<p>I am currently a Junior and for the past three years I've taken all three Honors courses offered at my school. This year they introduced our first two AP classes (APUSH and APLC) and instead I chose to just stay with an Honors math class and take up Economics since I want to major in Business (a hard course that not a lot of people take up, but it's not AP). I missed my chance to take the APLC entrance exam (it was after school on a Tuesday and I could not attend!). It is now November and I am STILL regretting not being able to make it to the APLC entrance exam. I am trying to make up for my lack of AP classes in my extracurriculars and I have now gotten myself leadership positions in clubs that I love, and have even founded and become President of an FBLA chapter at my school. I regret not taking the two AP classes offered to me.</p>
<p>My question is: How badly will it look on my college application that I have dropped AP classes and tried to make up for it by strengthening my ECs? Some people have told me that colleges will look at it as a bad thing because the "ideal" student could balance both AP classes AND leadership positions, so I feel horrible. Also, I have gone from 3 Honors courses Freshman/Sophomore year to only ONE Honors course my Junior year. How badly do you think this will affect me?</p>
<p>I want to get into NYU by the way. Please... someone, please help.</p>
<p>How can anyone help you? What can you do about it now, build a time machine? Maybe this is a good time to reflect on how horrible it would feel to always live life looking over your shoulder at what you could have done, and resolve to try to be a peace with your decisions and to look forward.</p>
<p>Colleges like NYU look at applicants holistically. So it is not just one part. Present yourself in all your aspects in your application. Show why you do the things you do for your set of interests. Most rigorous schedule is always good to have, core classes over electives. But when you have driving interests that you really want to do, then talk about it.</p>
<p>I agree, kicking yourself over the past doesn’t change what is already been done. So you have to be able to package yourself in your college applications showing the “intention” behind your decisions. If you can convey your intentions, if you can demonstrate the “why” behind you do what you, your confidence will shine through. That being said, you definitely need to plan for a rigorous senior year. Another option, although I am unfamiliar with it, is to self-study for the remainder of the year for an AP course that is NOT offered at your school junior year, for example AP ECON. You would study concurrently with your current classes, then register for the AP Econ exam in the spring and take the exam.</p>
<p>+1 to the suggestion to self-study. DS self-studied for 3 AP tests junior year (counting the two parts of Physics C separately).</p>
<p>@BrownParent, thanks for the NYU advice! I hope I do get in.</p>
<p>@Momof2back2back and IxnayBob, thank you both so much! I will definitely self-study. I am going to take the APLC exam at the end of the year even though I don’t have to, and I’m going to see if my school will allow me to take the APMacroEconomics/APMicroEconomics exams. Thanks for all the help!</p>