<p>Alright, so I am going to be a junior this fall. I transferred to LSMSA, an elite high school, where I will probably take AP tests. My old school had no AP classes, so I earned college credit by taking classes at a local university. I was told that I would have a higher chance of getting accepted into my top schools (Duke, Emory, Cornell, Georgetown) if I take a total of 6 AP and SAT II tests together. Is that true? How many APs and SAT IIs did you guys take in high school?</p>
<p>I know those schools only require 2-3 subject tests, but I know that there are students who take way more than that. I am pretty good with my community services and awards and all that other stuff. I just need to know how many of these tests I need to take.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Taking classes at a local university > AP classes. AP classes are primarily for college credit, and the most they’d help you with a college is show them that you have a rigorous schedule/are challenging yourself. Taking AP classes is still a pretty good idea though, for those reasons. Maybe more…</p>
<p>As for the subject tests, going overboard is probably a bit pointless and a waste of money. I think that three subject tests should be the maximum. Four might be okay.</p>
<p>I’ve taken three SAT subject tests and three AP tests. I’m planning on taking three AP tests next year, possibly four.</p>
<p>Some schools require three SAT IIs. Only Princeton and Harvard, I believe. Still, I don’t think four or five is unreasonable depending on how confident you are with the ones you take.</p>
<p>Only take as many SAT II exams as you need to for the colleges that you are applying to. There is no reason to give the College Board any more money than necessary. You should take SAT II exams as soon as you have finished the class. For example if you want to take the American History exam, then you should take it right after you finish your American History class even if you take that class in 9th grade.</p>
<p>How many APs should I take? I know most kids take like, 7-9 total since their school’s core courses are all AP courses.</p>
<p>Take the ones where you will enjoy the challenge and where you will enjoy the subject. A lot of 5-6AP’s a year students get rejected because admissions committees didn’t see their passion through the transcript and/or other parts of their application. Take as many as you can handle (a B won’t hurt) and try to have a rigorous schedule with demanding, yet enjoyable, courses. Also, check the admissions website for your target schools and see what they say regarding high school classes. HYPS say that their most competitive applicants have 4 years of English, Math, Science, Foreign language, and Social Studies (That’s why I’m taking Pysch at a community college and Physics online)…with a fair share of advanced classes. Simply put, take advantage of your opportunities (but remember, don’t take every AP just for the sake of college admissions–colleges like to see passion for learning).</p>
<p>It depends. Which AP classes are available to you? I’d suggest taking Language & Composition, APUSH, and a math AP class if they’re all available. If you want to be more challenged, you can take a science AP as well, but that might be going overboard because they usually consist of a lot of homework and tend to be extremely challenging in general. Plus they span over two periods…unless it’s different for every school.</p>
<p>^ The two-period/two-year AP’s are only at some schools</p>