<p>I'm a sophomore right now and I'm taking AP Biology and AP World History.</p>
<p>Our guidance counselors are forcing us to hand in our requested schedules for next year. I am eligible to take AP Chemistry and AP Calc BC (Taking Pre-Calc this year) next year, but I'm planning on taking AP Environmental Science and AP Statistics instead (Along with AP US and AP Lit).</p>
<p>So if I was applying for a top school (My goal is Stanford), would they penalize me for trying to take easier courses to boost my GPA? I'm definitely taking AP Calc BC senior year along with AP Psych, AP Lit 2, and AP Gov. But should I take AP Chemistry along with it too, so colleges don't think I'm being manipulative or something? :P</p>
<p>Thanks in advance. </p>
<p>(Sorry for the repost, but I just realized I posted that thread in the "Common Decisions" Forums instead of the "College Admissions" Forums. So I hope you guys don't mind me asking around here too.)</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with take Calc senior year and Stats junior year. I did the same thing to manipulate my GPA. My competition for the top spots had B’s in Calc while I slept through Stats with an A+. Was a great choice for rank and GPA, though I must say, forgetting a few little pre-cal details is a little painful in Calc (not too bad though).</p>
<p>I highly recommend AP Chem. It’s not too difficult and Environmental Science is hardly science at all. You won’t be “penalized” but it certainly looks better to take Chem. Plus, at my school, Chem is double blocked, and both periods counted towards weighted GPA.</p>
<p>What science are you taking senior year? And what did you take Freshman year?</p>
<p>Ultimately it’s up to you. If you have no interest at all in chem, you don’t have to take it.</p>
<p>Freshmen: Honors Bio
Sophomore: Honors Chem, AP Bio</p>
<p>I’ll probably take AP Chemistry in 12th grade, but a lot of people (even my own brother) told me that it was much harder than AP Bio, which I’m struggling enough in. And I’m planning to minor in Environmental Science in college, if that means anything.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input though, it helped a lot! Are you in college now?</p>
<p>Also, while I’m at it, I might as well ask: Does the GPA you submit to colleges take your senior year into consideration?</p>
<p>Oh, if you’re planning to do anything environmental, definitely take envsci, though Chem is still important (in any environmental area). </p>
<p>AP Bio is probably easier. It’s more about memorization than anything else. Chem is in depth, and often math oriented. You have to understand concepts, not just memorize facts. </p>
<p>Your initial application to colleges includes only junior year GPA/rank. Junior year rank is verrry important. Depending on when colleges make decisions, they may also consider your senior year semester grades/rank/GPA (ex Stanford, most top tier schools). Regardless, junior year rank and GPA is extremely important. I’ve been accepted to 5 schools already before my senior semester transcript even came out. </p>
<p>Okay, so I’ll stick to my current schedule for next year, and take AP Chem senior year. Thanks for all your help! I just hope you’re right and colleges don’t see through all of it. :P</p>
<p>It’s just that a lot of my teachers are being total pains in the ass. If we want to take an AP class, we have to get a recommendation from our current teacher of the subject (If I wanted to take AP Physics, I need a recommendation from my science teacher). We can take the AP class if we really want to, since we have the final say, but the school is ready to pounce on your ass as soon as you get a bad grade.</p>
<p>My Chem teacher is refusing to recommend me for AP Environmental Science, because she thinks I’m too “smart for that class” and it’s for “unintelligent students who want an AP credit.” My Pre-Calc teacher said pretty much the same thing about AP Statistics too.</p>
<p>Easiest AP’s
APES = a joke; take it for sure
AP Human Geography = also a joke
AP Comparative Government - not very hard, and the AP Exam has a crazy awesome curve.
APUSH - not very hard either, exam was a lot easier than I thought it would be</p>
<h2>AP Psychology = another joke.</h2>
<p>Don’t take AP Chem, especially if you don’t plan to major in anything chem-related. It’ll kill your grade (always does to everyone), and the exam is pretty hard. The loads of work and crappy grade that’s sure to follow isn’t worth “Oh look! I took AP Chem!” on your transcript IMO.</p>
<p>I’ve got a 92 in AP chem and a 98 in AP chem lab for the first semester. Depends on the teacher and how well you understand chemistry; not really about studying (for me at least).</p>
<p>AP Stats isn’t THAT easy… But it’s not difficult. I found the exam to be significantly more difficult than the class; though apparently everyone did as well- Of the 6 free response questions, I answered like 4.5, and still got a 5 on the exam. </p>
<p>As for APES, yes, it is a joke. I mean, your teacher should definitely recommend you if you have an interest in the environment (make that verrrry clear to her), but the class is pretty much just common sense and vocabulary. She can’t deny you because you’re too smart… I don’t think that’s what your counselors intended when they set up this recommendation policy… I would take it up with the counselors if she refuses to recommend you.</p>
<p>i’m not a math or science person AT ALL but on the other side of the spectrum, AP Psych is great, it is hard but its probably one of the most interesting AP’s, Gov I hear is miserable sometimes, and APUSH is good but a lot of reading. It is also very similar to AP Gov, thats why I didnt take gov.</p>
<p>Kay, so I think this is going to be my AP Schedule for the next two years.</p>
<p>Junior: AP US, AP Lit, AP Env, and AP Stat.
Senior: AP Gov, AP Lit 2, AP Chem, AP Psych, and AP Calc BC.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>I actually have the AP Chem teacher as my Honors Chem teacher this year, which is the main reason why she thinks she has such a good knowledge of my Chem capabilities. Anyways, thanks for all your help guys! I’ll probably go up to my guidance counselor and talk to him about my classes (Although he’ll try to wean me away from my current schedule too; oh well).</p>
<p>What I’m mainly wondering now is, will top institutions (Like my dream college Stanford or others) reject me because I took easier courses my Junior year to boost my GPA?</p>
<p>When you apply to these top tier insitutions, they are going to see that you took 4 AP’s your junior year and you will also list the courses you are taking senior year- 5APs. They aren’t going to think you took easier courses to boos GPA, and they aren’t going to look down on you for your courseload. I mean, from an outsider looking at your courses here, it looks like you took the APs that were available to you and challenged yourself. </p>
<p>Basically, they care that you took/are taking Calc, Stats, Chem, and EnvSci- they don’t care that the easier two were junior year and the harder two sere senior year. In fact, it may even look better to take the harder ones senior year. Shows them that you care about your education and aren’t blowing off your senior year.</p>
<p>At my school, both Gov and Psych are only 1 semester. Might or might not be this way for you (usually is). Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Alright, thank you so much! I think that answers all my questions/concerns.</p>
<p>Also, my high school is divided into quarters, and all APs are one year, and may or may not have labs (All science APs have labs; US, Lit 2, and Calc has labs as well).</p>
<p>Oh. I’m taking AP Psych and Gov senior year, so the fact that the course lasts for a whole year would make my time in AP Calc BC and Chemistry much easier. :P</p>
<p>haha i took bc calc sophomore year, it was really easy, and being an asian, you can easily do this! and have you thought about taking physics B and a foreign language? i’m in ap spanish this year, and let just say, if you actually do some homework, you’ll get an A in that…but i guess it changes from teacher to teacher. and i also took chemistry last year, was pretty easy, and so was the ap exam…but i would recommend taking ap human geo and ap comp sci since you don’t want to take all your hard aps your junior year</p>
<p>I consider myself a decent enough Math student, but I think my brother got all the “Logical Math/Science” side of the brain genes, whereas I got the “Creative Writing/Art” side of the brain genes. I can’t graph a logarithmic equation but I can play any Mozart you throw at me on the Clarinet. :P</p>
<p>I know I’m perfectly capable of taking Calc BC and Chemistry, but I know I’ll probably be in the B+ range, an A- at best. Also, my school doesn’t offer AP Human Geo (I’ve never even heard of it :P) and the AP Computer Science teacher is a total nutjob. Besides, if I wanted to take AP Comp Sci, our school has a Computer Programming course pre-requisite, which I didn’t take this year.</p>