<p>I just received my schedule for next year (my junior year) and it looks like this:</p>
<p>Religion III
Honors French III
Honors Pre-Calculus
Honors American Literature
AP US History
Honors Physics
Creative Writing</p>
<p>We are officially limited to 4 Honors/AP classes per year but I had an exception made in order to get 5, but I'm worried that compared to the kids with ALL honors classes and a slew of APs that I'm going to look...weak. </p>
<p>Is there anything you could recommend to do to add to this so colleges see that I am really challenging myself?</p>
<p>NOTE: There aren't many APs offered until senior year--the only other two that I could have taken would have been AP Biology or AP Chemistry and they drew the line @ 5 Honors/AP courses so I couldn't take either of those...</p>
<p>I would ask the guidance counselor if when transcripts & school profile are sent to colleges if the school includes a notation that the school limits the number of AP/honors classes on the School Profile. If that notation is not included, it should be. On the School Profile, there should be a notation about the school’s rule about limiting AP/honors classes.</p>
<p>Colleges do not penalize students not taking classes that aren’t available or are limited. </p>
<p>That said…why aren’t you taking AP Bio or AP Chem instead of Honors Physics?</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing, but I know many schools (at least my school does it this way) that all three sciences need to be taken at some level before advancing on to APs. I’m assuming Physics is a required course and AP sciences can only be taken after or in conjuction with the fulfilment of this requirement. As French III is probably a requirement and the student probably doesn’t want to stop at Algebra II for math, there just isn’t room in the schedule.</p>
<p>This is just my assumption, I could be off base with all of that .</p>
<p>Wow…I didn’t know that some high schools require you to take bio, chem AND physics before you can take AP Bio or Chem. I’m glad my kids’ school didn’t require that. I don’t think my nieces’ or nephews’ schools do, either. But, I guess some schools do.</p>
<p>IF you are limited to 4 (in your case 5) AP/Honors classes, then maybe you should consider making some of those Honors classes AP classes instead. Could you perhaps take AP Lang instead of Honors American Lit? I think that’s the best way to work around that rule (which is a dumb rule if you ask me since I don’t think any school should limit their students if they are ambitious and motivated to learn…)</p>
<p>^^collegehappy: good thing you don’t live in some parts of New Jersey then…alot of schools not only limit # of honors/AP’s, but also have HUGE pre-requisites/grade requirements/previous averages to get into those courses…</p>
<p>my younger daughter is actually jumping through hoops to try to even get into honors…</p>
<p>I know that some/most schools do have hoops to jump thru in order to get on the honors/AP track…I guess it’s to prevent every parent from demanding that their child be on that track.</p>
<p>When my son was signing up for his senior HS classes, the school had never allowed more than 2 AP classes at a time. He pushed and got to take 4 APs his senior year. After he did it (and was Val), the school realized that the restriction wasn’t necessary. The policy has changed and kids can now take up to 4 AP classes per year. </p>
<p>The students really can’t take more than that because science APs take 2 periods, and since it’s a Catholic school, they also have religion and a study period. Of course, a student can self-study for more AP exams and take them in May if s/he wishes.</p>
<p>I am completely unable to take AP Lang until senior year–it’s for seniors ONLY. Literally the only AP courses I’m allowed to take are AP Chem, AP Bio, AP US History, or AP Art, or AP Music</p>
<p>Since I am not musically inclined or artistically inclined, those are out. </p>
<p>Physics is required–AP Bio & AP Chem are not. I took Honors Chemistry this year and took Biology Freshman year (there were no honors offered to Freshman). </p>
<p>At my school you can’t make courses APs…it doens’t work that way…</p>
<p>and I agree with college happy…the restrictions are ridiculous, but because the school is private & challenging so they’re allowed to do that… I pressume that before they limited them someone who couldn’t handle the classes took 12 and failed, and the parents kicked up a fuss, and they want to avoid that…that’s just my presumption.</p>
<p>Well, since you said your school is private and challenging, have kids in the past gotten into top notch colleges with those restrictions? If so, then maybe you don’t have too much to worry about then.</p>
<p>Not really. I mean there are the few that do, but not a whole lot of kids go to top colleges. Just because it’s private & very challenging doesn’t mean that the kids are overly ambitious with their college choices…</p>