<p>Hi,
I am a straight A student and attend a very competitive high school. I am a Junior and currently taking 4 AP classes and 2 Honor classes. One of the AP Classes I am taking has a reputation of being very tough to get an A. </p>
<p>I have the choice of dropping that AP class (and take it next year with a new teacher) to preserve my GPA. The downside is that my course load could be deemed "less rigorous". </p>
<p>Or I take the chance of taking that AP class this year and risk of getting a B and lower my GPA.</p>
<p>Or I take the AP exam next May without taking the AP class this year to show college admissions I can ? </p>
<p>I am aiming for top Ivy league universities next year.</p>
<p>The best advice is to take only AP courses you are at least mildly interested in. If you have a strong interest in this AP subject, I say go ahead; the challenge will be worthwhile for you. If not (and you drop it), I don’t think it will count against you. The average number of AP exams taken by admitted MIT students, for example, was about 5-6 (through their whole high school careers).</p>
<p>MIT might not be the best indicator, though, since it’s such a math and science school. If you are inclined enough in math to even APPLY to MIT than why would you bother with AP humanities/english in HS?</p>
<p>Well, if I decide to drop this AP class (AP Physics) now but go ahead and take the Physics AP exam May of next year (I am pretty confident I can do very well on the AP Physics exam without actually taking the class), then will that at least create a favorable impression with top colleges/universities ? </p>
<p>Please let me know if you recommend this strategy.</p>
<p>^ If you want to major in science or engineering you should take AP Physics not only because adcoms would expect you to but also because it is very useful to have in your pocket before you go to college.</p>
<p>There is no doubt I will take AP Physics. If I drop it this year, I will take it in my senior year. The real question is if I drop it this year, my concern is that my current course load could be deemed “less rigorous” (i.e., just 5 classes, with 3 AP classes and 2 Honor classes).</p>
<p>So the advice I am seeking is: If I do decide to drop AP Physics (so as to protect my GPA), would it be a viable strategy to take the AP Physics exam next May anyway to potentially score some runs with college admissions ?</p>
<p>1) I assume your class rank is weighted, so the extra AP class helps your weight.
2) Admissions counselors expect you to have AP Physics under your belt if you are going into Physics or Engineering at a good school.
3) This one goes back to #1, but you are judged within the context of your school. If you finish with a 3.96 GPA but finish #1/200, you look better than the student who didn’t take AP Physics, finished w/ a 4.00 and finished #1/200 (or maybe 2 because he took a class weighted less than his peers).</p>
<p>Most schools will judge you in comparison to your school…I say most because my #1 doesn’t do that which is completely ridiculous. GPA is by far the most important factor in their decision and this college accepts kids 25% with 3.7’s over top 10% with 3.5’s. That’s how ridiculous this place is. It’s just not right.</p>