Should I take 3 AP classes?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am currently a freshman taking:</p>

<p>Spanish 1
Biology
Alg 2/Trig acc
English 1</p>

<p>I am looking to major in computer science, finance, econ (something related, possible double major) </p>

<p>My school offers</p>

<p>AP World History<br>
AP Government/Econ<br>
AP European History
AP US History<br>
AP Language/Comp<br>
AP Literature Comp<br>
Honors Precalc<br>
AP Statistics<br>
AP Calc AB<br>
AP Calc BC
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Physics C
AP Environmental Sci.
AP Spanish 4
and also AP Computer Science as an elective
For APs</p>

<p>10th grade I a planning to take AP Stat, AP Euro(teacher is way easier than AP World at my school), Spanish 2, English 2, and then AP Chemistry(Super Hard, probably hardest AP at my school).</p>

<p>11th - Honors Precalc, AP US History, Spanish 3, English 3, AP Physics C</p>

<p>12th - AP Calc BC, AP Gov/Econ, AP SPanish 4, English Lit/World Lit, Ap Comp Science(or AP Environmental Science, I'll probably take AP Comp Science before senior year somehow)</p>

<p>I have all A's and want to attend an Ivy (who doesn't), more specifically an IB Target School hopefully.</p>

<p>I'm going to take my ACT and SAT 2 in Bio M this year (ACT/SAT) only goes up to Alg 2, why not)</p>

<p>I'm not sure which of these classes are good for my possible majors, or what college want. I also play a sport and am going to get an officer spot in a club.</p>

2

<p>bump …</p>

3

<p>Is there a reason that you’re not taking Pre-calculus (instead of AP Statistics) in sophomore year?</p>

<p>It’s not prudent to take Physics C without (minimally) taking calculus concurrently.</p>

4

<p>^I agree, Take Pre-Calculus as sophomore, your school will let you take AP chem without regular Chem? Again, dont mean to stress but if you are really good, take more AP’s in Junior - add in AP english…most competitive student try to take 5-6 AP Junior year. Unfortunately that is what you would be competing against.</p>

5

<p>Agree about Precalc and Physics. </p>

<p>Also, it may not be a good idea to take AP Chem, the hardest course, with no Chem background. Why not AP Bio? Taking AP Chem or Bio rather than AP ES would be more rigorous.</p>

<p>x-posted w/fall2016parent</p>

6

<p>The school recommended AP Stat before precalc so you can continue through calc 1 2 and 3 in college. They also allow kds with A’s in Bio and Alg 2/Trig to do AP chem without taking Chem first.</p>

<p>Not sure about Physics B/C yet</p>

7

<p>You can take all the APs you want. Don’t forget the point about getting 5 scores. How about taking a CS or finance class at a local college? And, to get into any Ivy: lots of kids max out APs, get 5s, plus take college classes. Your activities and the strength of the rest of your package will matter very much. Don’t just go for hs clubs, some title. Get out of your comfort zone.</p>

8

<p>How many AP’s would you recommend for sophmore year?</p>

<p>Also, should i maybe take AP Bio instead of Chem? Regular Bio is pretty easy, is AP Bio that much harder? My school requires 1 physical and 1 lab science.</p>

9

<p>There’s no specific number. It depends on:</p>

<ol>
<li>How many your school offers and their rules on which ones you can take.</li>
<li>What schools you’re applying to.</li>
<li>How many you can do well in.</li>
</ol>

<p>The reason I suggested Bio rather than Chem is because you stated that Chem is very difficult at your school and because you had a general bio class. The important thing is not just taking the classes, but also doing well in them, both for grades and test scores. I think whether Bio or Chem is better for YOU will depend on many factors, including, your interests, the teacher, preparation, etc. At least from the experience of my kids, the difference between general and AP Bio was not so much difficulty, but time. There’s a lot of memorization in AP Bio, but not sure that’s so different from any other AP ;).</p>

10

<p>Most find AP Bio easier than AP Chem. But some schools won’t let you take AP Bio without atleast a regular Chem.</p>

<p>Honestly I would not recommend more than 2 in Sophomore year. That gives you time to focus on your EC and sort of judge how you can handle it. Focus on getting A’s in all and 5’s in your AP.</p>

<p>There are certain overachievers who self study some APs…but you need to do a test run in sophomore year before you overload yourself. Some teachers expect a lot in AP classes so it takes a lot of time.</p>

<p>I am surprised about Precal. Honestly you dont need AP stat for it. It always looks good to have AP Cal in junior year (with a great AP score) if you are targetting selective school.</p>

11

<p>So should I just not take chemistry, and then go into physics junior year? that seams like it would make more sense for what I want to do.</p>

12

<p>Wouldn’t Ap Stats be good if I eventually want to go into IBanking for college course requirements?</p>

13

<p>Ok…you should try to take 1 of each (Physics/chem/bio) before graduating. I think it is always useful to take all 3 branches of science. Yes, you can take AP stat but in final year and take pre-cal in sophomore year/AP cal in junior year. Again, that is what I see folks following but some overachievers will take AP Stat with AP Cal in junior year.</p>

<p>Again…I am just saying you need to give the sophomore year a test run and not overload yourself. Have a chat 1:1 with your school counselor. Ultimately, if your school needs you to take AP Stat, go with that option. (Some overachievers will then take precal over summer before junior and take AP Cal in Junior). Again, it is individual decision based on ability and motivation and how much you can handle. We dont know you personally :)</p>

14

<p>AP Stats and APES are often not considered as rigorous as other math and sci APs. Totally agree, the sooner you take AP calc, the better it looks (if you can get an A and a 5.) </p>

<p>Btw, it’s lovely when kids load up on APs in senior year- but there are no scores to go with these, only midyear grades. It dilutes some of the effect.</p>

15

<p>Should I take AP Comp Science also? I would like to take that class, it is pretty interesting, but what year should I take it?</p>

<p>I think it will show my interest in the subject to colleges.
Thanks for all the input</p>

16

<p>APs aren’t just about showing you can climb a higher mountain- how you choose, your stats in them, the balance, etc, shows things about you. If you want a CS major, why not take AP CS as soon as it makes sense? Let adcoms see your grade and AP score. Also, with the course behind you, I’d guess you’d have a shot at a summer or school-year internship.</p>

<p>Whatever you do, aim for 4 years of foreign language, 4 of lab sci. If you have to drop back in foreign language or English (to honors or regular) because of a schedule conflict, that’s more understandable than skipping a STEM-related class.</p>

17

<p>Thats a pretty good way of looking at it. Thanks
Yeah I am going to take AP Spanish 4 Senior year(3,2,1 through high school) and 4 years of science, but only 3 of social sciences</p>

18

<p>Do you think it will be enough with just AP Euro an AP Stats? Do i need AP Chemistry or will regular chemistry be enough if I do AP physics junior year and another AP science senior year?
For math are you recommending doing honors Precalc-10th grade, AP Calc BC-11th (we can skip AB at our school) 12th- AP Stat? I would rather not self study Stats</p>

19

<p>I wouldn’t burn out too much sophomore year. you’re ONLY a freshmen baby!!
i’d take two, max. three if you think you can really handle it alongside your exc’s
junior year i’d take three, four max. FIVE IF YOU REALLY FEELING IT
AND THEN SENIOR YEAR, IF YOU REALLY FEISTY, TAKE ALL AP CLASSES</p>

<p>YOLO</p>

20

<p>what specific classes would you recommend for a sophomore? I am already doing AP Euro but not sure about wether to take AP State or Honors Precalc and have no clue for science</p>

<p>The APs my school offers are at the beginning of the thread</p>