<p>I am suprised your school allows so many APs....</p>
<p>800 hours of community service? That's rediculous! I've been volunteering steadlily since 5th grade at one place and I only have about 300 hours after 7 years. It's better to choose one or two volunteering oppertunities and stick with them for some period of time. Colleges want to see dedication, and if you are taking a rediculous amount of AP classes, there is no way you'll have time to do a have a deeply committed volunteering position.</p>
<p>What about summer? I enjoy volunteering and have been doing it since like 5th grade just like you. So it's not like I'll burn out. Eight hundred hours was a wrong estimation but I could get a couple hundred if I did a few hours a day besides the weekends every summer.</p>
<p>seriously though, I wouldn't take this. Even if you could do it, which you may be able to, it's worthless. I tried to take too many APs this year(still less than your plan), and all it made me was miserable for the first month of school until i dropped down to honors in one. The thing is you should be trying to actually master all of your AP classes so that it will make college easier. Taking this many you couldn't possibly do it, perhaps get A's by taking shortcuts, but you couldn't really master the material. Furthermore, colleges are interested in well rounded students, which means your ALLOWED to have some fun in high school. Join a club or sport that actually interests you. It still looks good but you enjoy yourself. Don't kill yourself in highschool, I spent it stressed out the whole time and it wasn't worth it, regardless of what colleges I end up getting in.</p>
<p>Just let him burn out, and then he'll agree with us...</p>
<p>I really think the difficulties of APs are overhyped. I've seen kids take 6 or 7 APs without losing sleep at our school, one kid took 7 and self-studied Psych(that is probably overdoing it a bit :-p). I'm considering taking 6/7 next year. I don't go to some super sucky school either, last year we had kids going to harvard, cornell, brown, and other top schools.</p>
<p>If the classes aren't that hard, then what is the point....just a normal high school schedule gives you 2-3 hours per night average homework, I would like to think that an AP class would require more....if the classes aren't difficult, why is taking them so much of a big deal...either the classes push you and make you work extra, or its all for show....</p>
<p>From my experience... Ap's are beneficial if you take them in proportion. You will be able to benefit from an AP class if you enjoy the subjuct which you are taking them in. While it looks nice to be challenged, TOO much of ANYTHING always leds to disaster... Unless your Enstien's son...</p>
<p>American education in general is too easy. I can't imagine doing more than 1 hour of homework a night no matter how long I drag it out. The AP classes do require more work, just not much more. There just isn't that much homework. My entire point is its NOT a big deal.</p>
<p>There is no a way a normal schedule should take anyone 2-3 hours... No one I know spends that much on a normal schedule. Although I've seen people who do 5/6 hours a night, but thats with all APs, or something very close.</p>
<p>My S (boarding school) has 5 classes and has at least 3-4 hours of homework a day, usually more.</p>
<p>I find it odd that in every one of Texasmathwhiz's posts, MomofWildChild is right behind him.</p>
<p>We seem to have vastly different views on the importance of APs and the challengingness(thats not a word :-p, but nothing comes to mind at the moment) of school in general... I don't know whats up. I don't think its the quality of my school. As I said before, we have a lion's share of kids that attend ivies, NM Finalists, and kids that get near perfects/perfects on the SATs.</p>
<p>sentient89 , just because students do well and get into good colleges does not mean your school is not watered down. Wealthy areas tend to have naturally brighter students and this leads to higher scores. AP classes can be easy and still result in high AP scores because if you teach just to the material on the AP test, its not that much material for a year course. If your teacher teaches it like a college course, as it is meant to be, than this is quite a lot of work. Our calculus class averages 2 hours of homework a night. This is not an exageration, and is an expectation from the teacher. i'm not saying watered down courses do not exist, but a real AP class is not that easy, regardless of your natural intelligence level.</p>
<p>Well I'm taking those classes, you guys have not convinced me against it. Despsophomore, a B is not the end of the world. And I enjoy most of the subjects at school because I am good at them. I don't think it will be so hard for me. Besides, I'm up for a challenge if there is one.</p>
<p>"sentient89 , just because students do well and get into good colleges does not mean your school is not watered down. Wealthy areas tend to have naturally brighter students and this leads to higher scores. AP classes can be easy and still result in high AP scores because if you teach just to the material on the AP test, its not that much material for a year course. If your teacher teaches it like a college course, as it is meant to be, than this is quite a lot of work. Our calculus class averages 2 hours of homework a night. This is not an exageration, and is an expectation from the teacher. i'm not saying watered down courses do not exist, but a real AP class is not that easy, regardless of your natural intelligence level."</p>
<p>The whole point of an AP class is to prepare a student for the AP exam, which basically covers the college course. I don't see how you can prepare for the AP exam while not going at college level. To my best understanding, the distinction between college level and high school level is the deepness in analysis and the speed at which things are taught. The problem is, you don't always know what is "just on the test," if you go to slowly, there is no way you can cover everything before the AP test, and if there isn't enough indepth analysis, there is no way you can score a 4 or 5 on the AP test. </p>
<p>Seriously, I know maybe 2 or 3 people who do this much homework a night - 2 hours in calc? One of my friends in Calc says he's learned basically everything from the book this year in about four, five-hour blocks - now, thats probably a slight exaggeration, but I really do find that he rarely does any type of studying other than before major exams.</p>
<p>haha which your post just shows your school's class is watered down. I have a 780 Math SAT II, i have a 780 math SAT I, and I'm in two AP math classes this year. Our calculus class is the hardest class in the school with a class average below 80%. Only 6 students in the highschool have qualified to take the class. As I said, i'm sure i could learn the material FOR THE AP CLASS in much less time than two hours a night. The class is not meant to teach to the AP test, it is supposed to be as rigorous as a college curriculum. The fact that your school happens to teach the bare minimum is great, but if the class was taught at the level it is at ours, then your friends would fail preparing like that. Our homework is mandatory and takes as much time as I stated to complete. So once again, these classes are different at different schools, your AP classes are easy, that's fine, it doesn't mean that is the case universally.</p>
<p>Aren't you fabulous benndaman. While we are braggin. I'm one of two students allowed to take AP Psychology as a sophomore in the history of my school.</p>
<p><em>Takes a sarcastic bow.</em></p>
<p>I'm not bragging about being in calculus. Your missing the entire point. There's brilliant people on here, I am nothing. I am well aware of this. My point is that there are many schools with very hard AP programs. Thus, I'm saying while at some schools it would be possible to take this many AP classes, at other schools with tougher curriculums I would not reccomend it. I will stop posting on this thread, I was simply illustrating that the course load may be very tough depending on how your school runs AP programs. Congratulations on AP psychology by the way.</p>
<p>Texasmathwhiz,
my only suggestion is that if, when you are in the middle of AP everything, you find yourself spread a little thin, don't be afraid to change to lower level in a class or two. You may be just fine - if not, is better to sacrifice one class than letting your whole schedule go down the drain.</p>
<p>Texasmathwhiz- since you are so unwilling to even listen to our advise, and are determined to go ahead with it- I will make a predictiion:</p>
<p>One- you will not find that you have any extra work, etc, and that will imply the class isn't AP calaber, because in order for it to be really AP, then it needs to be harder, require more work, work done faster and more in depth. If that is not the case, then I question the quality of the class</p>
<p>Two- you will find those of us who gave you advise were right, you are overwhelmed. and in way over your head, and remember you ASKED US!!!!</p>
<p>Either way, with your reaction to our posts, I doubt you will ever admit either one to use as you have an attitude that shines through.</p>