Should I take more AP classes or take a course I am passionate about and self study?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

I have read on similar threads that colleges discourage self-studying for AP classes, but I wanted to get some insight on my current situation.

I am currently a sophomore, climbing junior, and have so far taken 4 AP courses. These are the only AP courses allowed for 9th-10th graders to take. In 9th grade we were only allowed to take 1 (AP HUG) and this year we were only allowed to take 3 (AP Psych, AP Bio, and AP Seminar). I got a 4 on my AP HUG test and feel very confident about my current classes’ scores.

My school only allows you to take 6 two-semester classes a year. I have a strong passion for medicine and helping people, so I would like to take anatomy and physiology next year along with 5 APs. Senior year I am planning to take med careers (a class where you shadow doctors at the end of each day) and 5 other APs.

Currently, these are my plans for junior and senior year:
Junior: AP Research, AP Calculus BC, AP English Lang, AP Spanish, AP US History, and anatomy and physiology.
Senior: AP Stats, AP US Gov, AP English Lit, AP Chem, AP World history, and med careers.

The problem with this is that I also would like to take AP physics, for both personal interest and college applications. I am thinking about self studying AP Physics 1 and 2 with the help of a teacher junior and senior year respectively. I was wondering if taking these 2 tests and getting a 4 or 5 on both would enhance my application, or if it would have no effect. I really do not want to replace the medical classes I want to take with AP Physics, but would this make me more desirable? Is there maybe somewhere I can take the class online to get a grade for it on my transcript?

For extra information, I volunteer at a hospital and will next year be the president of our FCCLA club, and have won nationals for service projects in that club. Next year I plan to do my service project at a hospital (haven’t gotten all the details yet), so these also show my passion for the medical field. I also get straight As, a 4.0 current unweighted GPA and a 4.67 weighted GPA. I don’t participate in a sport, but I am considering it. I also work at Starbucks, if that’s anything extra, haha.

My dream colleges are UCLA or Stanford. What would be my best plan of action here to get into these colleges?

(P.S. I have talked to my parents, my school counselor, a personal counselor, and all my future AP teachers about coursework, accommodations, and stress. Please do not tell me not that my course load is too hard.)

Thanks in advance!

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I’d recommend fitting in AP physics at school. You can take it instead of AP research junior year of instead of AP world.

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You’re at an age where you’re still exploring and discovering more about your interests and abilities. School is still about getting an education and learning about yourself, not just about building a resume. Take a course in something you’re pass

I wouldn’t make any decisions based on a goal of getting into Stanford. Applications there have approached 50,000 a couple of times in recent years with only 2000+ being accepted. Chances of realizing that goal areremote at best.

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@BillMarsh

“Take a course in something you’re pass”

Assuming you were starting to say “passionate about,” I am right in agreement. It is not completely about AP coursework to gain admission. In many respects the university would rather teach you the college courses. You do not need to finish college before you even attend college with a series of AP courses.

@Buki777

Bill Marsh has hit the nail on the head! Your passion and the development of your interests are big elements here. Projects are a more personal vehicle for developing and discovering yourself. They feed your own intellectual growth and help you to discover the interdisciplinary nature of the real world. Projects are not exclusive to only one discipline. Like a good teacher, the project becomes a more personal multifaceted vehicle for discovery of disciplines and real world solutions.

Passion counts in the best research and in much of discovery. Without it, demanding work becomes a real chore. We need committed, passionate problem solvers.