Rigor of courseload?

Applying to College
1

<p>I was just wondering something about top colleges and their views of courseload rigor. I go to a very competitive public HS that's ranked in the Newsweek top 100. My school offers 25+ AP classes.
I'm just worried that I'll have a huge disadvantage.</p>

<p>Freshman year, I took all the most rigorous classes offered to me (all honors for the academic classes). However, instead of Honors Chemistry, I took another Honors science class that was one level down.
Sophomore year, I took all the most rigorous classes offered to me once again (all honors), including the 1 AP class that sophomores were allowed to take.</p>

<p>Junior year (this year), I'll break it down: I'm taking an honors foreign language course which is the highest level I can take. I'm taking Honors Chemistry because that's a fundamental science class which I did not take freshman year, so that's basically the highest level I can take. I'm taking the AP social studies course, and an AP English course (both highest levels). I was taking AP Economics, but I ended up dropping it because I found it uninteresting and too difficult. I'm taking Honors Precalculus, but dropping into Regular next semester.</p>

<p>Senior year (next year), I will be going to a different school that does NOT offer AP classes, thus I will not be taking any.</p>

<p>So.. that leaves me having taken 3 AP classes throughout the course of high school. Out of 25+ offered at my school. You can see why I feel so inadequate and insecure. I also think I might have a slight learning disability, so taking too many AP classes this year probably would not have worked in my favor. There is also an unfortunate downward trend in my grades.<br>
However, interesting fact: my counselor said she would mark on my college apps that I took the most rigorous classes offered.</p>

<p>Do you think that due to my low level of courseload rigor, that I will have a low chance of getting into top liberal arts colleges? Let's say my unweighted GPA is not good but decent..3.7 or so, weighted 4.2. Just really how much will this hurt me?</p>

2

<p>Don’t drop Honors Math, get at least one of your AP teachers to write recs, undertake some project/service/activity over the summer + beginning of next school year. Write an essay about it. Life moves on.</p>

3

<p>I would say that if the grade you would make in an AP class is not unduly disparate from that of a regular class, the designation of the course as AP (or, less so, honors, etc.) is much more important. Especially considering your counselor’s comment, I would be more concerned about the “downward trend in your grades.”
Also, your “slight learning disability” is completely irrelevant unless it is diagnosed and the universities are somehow notified of it. Sorry to be harsh, but that’s the way it is.</p>

4

<p>If you didn’t really take the most rigorous course load that you could, having your guidance counselor write a rec that you have is LYING. Especially if you’re dropping classes.</p>

<p>It looks better to take difficult classes and make B’s than taking easier classes and making A’s. The same goes for ranking. Even if you’re ranked #1, if you could have gone to a more competitive school and ranked lesser, it would also look better.</p>

<p>It’s a huge advantage to be competitive in the school that you are in now, but it would be a disadvantage if you went somewhere else, but you had the ability to stay at the previous school.</p>

5

<p>It’s about rank, not GPA. If you rank well it doesn’t matter what your GPA is. Colleges will know a school like yours well and you will be looked at in the context of your school. If your counselor says you took the most rigorous load it doesn’t sound like others took more APs.</p>