<p>In my school, students aren't technically supposed to start AP classes until sophomore year, and even then, there's only one course offered. Students are urged to start AP classes during junior year, and the way scheduling works, I'm only able to take 3: AP Chem, AP Lang, and AP Psych. However, there are a few people in my school who have skipped levels of subjects by taking CTY classes (anyone who's been there knows they aren't really a good substitute for a real course :P) , and now, they have the opportunity to take 4 or 5 APs. I'm just concerned that in the end, I'll be behind when applying to college. I'm aiming for top tier schools, and if others in my grade are completing more APs by doing this, I'm just worried that I'll be lacking in comparison.</p>
<p>Do you think this will hurt me? Looking at next year, I plan on having 7 APs completed when I graduate while a few others will have at least 9-10. 7 seems really low compared to the national average as well .. but I can't help it because of my schedule/my school curriculum.</p>
<p>My understanding is that AP's are for placement once you get in, not for initial admission. Don't waste energy worrying about this relatively minor point. Instead, work hard to get the very best grades you can in the AP's you're taking because that'll bump up your GPA which is way more important than the exact number of AP's you've taken. If you really want more AP's, talk to your GC about getting material for specific classes to study and then take the AP exam in certain courses without having taken the class.</p>
<p>take as many AP's as you can while still managing A's in them. If you think you're going to do poorly in a class, you shouldn't take that AP. Getting straight A's junior year is more important than taking 1 more AP and getting a B, unless it's something like Calculus BC, at least that is what i think.</p>
<p>just ask your counselor how hard he/she would rate your schedule. that checkmark on the common app secondary school report is really important. if he/she says its the most rigorous, then youre set.</p>
<p>hey, i will take 7 APs by the time I graduate, but don't stress over the number of APs you're taking, and my school don't offer APs that much and juniors typically take 2 APs in my HS, but I took 3 junior year. And yes, I'm aiming for top tier schools like you are, but I think it's more important to get good grades/scores in those classes than the number of APs you're taking.</p>
<p>hey, i will take 7 APs by the time I graduate, but don't stress over the number of APs you're taking, and my school don't offer APs that much and juniors typically take 2 APs in my HS, but I took 3 junior year. And yes, I'm aiming for top tier schools like you are, but I think it's more important to get good grades/scores in those classes than the number of APs you're taking.</p>
<p>Zboy: good suggestion. This is what my son did when he was signing up for classes and his counselor said she would definitely check the "most rigorous" box on his profile/application. It took any question out of it. And, to the OP, you are judged on whether or not you took full advantage of what your school has to offer and it looks like you are doing so. What other students do in their free time will not affect your applications. After all, the college will only see what YOUR school had to offer and what you chose to take. The school profile will explain the availability of AP's, etc.</p>
<p>Listen to bessie. Don't worry about how many AP classes you've taken overall, worry about how much you've taken on in comparison to what your school has to offer. If you're really worried about something scheduling-related and want to explain, there's a spot on the Common App for additional info. I had a question in a similar vein to this (I can't take history my senior year, kind of a mix up) and when I asked a couple of admissions officers, they said just write a statement and include it there.</p>