if 7 of the 20 available APs over 4 years would get the “most demanding Courseload” box checked, would taking 8 or 9 have much - or any- advantage, considering they are all considered “most demanding”?
Negligible. Most senior AP posters will say there is no benefit to taking more APs beyond about 6-8. You should take the ones that you are interested in at this point. Beyond that,you run the risk of being labelled an academic drone and colleges don’t like academic drones.
“But I got eleven”
Unless you get to invent a new box for your GC to check off “more than the most demanding”-- how is a college to know? Don’t be so concerned about your peers. Take what you can handle and be content already.
When my son was choosing his senior year schedule, he had one elective spot to fill. The choice came down to AP Art History (because its an AP class) or “non-honors” Engineering Science (because he wants to study engineering). He labored over what would look better to colleges. He realized, after some convincing from me, that he should take the class that interested him most regardless of what colleges might think. He chose the “riskier” engineering class.
Very unfortunately, many high school electives are considered fluff or time wasters or easy As. This is very sad because there are so many interesting classes to take and things to learn outside of the AP course list. When I was in high school (so many years ago) the local newspaper wrote an exposé about a new course called “Film Criticism.” In the eyes of the author, the class was akin to basket weaving 101 and a waste of tax payer dollars. I took the class against my parents judgement. It turned out to be the most interesting, thought provoking, insightful, and challenging class I’ve EVER taken. Films were watched, discussed, and written about with deep thought. I still use lessons I learned from that class to teach my kids how to think about and process what they are seeing when watching films. I know I haven’t answered your question, but I find it frustrating that kids feel they need to hit some mythical target number for AP classes. We all need to step back and remember that AP tests are administered by a large “non-profit” corporation who pays its CEO $1.3 million a year. The more APs you take, the more money they make.
No difference. Make a careful selection based on your interests.
I can tell you firsthand that it’s possible to get into a highly selective college without overloading on APs. In my entire high school career, I’ve only taken the 3 AP’s that have specifically interested me: French, Art History, and English Lit. And I got into Brown with a likely letter. In the college admissions process I was a very lopsided candidate, with all my achievements and ECs skewed toward arts and humanities, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing; sometimes taking a ton of unrelated AP’s and doing every possible EC can dilute the sense of distinct identity in your application.
For me personally, I took as many AP classes as I could. Not for colleges, why I didn’t even care about applying until August of last year. But because I found AP classes offered the most interesting classes possible for me.
I took 12 in total (separating Macro-Micro). I don’t think it made me stand out though. I got into decent schools yeah.
Which AP classes matters more than how many.
@Nedcone that’s definitely a better way to approach it. I just meant that one shouldn’t load up on AP’s just for the sake of having taken them; if someone finds 12 AP’s that legitimately interest them, they should go ahead! For me, it was partly because there are more STEM-oriented AP’s than humanities at my school, and because I go to boarding school so it’s easy to find intellectually stimulating courses outside of AP’s.