<p>So during high school, I've developed an affinity for taking AP classes. I enjoy learning about different subjects and I love the challenge some of them poses. I know what you're thinking, that I'm some crazy lunatic with no social life nor passions but that's not the case. Learning's simply one of them.</p>
<p>By the end of junior year, I will have taken 20 AP exams (I took freshman 4/sophomore 7/junior 9(self studied 2)) and so far I have gotten 10 5s and a 4 (in bio).</p>
<p>Given that I get all 5s (and maybe a 4) this May, will this help me in college apps? Will schools see that I took so many classes and appreciate me for it?</p>
<p>Well, it certainly can’t hurt anything unless you do badly in the classes, which it doesn’t sound like you have. Congratulations on accomplishing so much! </p>
<p>Jeff Brenzel, former admissions Dean of Yale said:
“At the same time, we are not particularly drawn to one-dimensional students who have made their sole or primary objective in life amassing the largest number of honors or AP courses conceivable, accompanied by multiple efforts to achieve the world’s highest test scores.”</p>
<p>I actually think you’ve taken this too far. I hope you have something more interesting to say about yourself in your college application than that you took 20 AP’s by junior year. Did you do something to give back to your school or community? Were you a leader at your school? Did you explore a particular topic in depth (e.g., research?). Not all AP classes and subjects are considered equally rigorous and impressive. It sounds to me like you could’ve skipped a lot of them and done something more worthwhile with that time.</p>
<p>I don’t think it can hurt you but you are aware that most colleges only let you have course credit for a certain number of AP’s? Meaning, the rest will kind of be wasted, if your goal was to do only a couple years of college to graduate. </p>
<p>But anyway, that’s pretty impressive in one regard!</p>
<p>This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but are you doing it because you love learning or because you love learning AP? There’s a difference and hopefully you make yourself come across to the adcoms as an ambitious student who loves to learn, not an overloaded student who wants to amass as many AP’s as possible to look good. </p>
<p>Do what you love and learn about your passions. Good luck! </p>
<p>1) I learn like a sponge and too many classes in high school are complete bores. </p>
<p>2) I entered high school unsure of what subjects I had greater affinity for. </p>
<p>3) Beating the impossible amuses me.</p>
<p>I understand that I may look like a robot but other than these classes, I have a huge passion for piano including classical performance, composing/arranging, and community involvement. And I’m heavily involved in politics (which I experimented with to improve my social skills). From my experiences in sales and fundraising, I also discovered I’m very good at pitching.</p>
<p>From these classes, I’ve also discovered I hate bio, environmental science, and chemistry. I love physics, calculus, computer science, economics, and government. History is easy but it’s hard to take it seriously as a field since it feels like a giant PBS kids show, complete with the morality lessons.</p>
<p>I’m really attracted to the M&T program at Upenn because it combines my interests in tech/math/business. I took the classes because I love learning and I really hope it appears that way:/</p>
<p>It certainly won’t hurt you, but the general thinking is that the law of diminishing returns kicks in once you’ve hit 6-8 AP courses over your entire HS career, so it will not help you either. For a school like Penn, taking an AP class for which they do not offer credit will be neutral at best.</p>