentious? </p>
<p>I would self study for the AP tests in subjects that interest me but I feel I have way too much on my plate right now with SATs and junior year grades (also not sure how to go about self-studying when I have hardly any knowledge on the subjects). Although I do not have any APs on my schedule I have very challenging and advanced courses. I am just worried because all over CC I see people that have taken 10+ APs... </p>
<p>Any info., advice, suggestions, etc. are very appreciated! Thanks. :)</p>
<p>My son’s school does not offer a single AP, yet sends kids to top schools, including multiple Ivies, every year. His school feels their own courses are more rigorous and demand greater creativity than APs. In the words of the school’s head, “Do we really want our best science students doing biology labs that have the same answer every year? That’s not research.”</p>
<p>@Sue22
Well, they aren’t going to hold your school having no APs against you.</p>
<p>However, if your school does offer APs, and you simply choose not to take them, then it’s a completely different matter. They do expect you to take the highest level classes as possible, but I’d say if you are taking an equivalently challenging non-AP class, it won’t harm you much. Like if you’re taking Advanced Chemistry or something over AP Bio.</p>
<p>if your real passion is business, you’re looking at the wrong league. Most Ivy schools don’t have business courses, majors, or schools. Nor do most LACs. Most of the places you’ll end up applying won’t care about AP classes because they aren’t academically oriented. Neither are you. Good match!</p>
<p>“Will It Hurt My Chances?” is entirely the wrong question to ask if you’re hoping to get into a Top-25 school. The competition at this level is brutal: if you’re not taking on nearly every challenge available to you, how do you think you’ll fare against those that do? You’ll be competing against thousands of 2300+ SATs, valedictorians, AP Scholars, national competition winners and others with exceptional talents. Nowadays, you don’t get rejected because there is something wrong with you, you get rejected because there aren’t enough spots for everyone who might otherwise be acceptable to the college, so they go with the very best mix of academics, athletes, and creative talents.</p>
<p>In such an environment, do you think it would help to say, “The available APs didn’t interest me and my plate was too full to self-study my own”? To be a viable candidate, you need to: take the most rigorous classes available; get a high SAT or ACT; be near the top of your class in GPA; and, ideally, show real leadership positions in ECs and community service projects. By “real leadership,” I don’t mean being president of some organization that hardly ever meets or never accomplishes anything. With community service, it’s not the number of hours you log, but what you accomplish and what initiative you take.</p>
<p>Anyone who suggests that taking all of the AP courses offered by your high school will hurt your chances of admission because there are only 7–just doesn’t know what they’re talking about or hasn’t read your initial post in this thread. All adcomms at highly selective colleges & universities care about in this respect is that you took the most challenging curriculum available to you.</p>