<p>I attend a high school of about 300 kids (grades 9-12). As a small school we lack the resources to have a large course selection, especially AP classes.
The only AP offered is calculus, which I plan to take. If I take the most advanced classes my school offers, will I still be penalized for a lack of AP/honors courses? (Not considering the rest of my application), will this hurt my chances to be admitted to an Ivy League school?</p>
<p>My kids went to a school with about 250 kids in the high school. No APs until senior year, and then they could take 2 (Calc or Stats, and one of two foreign languages). Our high school sends a few kids to Ivies most years, and my kid got into U of Chicago, Swarthmore, and Harvey Mudd last year (didn’t apply to any Ivies, wasn’t interested). So the short answer is no, if you have taken full advantage of what your school offers and looked outside for some development of your own interests and talents. But that is true whether you go to a high school with a graduating class of 500 or 50.</p>
<p>That would definitely be taken into consideration. If you really want to she passion for learning, you could self study a course that you’re interested in and take the AP test. It shows dedication and the ability to learn independently.</p>
<p>Just maximize what your school offers and that would be fine. No need to self-study and take extra AP tests. My two kids got into top schools, including multiple Ivys, with no AP classes or AP exams. You will be fine, just do great in all your classes. </p>
<p>Our school offer no AP, IB or Dual enrollment classes. It has strictly honors courses and there has never been a problem with students getting into the top schools, including the Ivys. </p>