Hi! So I go to a very small private school (as in ~35 people in my class) and I’m concerned about how that will affect my college admissions process as far as AP classes. No APs are available for freshmen, sophomores can sometimes take one but it’s very unusual, and academically strong juniors and seniors usually take 2-3. I know it is not untypical for kids in bigger schools to take over 5 a year, but that isn’t realistic for me because our schedules aren’t as flexible due to the lower number of teachers. Each AP classes is only offered one time a day, so if it interferes with the rest of your schedule, you can’t take it. Also, there’s a ton of extra classes that we’re required to take as a religious school (Religion, Bible, etc) that take up room in our schedules. My school offers a decent number of APs considering our size (maybe 10-12?), so I don’t want colleges to see the school profile and think I was slacking off by only taking 6-7 APs. However, at a summer program I participated in at a selective college this summer, they mentioned that it didn’t really matter to them how many APs you take past 6. But if it was between me and an identical student with 12 APs, why would the college choose me? Any advice or experience from similar situations?
Colleges will judge you in the context of what was possible at your school (although I’d say that six or seven AP classes is enough regardless). I’m sure your guidance counselor will check the box that says your schedule was “most demanding.” I don’t think any applicants are so similar that they count AP classes to determine who gets in.
I’ve heard about elite colleges dissuading people from filling up their schedules with every AP possible, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
Most profiles will spell out any resrtictions on honors/AP courses the school puts on its students. This is a non-issue.
I’ve been saying that for years.
There is no such thing as an identical student. Your application will be judged within the context of what your school offers. Be aware that many schools have few or no AP’s for a variety of reasons. My own HS did not often some popular AP courses, like AP Bio, because the teachers did not want to be constrained by the college board, and felt they could teach advanced bio better than the CB. Again, in your case, this is a non-issue.