<p>I am currently planning on applying to Stanford, Columbia, Brown. (Also USC, UW, and Carnegie Mellon).</p>
<p>I took AP World in my Soph. yr and got a 4.
I am currently taking APUSH, AP Calc ab, AP Phys C- Mech, and AP Lit.
I am planning on taking (for my senior year) AP Lang, AP Psych, and AP BC calc because I wanted to have a bit of time my senior year to learn coding like Java & C++(since I'll apply as a Computer Science major or Visual Communications major).</p>
<p>Is this too risky or should I take more AP classes my senior year?
I'm from Las Vegas if that helps. (Not from super competitive &studious East Coast where everyone takes 13 AP classes) Also my school is fairly new (this is their 5th yr) so they don't offer 30 different AP classes like other schools.</p>
<p>... Will this make my admissions office go "No, this person slacked off their senior year compared to these kids from New York!"?</p>
<p>They don’t compare you to kids from New York, they compare to kids from your school and look at your rank and how rigorous of a program you are taking within that context. It looks like you are taking a good load of AP’s. I don’t understand why ppl take both AP Calc AB and BC, but it seems some few HS that is the normal course. They Psych isn’t much value, imo, although if your school weights it it may help your rank. What other were you thinking of or are offered? If you are taking bio sr year, for instance, it would be more value to take that instead of regular.</p>
<p>The vast majority of students accepted to ivy athletic league colleges take fewer than 8 AP classes. Among Parchment members, the acceptance rate and number accepted by AP classes for Brown are listed below. I am only including students accepted in 2011+. The acceptance rates are much higher than the overall rate for Brown, which makes me believe that the app pool among Parchment members includes a greater portion of top students than the overall app pool, much like the CC forums. Note that the the acceptance rate appears to almost flatline once reaching 5 AP classes, and few applicants took more than 5 AP classes.</p>
<p>0 AP – 25% accepted (22 accepted)
1 AP – 33% accepted (20 accepted)
2 AP – 20% accepted (16 accepted)
3 AP – 18% accepted (14 accepted)
4 AP – 20% accepted (20 accepted)
5 AP – 36% accepted (16 accepted)
6 AP – 33% accepted (9 accepted)
7 AP – 32% accepted (5 accepted)
8 AP – 36% accepted (5 accepted)
9 AP – 36% accepted (4 accepted)</p>
<p>Sure students are expected to take a challenging schedule within the context of their HS. So students who go to HSs with more AP classes are expected to take more AP classes that students who go to HSs that offer very few. However, this doesn’t mean you need a schedule composed almost entirely of AP classes, or you cannot take time out for an interest/passion, such as learning C++ and Java. Some quotes from deans of admissions at Harvard and Stanford about number of AP classes are below:</p>
<p>Numerous colleges indicate they really like to see about six APs, which would work out to 3 each junior and senior year, and you should include AP Calc and/or AP Physics to be most competitive, plus some form of both biology and chemistry. </p>
<p>You should also have at least one English AP and one Social Studies AP, preferably core ones like AP Lang or Lit and APUSH or APGov. Adding more beyond that is only marginally helpful, especially if it blocks you from taking things that will make you a more interesting student, but taking them won’t hurt you either, if you can get good grades. And I say this as a parent who’s child took 10 APs (2 soph, 4 junior, 4 senior), including AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Physics and has no regrets about that. She also took three years of wood shop and that was the most interesting class she took to her interviewers at numerous colleges, because it was so unusual for a girl.</p>
<p>Taking six a year is possible, though not necessarily advisable, and may be detrimental to your GPA and may make you seem like a drone. Be sure to balance everything, and sleep is not optional.</p>
<p>One final thought, and that is sometimes you take the APs not because they’re the AP class but because you’re interested in the subject and the best teachers are usually the AP teachers. Taking them for those reasons is actually the best reason of all.</p>
<p>I just want to endorse what Data10 and MrMom62 wrote (and maggie and BP). It’s so heartening to see these wise and informed posts esp when the views on CC can push students in directions that are actually counterproductive for college admissions, for their own real education, and for their health. </p>
<p>As a counselor (or an adcom) looking at your senior year course load I would worry not about the # of AP’s but the specific classes. Why AP Psych? because it’s an easy AP and will boost your GPA? if so, not a good idea (if you are interested in human psychology, go right ahead and register). Better to take an AP science or history class in a subject you love, or even something like music theory (if you happen to be music person). Where are you with foreign languages? Whatever you choose, it should be challenging but also paint a cohesive picture of you as a student and a person. Better to take non AP classes in subjects that genuinely attract you than to fill in with AP’s for college applications. It will backfire and you will not be the engaged student when interviews come around next year. Trust your passions and follow them, as cliche as that sounds! That is what colleges are looking for.</p>
<p>I’m planning to take regular gov over the summer because I personally don’t like government at all whatsoever & have no interest in it, and from what I’ve seen from my brother’s AP gov teacher (we only have one) & the workload, I do not want to take it at all. </p>
<p>I’m taking AP Psychology b/c I want to minor in it, not because it’s easy, if that answers your question… & from what I’ve seen from my friends, AP Psych workload at our school is pretty rigorous. idk why. </p>
<p>(additional info if needed)
*Mock ACT: 33 comp (Going to take the real one on upcoming Feb.)
*SAT scores: 1910 (really bad, not going to use SAT scores)
Subject tests planning to take: Math 2, US History, Lit, Physics;
-got 800 in Korean (native speaker so it doesn’t really count)
*Co-founded a non profit orchestra that performs free concerts for orphans, homeless, seniors etc in soph. yr
*pres & concertmaster @ school orch
*2nd place in extemp. speaking @ skillsUSA leadership conference for NV
Race: East Asian
Fam. Income: around 37k</p>
<p>Hate to tell you this, but high test score, orchestra, and Korean has Asian drone written all over it. Maybe it’s not fair, but that’s what people are going to see. You need to find a way to break that stereotype.</p>
<p>MrMom62, you are refreshing in your views.
Data10, wow! That is great analysis and eye-opening.
Honeybee, your words are so true…take those classes that genuinely interest you…I’m a relatively new parent here at CC (maybe 5 months) and my eyes are already glazed over by the applicants here…I can only imagine what the admissions office goes through…just the rote list of AP classes that are present in the 'chance me" threads…surely that must have no impact/influence over any admissions person who has been in the job,say, more than 10 days or so. :)</p>
<p>Oh my god I totally forgot to put my work/job experience. Sorry about that.
*Worked in City hall summer intern-non paid- GIS department (2013)
*Worked in AVING.NET as a student reporter/intern for 5 years (2008~current job/internship)
also sports:
*swim team for a local high school since 2012 (freshman yr)- planning on doing it until senior yr.</p>