So I go to a public school that offers over 30 APs, of which I (along with many students at my school) have taken a great many. Unfortunately, this year I am currently having a scheduling conflict that is forcing me to reconsider my schedule (classes go through the whole year, and I have through December to drop a class without it showing up as a drop on my transcript). I’m a junior and currently taking 5 APs in school, as well as self-studying AP Calc BC (long story, my schedule didn’t allow it and I don’t do well with math within a school framework anyway). However, I’m now getting too busy with ECs, etc. to make enough progress on the calculus, and this might start being a problem. Upon examining my schedule to determine what was taking up all my time, I realized that I was wasting, on average, at least 2 hours every day due to my AP Computer Science class. This class assigns huge amounts of sheer volume of programming assignments; since I’m not the best programmer, this homework takes me absurdly long. I’m very good at self-studying math and similar courses, so I think I would be able to learn enough to do decently on the AP test (probably just as well as I would taking the class) by self-studying it in significantly less time than I would be spending just in the class period alone. Moreover, if I dropped the class and did this, I would almost definitely have time to finish Calc BC (otherwise I’d probably only get through AB at best). My grades in both this and my other classes are also starting to suffer because of random 8 hour programming assignments assigned 2 days in advance. Clearly, self studying CS would be very beneficial to my learning and my schedule in general.
My question is, how is it perceived when a student takes AP classes like these self studied when the same class is offered at their school? Will it seem like I was basically slacking and didnt want to take a bad grade (keeping in mind, by the way, that my GPA isn’t quite up to par with the rest of my stats), or will colleges be understanding of scheduling conflicts? Also, since independent studies don’t officially count on my highschool transcript (although I’m doing the Calc with an online program that will send grades), my highschool schedule excluding these would then have the equivalent of a full lunch and full study hall (since my school has required PE that’s only 5 periods of academic classes). Is this going to be an issue, or do I just need to establish on my app that I spent the remaining time taking these other classes? Should I be trying to add another minor class to make it look less sparse? I’m concerned about what would happen if I happened to do badly on the test and didn’t want to send it, but didn’t have any proof of taking the class. Does anyone have advice on what they would do in this situation? Thanks!
How does it look to have a gap in your schedule after dropping an AP class? That’s an issue to take up with your guidance counselor who will be evaluating your transcript for the colleges as part of the common application. If you are applying to selective schools, you need him or her to rank your transcripts as ‘most rigorous.’ If you have a big gap in your schedule and drop the AP CS, will you still be eligible for that ranking if you are self-studying? If not, it’s an issue - but only your GC can tell you have your transcript will be viewed. If you are applying to less selective schools, then not having the ‘most rigorous’ rating may not be an issue for you at all.
Keep in mind that a schedule that is so rigorous that you are unable to keep up your grades in your other subjects is a losing proposition. A ‘most rigorous’ transcript that is full of Bs will not serve you better than a somewhat less rigorous transcript that is all As, for example.
Lastly, there is a question about what your long term objectives are. If you are a future STEM major, you may want to tough it out in CS. If you think the CS homework in high school is demanding, just wait until you hit it in college. D’s CS courses drove her nuts because an assignment could take days to complete. She sorely wished she had had more programming experience - and noted that her classmates who did were getting through those assignments much faster.
Thanks for the reply! While I would generally assume a 4 AP junior year would qualify as ‘most rigorous’, my GC is really bad at giving straight answers to questions that don’t later end up manifesting as completely unrepresentative of the truth, so I’d tend not to trust in her answer to that at this point (although it probably says something that she once called me ‘brilliant’ and my lackluster GPA ‘amazing’). Also, I have a fairly unique schedule as a whole (including the degree of self studying) - my schedule this year has apparently never been done before by a junior at my school, so I, as well as my GC, really have nothing to go by. Is there a formula of some sort for the ‘most rigorous’ designation, like is it given to a certain percent of the class or a certain number of APs? Is it given separately to each year of transcript or just the whole thing (I’ll have taken at least 11 APs by the end of highschool)? Lastly, GC designations aside, would you say it looks better to
- have that extra AP grade for CS (even if ends up being a B) and maybe a slight boost in the CS test, with a more filled official schedule, or
- to have certifiably completed Calc BC (online, with a likely A+) and a respectable AP score in BC rather than a similar grade in AB, as well as a respectable self studied AP score in CS, but a less filled official schedule?
I don’t want to major in CS but I might end up considering physics, and it seems like I might do better in my current physics classes by learning more calc.
Sorry for my cluelessness about this process haha
“Most rigorous” is a rating that is given by the GC based on what the school has to offer and how the individual student compares to peers at the same school. So at some schools, taking 8 APs is bloody amazing and no one else had ever done it. At other schools, 8 APs is what the top third of the school does, so not particularly unusual. 11 is still pretty exceptional though, so I’m not surprised if your GC thinks that’s great. If she called you ‘brilliant’ and your GPA ‘amazing’ it’s a pretty sure bet that she thinks your schedule is going to meet the ‘most rigorous’ test even if you drop AP Comp Sci. Still, a conversation with her wouldn’t be amiss - and it’s an opportunity to talk with her about your larger goals and objectives educationally and personally. Building your rapport with your GC can only help you, whatever you decide about this particular class.
As for how dropping or keep AP Comp Sci looks to colleges, I’d not worry much about this one class. It sounds like it’s not going to matter either way. One B (or even 2-3 Bs over 4 years) is just not a big deal even at super-selective schools. One AP class more or less - ditto. They turn down loads of 4.0s for more interesting students with less than perfect GPAs. Given that that’s the case, go with your gut: Focus on the calc and self-study the comp sci (or drop it altogether and do something more rewarding with your time).