My dad wont allow me to take 3 AP’s my junior high school year, only 2. I want to take all 3: AP English, AP Us History, and AP Psychology. He reasons since I only took one AP(Ap World History) my sophomore year and slept late, I cant handle two more. However, I did well in the class I got an A first semester (extra point for my Gpa) and second semester a B (weighted is an A). I also got a 4 on the Exam. The hardest for me was Honors English that year not AP world, but even then I got a B in that class. As for other classes I got A’s on all the rest. Many students and seniors at my school told me that AP psych and AP Us history are easier than other APs offered, too. How can I persuade my dad? I feel like he is holding me back. I talked to my counselor for help and she didn’t do much but hurt me instead?
How can I persuade my parents to allow me to take at least 3 Aps my junior year of High school?
Thanks for your reply! And I know, but unfortunately, Parental Rights Amendment Section two says that parents basically have the right “to make reasonable choices for their child in public schools, such as opting their child out of classes the parents find objectionable”> http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?SEC=DE675888-E60A-4219-8A5E-000083244D13
Do you have any teachers that you’re particularly close with? They could almost fill the role of your counselor and you could discuss the dilemma with them. You should explain to him/her how you think you will be succeed taking 3 APs and get advice from them. Also, you could have him/her call your parents to try to help convince him. I think it would probably work best with your AP world history teacher because they already know how well you work with AP classes. Good luck!
I’m just saying, sometimes your parents know you better than you know you. Sometimes, all-nighters become routine, and your cheeks thin out and you look absolutely washed out but you may not even notice it. Are you SURE that you can handle all three classes at once? If you think you can, then go for it. Consult with your teachers (since they see your schoolwork) and see if taking the class is a good idea and see if they can help you get into the class. APUSH is not an easy class. AP Psych I cannot attest to because it is not offered at my school. AP Lang is not offered at my school, but I did take the AP test. If you couldn’t handle your previous English class, I say don’t take AP Lang or Honors Lit.
Oh. And if you’re wondering whether or not this will affect your chances of getting into an elite college: no. If you think that getting into college is all about strapping on all the APs, then open your eyes and take a good long look at how the world works. My friend got into MIT when he only took 3 APs total freshman-junior year. He took 4 AP tests, and the additional one was AP Lang.
Not really, and even when it’s the case, only kindasorta. As @michelle426 pointed out above, it shouldn’t always be the student’s choice—there’s a lack of experience there. Now, if the dad is adamantly refusing to discuss the issue and lay out the reasons, then that’s a yellow flag, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the case here.
Dad still pays the electric bill and would be held responsible if you crashed his car so, he’s entitled to a significant say in your life at this stage.
Unless you got all As last year, I think he’s probably doing you a favor by limiting you to 2 APs. I know a couple of kids who turned 3.8s into 3.2s by loading up on too many tough classes Jr year.
If you got straight As last year - and your counselor thinks it is a good idea.perhaps you can handle it. Have your guidance counselor send a note to your dad recommending the 3rd class. Maybe that will do the trick - If not, you’ve got no choice but to follow Dad’s lead.
Definitely take the amount that you feel you can take. Your dad is not the one doing the work. 3 AP classes junior is definitely manageable. Unless you feel that your GPA will suffer (like someone else said) take 3. AP Psych is not hard, and AP world will not be hard for you if you are interested in history.
I don’t think your dad is being unreasonable. He’s basing it on your past experiences. From his perspective, he saw you struggle with 1 AP class (as demonstrated by staying up late), and now, you’re asking to take on even more. You did well, yes, but there was certainly room for improvement. Only getting a couple of B’s is great, but it doesn’t quite show the same readiness to take on more as getting all A’s would have done. He may be thinking–if you’re staying up late to handle the workload for 1 AP class, then how late are you going to have to stay up to handle the workload for 3 AP classes? The subjects might concern him too. You got a B last year (for your most recent semester) in history and a B (with a lot of work) in English. He might be concerned that another AP history class and an AP English class might be a lot of work for you based on how things went last year, and given that you didn’t soar through those subjects previously, he might be concerned that it’s going to be even harder if you’re adding more AP classes to your schedule. He wants you to take a rigorous course schedule, but he also wants you to do well and to still have time to rest and have a life. Really dedicating yourself to 2 AP classes and getting A’s in both of them will likely look better than getting B’s in them because you took on too much. I have a feeling letting you take two AP courses might even be a compromise he’s making. He may feel that 1 AP course is good, but since you want 3, then he’ll settle for 2.
I am not saying that you can’t do it. I don’t know you and have no idea what you are capable of, but I’m just trying to explain where your dad might be coming from based on what you posted. And I don’t think where he’s coming from is crazy or unreasonable.
If you still do want to convince him, then maybe you could get in touch with your previous teachers and ask them if they think you’re ready for these AP classes based on your work in their course. Contacting your AP World and English teachers will be good ones, but you can also contact other teachers who know your capabilities. If they think it’s a good idea and that you are ready for that workload, then perhaps they would be willing to speak to your father or write him an email saying that they recommend you take these AP courses.
If that doesn’t work, perhaps you could work out with some agreement with your father. Is it possible for you to drop down from the AP level to the regular class if it’s too much work? Are you willing to give up another commitment, like a sport or extracurricular activity, to show your father how you’ll have more time for your school work? What if you agree to get all of your work done by a certain time so that you can get a good night’s rest every night?
How did your counselor hurt you? Did they agree with your father? If your counselor doesn’t think it’s a good idea, then that might be another sign that you should take it slow.
I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but a B in an AP class is a B. While the additional weighting the AP course probably gives you will improve your class rank and weighted GPA, the vast majority of highly selective colleges will calculate your unweighted GPA and judge you on that basis. AP Psych is easier but APUSH has a lot of required reading so it’s not an “easy” AP. What you need to be successful in getting into top college is (a) a very high unweighted GPA, and (b) solid standardized test scores. I don’t know how many AP classes students in your high school typically take, this can vary widely. If possible, you would want to be taking a similar number of APs to the top students provided you can handle the workload without any slip in your grades. When an admissions officer is looking at two student applications and they are of comparable rigor and one student has a 3.75 and the second has a 3.9, the student with the higher GPA is in a better position. My D took 5 AP’s senior year Calc BC, Stats, Gov, Lit, Physics and she was routinely up until 2 AM doing homework. Personally i don’t think that’s very healthy at all and I would not encourage her to do this again if we had the choice.
I think you should go for it, if you’re really sure you can. I’ve seen tons of people go through vast improvements from their sophomore to junior years, especially in the way of sleeping more and getting better grades. AP world history is extremely hard (congrats on the 4!) and AP psychology is very easy. What I’ve heard about AP English Lang (I’m taking it this year) is that most of the work is done in class, besides annotating, which is a lot of work but concentrated mainly in certain parts of the school year. I’m not quite sure about APUSH; it will be harder than the others but not as hard as like AP chem and the like.
I think students should be able to judge what they’ll be able to do, and with some guidance from their parents, teachers, guidance counselors, etc., choose their own classes. If they mess up too much, then they should scale back. If they make a few mistakes but think they should continue to challenge themselves, then they should do that. Extra challenges and work motivates many people. Just make sure you have enough time to sleep a good amount, do well, enjoy your year, and focus on your extra-curriculars, whatever they may be.
Does your school recommend what AP or Honors classes to take? What is your current GPA ? Taking too many AP classes in the most crucial year of HS can tank your GPA. I’ve seen it happen frequently . APUSH is not an easy AP class and requires much more reading than your AP World class ( in most cases)
You need to be talking to people that have taken those classes at your school to have a good understanding of what to expect. While the tests are standardized , each class can be taught very differently.
And I know, but unfortunately, Parental Rights Amendment Section two says that parents basically have the right “to make reasonable choices for their child in public schools, such as opting their child out of classes the parents find objectionable”>