Should I take APs?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>I am a sophomore this year. I am not super smart like you guys. I don’t have any plans to apply to the elite schools. I do great in Math and Science and struggle with LA, especially reading comprehension. Right now my GPA with no APs and no Honors classes is 3.86. I am leaning towards Engineering career. The question is how critical are AP classes if I am not going to apply to the Elite colleges? My school does offer many APs. I am concerned about the AP exam, etc. What if I don’t do well in the exam and get only a B or so in the class itself. How do the colleges view that? Perhaps I should do Honors classes only. I am also thinking of doing AP Enrichment class in the summer at a local summer school to perhaps help me prep for AP next year. If I like it in the summer, I may take AP Physics and perhaps AP Bio next year. And plan to take AP Calculus in Senior year and call it a day. I am not necessarily looking for college credit but trying to be a little competitive for admission to the non-elite colleges. What do you guys think?</p>

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<p>What colleges are you looking at?</p>

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<p>Talk to whoever teaches theses course at your school. If you’re not apply to the super elite colleges, a B in an AP class is not going to hurt you.</p>

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<p>Colleges can change from now till the time comes to apply. But I am looking at Texas A&M, Drexel, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse, Purdue, etc. If I do really well next year, then perhaps Rennselaer Polytechnic but that might be a fantasy school for me. I am sure there are others out there I haven’t researched yet.</p>

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<p>What if I get a B in AP class and a 2 or 3 in AP exam. How do colleges view that? </p>

<p>My dad will help me with tutors if I need but my biggest problem is motivation and also I can’t sit for a couple of hours and work on something without distractions. No, I don’t have ADD. I was tested for that.</p>

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<p>Well if you get a 2 on the exam, you don’t have to report it to colleges. A B also won’t hurt you if it’s in a STEM class like Physics C. Even if you don’t apply to elite schools you should still try and take an advanced class to help to prepare for college academics.</p>

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<p>Colleges want to see that you have reasonably challenged yourself. If you have only taken regular courses, it might be best to take 2-3 honors courses next year and save the APs for senior year.</p>

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<p>I am taking Chemistry this year and doing resonably well with A- so far. Should I take AP Chemistry next year? Does that even make sense considering there might be some overlap in material?</p>

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<p>I think you should focus more on whether you will be successful in an engineering program. I would definitely take AP physics and AP calculus. Those classes are probably slightly easier than what you would encounter in your first year of engineering, and if you cannot handle it, best to find out in high school.</p>

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<p>I am planning to take Pre-Calculus during the summer so that I can take AP Calculus AB in Junior Year. I will also take AP Physics, probably in Senior year.</p>

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<p>I don’t know if this helps, but I’m in AP Chem and my teacher said that AP chem and AP physics are great classes to take if you’re planning on a science major. Even if you don’t pass the AP exams, you’ll still have the background knowledge and therefore do better in those classes in college. </p>

<p>As for your question about AP Chem, there are definitely some concepts from regular chem that are used frequently in AP chem, such as stoichiometry, molarity, etc. But AP chem covers a vast amount of information. And I really mean a lot. I a managed an A- for the semester but it was hard. You have to keep on top of studying and learning the new material because it keeps coming. It is quite interesting though.</p>

<p>I know that AP bio is basically a lot of memorization.</p>

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<p>Also, I’m not aiming for top colleges either, but my reason to take APs was to possibly save money, and to ease myself into college as much as possible instead of having a difficult transition into college, if that makes sense. I basically hope that the increased workload prepares me for a college workload. So that’s something to consider.</p>

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<p>" my biggest problem is motivation and also I can’t sit for a couple of hours and work on something without distractions. "</p>

<p>Everyone on this site agrees that engineering is hard no matter where you study it. Many programs have a pretty high weed-out rate. If you aren’t motivated and can’t bring yourself to work hard, you should be thinking about whether you’re cut out for it.</p>

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<p>I would suggest taking AP Chemistry because you’re obviously excelling. AP is not meant to scare students and its not only for the ivy league wannabees. By taking AP classes in high school and scoring well on the exam in May you can possibly save some money on college tuition, books, etc. because you will have already completed the class.</p>

<p>Also if you’re not aiming for elite colleges, AP classes can really help you get into higher ranked colleges. Rigorous classes usually come across as the student challenging him or herself and showing their desire to learn. Honestly, taking AP may look intimidating, but the effort you put into the class will overall be worth it in the end. </p>

<p>I’m a sophomore and I’m going to take AP US History and AP Government & Politics next year when I’m a junior. I’m also taking 3 other honors classes, so I don’t over work myself. Some people on this site bless their soul because they can handle like 8 AP classes. </p>

<p>Anyways if you’re interested in the class take it! It does look better and you won’t regret taking the AP class in the end.</p>