I second what skieurope said. The college application process is grueling and you will need to dedicate time to writing supplements, meeting with counselors, interviewing, visiting schools, and researching. You will need to do that while at least maintaining the same GPA, continuing your extracurricular activities, and finding time to just be a kid. It will be difficult do that if you increase your rigor from junior to senior year. I would not advocate taking more than 4 AP classes because of the work load. But in addition to that, when it comes to the end of your senior year, you don’t want to be stressed out. You should enjoy your last few months after you commit to your college and it will be difficult to do that when you still have year long AP courses that are giving you a lot of work.
@CaliCash @skieurope I signed up for 5 AP classes next year, so when should I study for the SAT/ACT? During this upcoming summer into junior year? I probably won’t have time during the school year.
Good job! You can study for your exams this upcoming summer, over breaks and then study the 5 weekends before the exam and take your spring exam. Then, study in the summer before your senior year, and take the exam in October. You will also have some time to prep during the school year because you won’t have as many APs.
@CaliCash do people really study for the AP exams in the summer before taking the class? I’m taking two AP classes this school year and was planning to start studying over Spring Break…if I want to take the SAT around three times, shouldn’t I start studying earlier?
I think s/he meant studying for SAT/ACT. I agree with the strategy with the caveat that, if possible, knock out all your SAT/ACT tests junior year, so you can focus on college essays over the summer before your senior year. Obviously, if you are unhappy with your scores, this strategy won’t work.