Not enough AP courses?

Applying to College
1

Hi, I’m a sophomore at a public high school. However, I haven’t taken an AP course yet. These are the classes I have taken and are planning to take:

Freshman:
Biology, PE, Yearbook, Health/ World Geography, Geometry, English
Sophomore:
Japanese 1, Dance, Journalism 1, World Civilization, Algebra 2/Trig, Chemistry Honors, English 10 Honors
Junior:
Japanese 2, Journalism 2, Pre calculus, American Lit Honors, Physics Honors, AP Art History, AP US history
Senior:
Japanese 3, Calculus AB AP, AP Goverment/ AP Macroeconomics, Literature& Composition AP, AP Biology(?), AP Statistics(?)
ECs:
(I didn’t have any clubs etc in freshman year because it was a junior high. I was in the yearbook class though,)
National Honors Society, Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, Red Cross, Interact, Journalism Class(school newspaper/website)
I would want to have a leadership position in one or two of the clubs but I’m not sure if I would be elected.
Sadly, I don’t do any sports because I’ve never got into one as a kid and isn’t very athletic :frowning:

In Freshman year, I was in a junior high(7-9), so there weren’t any honors and ap classes offered. I got all As in my freshman year. This sophomore year, I didn’t have any space for APs or I would have taken at least one. Also, no APs are offered for english 10 or world civilization. As of now, I have all As. For junior year, those are the classes I plan on taking and if I follow it, I won’t have space for another AP and there isn’t any AP for Precalc or american lit. I heard colleges want rigor and I feel like I should take more APs. For senior year, I’m planning on taking 4-5 APs and not have a 7th period. I want to show colleges that I do want to take rigor classes and also earn college credit as well. However, I know that most universities don’t look at senior year.

Therefore, I feel like I’m not taking enough AP courses in 10-11 grade since UCs and most universities look at sophomore and junior year. What should I do and what are my chances of getting into more prestigious/selective schools? I want to apply to UC Berkeley, UCLA, and possibly some ivies(as long with some safe schools for me). Please share any advice or suggestions? Thank you!

2

You sound like you may be headed for a Humanities major/concentration? (Just looking at your choice of AP’s and noticing that the math and science courses don’t seem to be what you are aiming for.) Then again, you’re coming from a familiar, though unusual, background of a 7-9 JHS, and a first-time introduction to AP course selection in 10th. I think the 10th grade AP offering, and subsequent forgoing of, may be the only thing that suggests you could have “done more,” though not that you have taken the easy way to easy A’s by any stretch.

As you gain instruction and mastery at the math and sciences you need to show a steady growth and preparedness for college, that will show. Only then can you begin on the AP track full-throttle anyway.

Your School Report will communicate to colleges whether you have chosen from among the more rigorous courses available to you, and it will not be demanded of you that you have exhausted every one of them, but where you have met the pre-req for tougher courses that you did not “settle” for the easier way out. And it does not have to be a strict linear progression and walk toward the AP track in each content area.

You do want to take one of the AP BIO or CHEM courses if they are available to you, and you have one on your proposed line-up. Much of what the colleges will look at as far as the APs are concerned (and this is still two years away, things could well change) is whether you have stepped up and taken the challenge of those types of courses and done well. Not if you have 12 or 13 under your belt, but if you have done well in the courses you did take.

3

@Waiting2exhale
Thank you for the feedback!
I’m unsure of what I want to major in, but am interested in communications, psychology, and maybe business.

I went and calculated how many APs I could’ve taken this year(sophomore) and found that it was 2. However, I took journalism and japanese 1(3 years foreign recommended), which caused me to be unable to take APs. I don’t know if i regret taking journalism now but there’s nothing I can do now.

That’s why I want to take another AP junior year, making it 3 APs, so I was thinking whether I should take journalism 2 in senior year instead of junior year. I’m not sure whether this will appear as weird or not but this way, I could take AP Bio in my junior year. I’ve also asked my journalism teacher if this is possible and she said that it was, and the only thing it would affect is my chances of being editor-in-chief etc. Do you think it would be worth it to take AP Bio instead of journalism 2 and leave it off until senior year?

Also, I’m planning to take the AP Chinese exam this year and possibly the AP Chemistry exam(we use the same material in chemistry honors as ap chem) by self studying to earn college credit. Will this also benefit me by showing that I’m doing the most I can?

Once again, thank you so much for the response, I really appreciate it.

4

If you plan to take both AP Bio and Journalism 2 (and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t) it makes no difference when you take either course.

It may benefit you in terms of potentially getting college credit; it will have absolutely no benefit for you in the admissions process. Taking an AP exam without benefit of a course only means that you can cram successfully for a 3 hour exam.

5

Not entirely true - taking the AP exam without taking the course validates that you have obtained a level of proficiency in a language which may enable you to skip any language requirements in the college you end up at. Most schools want to see an AP score of 4 or 5 before they waive the language requirement if they have one.

6

True, but that has nothing to do with admissions. Also, the same can generally be accomplished at a lesser cost via SAT Subject tests ($18-$26) or the college’s placement exam ($0).

7

Honestly it might hurt you at UCB, UCLA, Ivies that you didn’t take every possible AP, but on the other hand, I don’t think it’s an absolute deal-breaker. I’d say especially if you end up majoring in either communications or journalism, that the humanities focus of your class load–and especially sticking with journalism–will work in your favor. If you do your best to take as many APs as you reasonably can, in addition to honors courses, and you do well in all your courses, you should be OK.

8

@scha626 - I believe that IF the holistic (looking at the entirety of the package you represent as a person and student) process the colleges claim to undertake when they evaluate young people for college is truly how the process works, you will find that schools that look for you to be more than a number (and UC Berkeley is the one UC that openly claims to do so in the admissions sessions) will see the breadth and scope of your interest and investment in studying journalism, particularly if you rise to editor-in-chief.

Some of the college admissions requirements for entry require that you have completed some of the upper sciences “by the time you finish high school.” That means that while it is true that others may have already completed the courses, and can check that off before the end of the senior year fall application period, the degree to which you will have completed some top colleges’ requirements for freshman preparedness will be recorded and accounted for.in your final transcript. (Senior grades are almost always requested now, and colleges tell applicants that acceptances are conditional upon the successful completion of 12th grade.)

Taking Journalism 2 AND becoming editor-in-chief looks like a rise in the degree of your proficiency and competency. In such a role, you would have conferred upon you the confidence and trust of a school body and faculty adviser that you are the best at what you do, and capable of leading. Taking AP BIO in your senior year, I would say in light of that (hopeful) fixed point of achievement, only goes to show that you do not slow down; you do not become complacent; you are always willing to grow. So, I guess I agree with @skieurope there.

Self-studying for AP Chem is awesome, as it is work which builds upon your in-class exposure to materials that the AP Chem kids use.You will not be going in without a solid foothold on the material, and you sound committed to whatever you have freely decided to do, so go for it. This will also speak to a quest for higher level work, and the willingness to reach for it.( I know a young man who fought the school district (the entire district) to take 3 APs for which he had not had specific instruction, and he received 5s in all of them. His precedence changed the rules in our district. In his case, he merely opened the books and then did his own exploration of the subject matter, building, though, off of a prodigious intelligence and curiosity.)

I will say that it seems to me that most of the schools will not concern themselves about the double AP sciences if you are not going to study anything along those lines, but will probably be more interested in your SAT II Subject English exam, or SAT II Chemistry exam. (Again, agreeing with @skieurope here regarding the impact on admissions, and not in consideration of gaining the advanced standing or early credit.) @proudterrier has said all that I did in far fewer words: I agree wholeheartedly.

It sounds like you know the race is on, and that you are a little anxious. I wish I could tell you not to be, but I’d like for you to make it wherever you’d like to go.

9

@skieurope
I plan to take both. The reason I’m debating which one to take junior year and senior year is because most universities like UCs look at sophomore and junior grades, so it might be better to take to the AP junior year? Also, if I take journalism 2 junior year and AP Bio senior year, I would be taking 5 APs senior year, and I don’t know if that would be too stressful.

Also, you said that you can validate the you have obtained a level of proficiency through SAT Subject Tests or the college’s placement exam. Could you give me some more information on them? I’m interested and would consider taking them.

Thanks for the info!

10

@proudterrier @Waiting2exhale I stated in the comment above why I’m considering which year to take the classes. So what if I end up not majoring in communications/journalism? Since I’m not exactly sure if I want to pursue it. Another reason I’m taking the class is because I felt like it could improve my skill of writing and talking, as you need to interview people and be initiative etc. It also helps with keeping on task and time management and involves me in the school more.

Okay, so I tried to see how many possible APs that could fit on my schedule without taking the classes I take now. In sophomore year, 2 are possible. I’ve taken up the spaces with Japanese and Journalism. For Junior year, 4 is possible. One space would be taken up with Japanese. For Senior Year, 7 is possible, one space would be taken up by Japanese, another with Journalism(depending on which year I take it), and a free period(I’m not sure yet). Therefore, 13 AP classes are possible, with 20 offered at my high school. If I follow what I have planned, I will be taking 8 AP classes and 9 if I don’t take a free period senior year, along with 4 honors. Do you think I’m taking the most I can? Or are there any classes that I could take out or do something about?

I’m sorry if I’m asking for too much information/advice, but I really appreciate every single comment. Thank you for the encouraging words!

11

@scha626, my advise to you is to take the things that you are interested in. Show passion and focus. Don’t obsess with accumulating APs, especially in subject areas which aren’t of interest to you. The sciences don’t seem to be your focus, so why self-study AP chemistry? Take enough APs to show that you push yourself and to get your GC to check off the “most rigorous” box (discuss this with him/her if you have any questions). But I think you will stand out far better to adcoms if your transcript shows that you have gone off the beaten path and explored, especially if some of those things link up with your EC themes. Journalism is one such theme, so I would encourage coursework that complements it.

If you end up with 8+ APs spread out over 3 years you will have plenty of rigor. Keep your grades up, and do well in those courses and in their associated tests. You can make it clear in your essays as well that you preferred exploring courses and subjects that intrigued you over cramming in more AP courses for the sake of appearances. You will not suffer for it - if anything, you will stand out.

12

IMO, it’s still 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The impact that one class will make on your GPA is negligible (assuming that you don’t tank the course. From a workload perspective, it’s probably better to take AP Bio as a junior, but if you gain a leadership position through journalism, that would be better.

What I said was that for colleges that have a foreign language requirement to graduate, a high enough score on the AP, SAT Subject test, or departmental placement exam could fulfill those requirements. College placement exams generally take place over the summer before freshman year or during orientation week. Policies vary by college, so it’s best to check the website in question. For admissions, colleges do not generally ask for validation if you claim on the application to be proficient in a language other than English.