Hey guys… I need help! I need some advice for class selection. So, I am a sophomore becoming a junior next year and I am honestly lost on what to select. I will be taking four AP classes next year, so here’s what is set in stone:
AP Lang and Comp
AP U.S. History
AP Statistics
OPEN SLOT
This is what I need help with. PLEASE do not tell me, “Why do you need to take four APs?” Just help me. I thought I had my heart set on taking AP Econ, but honestly, I’m not sure if I can handle another year of my teacher. She’s my AP Euro teacher and she’s great, but her teacher style is just not for me. I work extremely hard and struggle to get an A- while other kids can easily get a 95+. With these other APs, I’m just not sure if I am going to be able to do her summer homework (like a 400 page book and an essay) and uphold good grades in her class. My question is, do I bite the bullet or do I just choose another AP? I have never taken an AP/honors science class, so I really need one on my transcript. Is it worth it? Will it ruin my growing spike? Here’s my options for other APs:
The answer really depends upon your current interests as well as your future career interests. If you are determined to take 4 APs, then Econ is as good as any, particularly if your HS has an Econ requirement for graduation. Personally, unless you have already take bio/chem/physics, I would wait on AP Bio (or another PA science until senior year). CSP is fine if you have an interest in CS, but pointless, IMO, if your only reason for considering it is because it’s an AP. If your concern in taking Econ is that you will have to “work extremely hard and struggle to get an A-,” well nobody said life is easy. Good luck.
@skieurope Do you think it will come off as lazy if I apply ED somewhere? That would mean while reading my app, I’d have no challenging science classes on my schedule.
@skieurope Even if I decide to take it, do you think AP Bio looks worse than AP Econ? Or do you put them on an even playing field? I would be taking it concurrently with chem.
Why are you taking AP stats? What about pre-calc or calc?
Take a science…you should have Bio, Chem and Physics at a minimum + an AP science if possible.
What level of math have you gotten to? For really competitive schools, you don’t want to graduate H.S. without taking either AP Calc AB or BC. AP Stats is not a substitute for either. Nor is AP Comp Sci.
I agree with @bopper about having the 3 lab sciences. AP Bio should be in the mix somewhere, if possible.
@bopper@LoveTheBard I am taking AP Stats and Honors Precalc concurrently. I would be taking AP Calc AB my senior year. I would also be taking Chemistry and AP Bio concurrently. So I would finish high school with everything you guys mentioned. I am taking Honors Bio (I have an 100%), so I think I could be successful in AP Bio. I will be taking AP Physics as a senior.
What does your ENTIRE schedule look like?
Be aware that AP Stats doesn’t really count, unless you’re not good at math and that’d be considered a challenge.
Have you taken Honors Bio, Honors Chem, and Honors Physics? Those are more important than an AP Science for junior year if you’ve not taken them (or the regular version; or AP Physics1).
AP Econ/Gov tends to be more of a senior class BTW, as is AP Bio.
@MYOS1634 At my school, you can’t take Physics UNLESS you’ve completed Chemistry. They cannot be taken concurrently. I am good at math. I take Honors Algebra 2 and I got a 96 first semester. I addressed my science situation in the previous comment. AP Econ is open to juniors, as is AP Bio IF you take Chemistry with it. I would take Honors Chemistry, but I honestly can’t stand Chemistry. I would rather get an A in the CP class than get a B in the honors class. Here’s the full schedule:
AP Statistics
AP U.S. History
AP Lang and Comp (only have class twice a week and for the rest of the week, we have opt. out)
AP Biology
Honors Precalc
Honors German 4
Chemistry
Ap Stats really isn’t necessary but if you like stats, well, it won’t be a hard class. Keep in mind it will not add anything to class rigor for colleges so don’t do it for admissions, do it because you love math.
What do you want to major in? APCSP is a pretty new class, and it has a reputation for being an “easier” AP, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing - APUSH and AP Lang are known for being pretty hard, and it can help to take an “easier” AP to balance it out. Some of my friends take CSP, so I know a little bit about the class; you need to keep in mind that it’s done in a project-based format like Seminar and Research. If that doesn’t sound like something you want, it might not be worth it. Also, coding is a good skill to have, but I feel like it’s a bit overhyped, especially if you plan to go into a humanities field.
AP Bio is considered a bit more of a “senior” course, but if you really like biology and you’re really good at it (you sound like you are!) it might be an option. Make sure to talk it over with your current bio teacher though - they’ll know how hard the class is at your school, and whether or not it’s the right class for you. AP Bio and AP Physics 1 (2? C?) would be a hard combination, so if you want to take Bio in high school, next year might be the perfect time.
Hey! So I am taking AP Macroeconomics as a junior right now (my school only offers macro) with AP Lang and APUSH but all I can say is that that class has made me struggle for so long. Only like 4 people in the ENTIRE macro class (because my teacher only teaches two periods of it) have an A. Heck I’m struggling to get even a B; the tests are ridiculously difficult and free response question could ask you to do a lot of stuff. There are so many graphs and concepts you learn that imo it was hard to prevent myself from getting confused. But then again I did not even know what an interest rate was until this class so maybe I was destined to not do well haha. But I would choose the AP that interests you the most. Do not take the AP class because it’s an AP; it will be meaningless in the eyes of colleges admission officers.
@hsstudent13 I actually spoke to my teacher this morning, and she was the one that recommended me for it. I actually know sophomores who are/have taken AP Bio. To be honest, I don’t know what I want to do. I love political science, but I am not going to spend 240k on a degree where I’m going to struggle to find a well paying job. It sounds pretentious, but I am just being realistic. I will probably apply for pol. sci., but then transfer to business or something in the STEM field. I know economics could be related, but I am being serious, I don’t think I can handle another year of this teacher without having a mental breakdown. Ugh, why is something so simplistic so complicated.
Poli sci majors from a good college will have better odds than business majors from a local college. It’s the kind of field where perception m, resources, networking and career center - unlike stem, there’s no ABET accreditation that levels the playing field and peer quality is going to matter a lot more in discussions. Poli sci majors tend to do very well, especially from schools like Dickinson, Hamilton, or Middlebury.
In addition, your choice isn’t limited to 240k or nothing… Start running NPCs on a few colleges. A good college list starts with two affordable safeties you like. These are the hardest to find because you should like them and be ready to go there if you’re not admitted elsewhere, and they should match many characteristics (Vibe, course offerings…) in your reaches except for prestige and selectivity.
Get a ‘Fiske guide’ or ‘Princeton review’s best colleges’ and find 10 schools you hadn’t heard of yet offer a good education in Poli sci and have a 40%+ acceptance rate. Run the NPC for each of them.
@ab2002 If you think you can handle AP Bio, and your teacher seems to think so, then I’d say you should go for it, or at least seriously consider it. But only if you have experience taking several AP/honors/etc classes at once and it’s gone well for you. If you really like Econ you might want to consider self-studying the AP exam? You should only do that if you are actually interested in economics though - self-study for the sake of self-study isn’t as impressive as you may think, but if you have a genuine interest in the subject, it carries a lot more weight on your application.
Another important thing to keep in mind is SAT or ACT prep. You need to decide which test to take - you should probably try a practice exam of both. If your scores only have a small difference, you can decide to either take both or take the one with the format you like better. Then you have to figure out how much you want to improve, and how much you have to study to do that. (Keep in mind you’ll see bigger improvements at the beginning, so don’t get stressed if it seems like a lot!). If you don’t think you’ll be able to get the score you want and still do well in school and your ECs, you might want to reconsider your schedule. Otherwise, you’re good!
