I am considering taking the following classes next year (NOTE: most people at my school in top 30 are taking 5-7AP)
Classes:
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics 1 (Required)
AP English Literature and Composition (School has a rule that you have to take lit before lang)
AP US History
AP Seminar (Required)
AP Computer Science Principles (Should be easy because I am taking CS A this year)
French IV Honors
Would this courseload be manageable?
If you’re a really smart and gifted student, yes it’s manageable. If you’re just an average student that’s getting C’s and B’s, no it’s not. Beaware: it looks like you’re gonna have a big load of homework on your hands, unless you have block schedule.
This is a very rigorous schedule, but that should go without saying.
It doesn’t seem entirely insane or out of the ordinary (having all APs in math/science/English/history in junior year is pretty common for competitive university applicants), and if you have experience with challenging classes already, I don’t think you will have too many problems.
Just be aware that a reasonable drop in grades is likely to occur with such a dramatic increase in course rigor, but your weighted GPA should actually increase if you earn mostly A grades. As @orionary said, there will probably also be a lot of homework and studying required of you, as well.
Basically the only wiggle room you have is taking honors us history instead of APUSH, and calculus ab instead of BC.
So, you could do either one.
Or take us history honors and AP calculus ab.
Keep in mind that as long as you’re top 10% your ranking doesn’t matter much.
Top universities will not expect ‘all APs’ at all (the difference don’t one more AP). Taking 4 AP’s Jr year and 4 Sr year will be okay. Even if you take us history honors and calculus ab you’ll be fine considering how rigorous your full schedule would be.
To clear things up, I didn’t mean to insinuate that the universities would expect one to be in all APs; what I meant was that it isn’t totally uncommon for people who plan on applying to selective universities to reach all APs in their core subjects by junior year plus upper level or AP foreign language.
As @MYOS1634 said, you would definitely be fine with Calculus AB and Honors History in terms of course rigor; very few universities even expect people to have completed Calculus at all by the time they finish high school.
Remember, don’t rush to take anything you, personally, feel as if you are not comfortable with or that you don’t feel is relevant to your interests, unless it’s a graduation requirement or something recommended/requested of you by your targeted schools. Course rigor is still very important, of course.
Oh no, I am taking calculus BC because I am going to be an engineering major and our school offers Multivariable Calculus after. That’s the main reason why
And AP USH, is basically two years; we take the first part this year and second part next year
You should be fine.