<p>I'm a high school senior, and I've been trying to decide whether I should take AP Lit or Honors English this year. I was hoping that you ccers could give me some advice about what I should do. </p>
<p>I'm aiming to get into schools like Princeton, MIT, and Stanford to major in computer science and finance. I had the most rigorous schedule of anyone in my grade in Junior year. I'm concerned however that my Senior year schedule is not as rigorous as it should be, given the colleges I'm applying to. Here is my Junior Year Schedule and my current Senior Year Schedule:</p>
<p>Junior Year (semester 1 grade, semester 2 grade):
AP Macro/Macro (A,A)
AP Calculus BC (A,A)
AP World History (A,A)
AP Statistics (A,A)
AP Physics C (Mechanics and E&M) (A,A)
AP English Language and Composition (A,A)
Advanced Topics in Computer Science (A University of Maryland course offered to students in my high school. Students in the course take an official UMD exam at the end of the year and earn college credit) (A,A)</p>
<p>Senior Year
Multi Variable Calculus
AP Chemistry Double Period
AP Comp. Gov
AP European History
Unix Programming (college level computer science course that I'm taking online)
Honors English 12 </p>
<p>For more context, here are some of my other scores:</p>
<p>SAT I: 2320
PSAT: 232
SAT II's: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
AP Scores: I've taken all the AP's I was enrolled in during Junior year (8 total) and I took AP US Government and AP Computer Science in sophomore year. I scored 5's on all of these exams (so I have 9 fives in total) except for US Government (got a 4). </p>
<p>So what do you think I should do? Is my schedule good enough for Princeton, MIT, Stanford, given that I'm applying for a computer science major? Or do you think I need to take AP Lit for me to have a shot at those schools?</p>
<p>It does look kind of off that junior year you seemingly took a harder class than senior year.</p>
<p>-------------------------------------------If it is to be, it is up to me…</p>
<p>You’re not taking English or literature right now? Your record is very strong, but some schools do expect 4 years of English, so I’d guess you should take Honors English.</p>
<p>@typeakid That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I’m not that passionate about literature, but I’m worried that colleges will think I should have been in Lit. I’m getting one of my recs from my AP Lang teacher, so I’m really concerned about the point you just made</p>
<p>@lukemeister I am taking Honors English 12 right now. My decision is whether or not I should switch into AP Lit.</p>
<p>You certainly have choked your schedule with APs and other advanced classes- a mere drop from AP to honors won’t hurt. It actually might help cone May with AP Cramming.</p>
<p>If you want to get the college credits/placement, that’ll help in the long run, but don’t expect a denial for an H on your transcript.</p>
<p>@narainsk Oh, sorry, I missed “Honors English 12” - duh! I find it very unlikely that even the most selective college is going to think you should have taken AP Literature instead of Honors English.</p>
<p>@lukemeister and @Nin10dude317 thanks for your input.</p>
<p>Anyone else have any suggestions?</p>
<p>Gdamn it. I need a 2320 for a car 
. Other than that, unless English is your bane, go ahead towards AP English Lit.</p>
<p>DO IT if you have a natural gift for language; according to my English teacher, it’s really easy if you’re well-read and acquainted with literature. Otherwise, it’s a hard test to study for. BTW, you have no idea how jealous I am of your grades and scores. I think you have a shot at the top schools (assuming your extra-curriculars are great). How did you survive such a rigorous course load and still get all As? Any advice?</p>
<p>You should definitely take AP.</p>
<p>@ Psychoanalyze, thanks for the compliment. To answer your question, I just really enjoyed the courses that I took. My four favorite subjects are Math, Physics, Programming, and Economics. As you can see, all four of them were well represented in my Junior Year Schedule. I choose AP World because I’ve always found History fascinating, and I choose AP Lang because it was different from any other English course at my school (i.e. no books). I never intended on taking 6 AP’s as a Junior, but that’s just how my schedule turned out. So I guess the best advice I can offer you is to choose courses according to your interest, regardless of whether they are AP or not. If you enjoy your schedule, you should have no problem doing well.</p>
<p>Personally I wouldn’t risk not taking the AP. If you think you can handle it, go for it. Is English a strong subject for you? Do you think you’d get an A? Would it make you unhappy to take honors or AP? You’re such a strong applicant, but from your junior year schedule I would say take the AP.</p>
<p>(was that confusing:3?) good luck!!</p>
<p>Hi narainsk, What is your class rank?</p>
<p>Wow, it’s great that you did so well in all your AP classes. I think that if you take AP Literature it will get rid of classes you have to take in college. Are you worried you’re going to get a bad grade in AP Lit? If you are not worried, then I think you should go for it. Based on your scores, I think you’ll probably be able to handle it. Overall, I think you should go for it.</p>
<p>Honestly, I would say that it might be better not to take it, if you’re not really into the material. especially if you got a 5 on the AP Lang test. I’m not quite sure for the schools you’re applying to, but all the schools I’m applying to say that you get credit for a 5 on AP Lang OR AP Lit, so if you’ve already done well in the former then the AP test won’t actually get you any college credit. I’m currently in the class but have decided not to take the test. I think especially if you’re going to major in math/science and if honors is weighted you should just take honors.</p>
<p>I was in mostly the same situation but the reason I took lit was because Lit was supposed to be easier than Lang and the teacher for Lit is really helpful with college essays. but this probably isn’t the same at your school. But yeah, check the AP credit charts for the schools you’re applying to.</p>