<p>I'm currently a senior in high school and planning on applying early decision to Macalester College. I have a 3.96 gpa and I've taken the hardest classes I can. BUT my school (super small private Catholic school) doesn't offer any AP classes and only a few college classes (I have taken a few).
So I guess my question is, how important are APs? Is it going to kill me that they haven't been available to me?</p>
<p>If you haven’t taken them because they aren’t offered, then usually, the reccomendation or transcript part of your application will allow your school to say that you’ve taken the most rigorous courses and that there are no APs. If that <em>isn’t</em> part of your application already, then it should be part of an extra statement. What you want to let the school know is what <em>you</em> did to find challenges for yourself. So, you’d talk about taking college coursework, or studying things on your own they didn’t offer, etc. </p>
<p>My son had only two APs, I think, because his school did not offer them (he transfered and had two senior year. He made sure schools knew that because of that, he’d taken math a community college, spent summers taking courses, and learned Latin via an email group study program.</p>
<p>Applicants are evaluated in the context of the environment in which they were taught. They will still make sure you took the most regorous courses, but the fact that your school does not offer AP classes won’t affect your application negatively.</p>
<p>Rigor is based on how rigorous the courses which are avaliable in your school only.</p>
<p>Well I have taken French for the last three years independantly through our Talented and Gifted Program.
I could have taken more college classes through the public high school nearby, but that requires 2 class periods, so I would have had to drop band or Spanish to fit it into my schedule.</p>
<p>Scores will be important coming from a school like yours.</p>
<p>Damn, that school sucks. Why are paying money to go to this private school? Surely your public school must have at least a couple AP courses (and hence, most likely be better)?</p>
<p>If you have taken college classes, that gives you a leg up even if you don’t have any AP courses. And if your school is anything like mine (overly competitive, private religious school where a 3.5 is the average GPA), you’re doing pretty well for yourself. I’m pretty sure it’ll mention it on your transcript, or you can e-mail the colleges about your situation during the application process. Either way, you’re good.</p>
<p>The public high school is a lot better, but my parents are very religious so they sent my siblings and me to the Catholic school. It really isn’t competitive, most graduates go to state schools, with the exception of a couple in every class.
The public school offers a larger variety of classes (Including APs and more foriegn language) but the base curiculum at our school is pretty great.</p>
<p>How difficult are your classes? Do they match up to AP courses? Most colleges don’t look at AP tests too hard, but look at the courses you take. </p>
<p>As long as you did your best to take the hardest courses, then you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>At my high school you can take high school level algebra in 8th grade, so you are a year ahead of everyone else. Then you take Geometry, Adv Alg/Trig, Math Analysis(like pre-calc), and then Math V. I’m also taking college Statistics next semester.
For advanced science I took Bio frosh year, and then Chem, Ecology, and Adv Bio.
English just the typical Composition, a lit class, Adv Comp, and Variations.
4 years Spanish, 3 years independant French.
I took the ACTs and scored a 30. My english and reading scores were both 35. Math was a 28 or so and Science was a 24 (Whoops! Guess I have to redo that one :))</p>