Taking 5 AP classes Junior year?

<p>Is 5 AP classes too many for one year? I have seen people do a lot more than 5, but I have only been in one AP class, so far.
My schedule for Junior year is:
AP Physics
AP Biology
AP English Language and Comp.
AP Calculus AB
AP Macro/Microeconomics
Spanish III
I don't know if this is too much, considering I have only been in one AP class. I think I am perfectly capable of doing it, except I don't know about the homework. My high school has this program called dual enrollment, where kids take all of their classes at a local college. So, I think that if kids can take all of their classes at a college, with all of their classes being harder than AP classes, I can handle 5 AP classes. But, I still really don't know. Is this too many? I know people are going to say, "Take what you can handle." But, I don't know what I can handle. Please help!!</p>

<p>Yeah, it is too much, especially having been in only one AP class beforehand. You don’t need to do this to be competitive at top schools. There is NO point in doubling up in sciences, ESPECIALLY those two. AP Bio= 2.5-3 hours of note taking * each night * guaranteed. AP Physics I imagine would be similar to the workload of AP Chemistry only a bit more. AP Lang ad Comp is often called soft but woe betide those who get the difficult teacher! That was another hour and half of work to do during the tired night. Then math? </p>

<p>If you ever ended up having a project or a little bit extra homework in econ or spanish, you’d be doing way too much homework. Please take my advice from someone who has done this and now regrets it. Cut a science (if you can take physics senior year, save it for then). Then your schedule gets much more handle-able.</p>

<p>You won’t have a problem with five AP classes, especially with the classes you are taking. The only class you may potentially find time consuming is AP Bio but all other classes are not very hard. I had the same question from my freshman to sophomore year (from two weighted classes to five) but it worked out fine for me. Good luck.</p>

<p>hobbithill you said, “AP Bio= 2.5-3 hours of note taking each night guaranteed.”</p>

<p>At my high school before you sign up for an AP class, they gove you an information packet containing all of the information about that course. It is available online, and I have read them. The weekly workload for AP Bio is 8 hours, which is just over an hour each night. AP Physics is even less. The AP Econs are 2 hours per week, which isn’t a lot, at all. AP Calc is 4 hrs per week and AP English Lang is 3 hrs per week. My school does not give a lot of homework, lol.</p>

<p>Not a big deal. I’m doing 6 my junior year and still work out every day after school.</p>

<p>^^ Can you confirm that with other students? Our teacher for Bio thought we spent no more than an hour or an hour and a half on reading, but everyone in the class always agonized for much longer. If it’s true for your school I think I might cry at the sheer injustice.</p>

<p>p.s. If you have a nice counselor and you show her how much you’re struggling, she’ll probably let you drop a few classes when the year is actually in session.</p>

<p>I think you really need to consider what AP classes are like at your school. I know at mine, the maximum people even consider taking is 3. Also consider what your schedule will be like for the two weeks of AP testing and the weeks leading up to it. Often times if you don’t finish the curriculum by test day, you will be responsible for teaching yourself the missing info. April and May will be HELL especially if you take SATs and/or ACTs then. Honestly, talk to upperclassman who had a similar schedule. They’re the only people who will actually be able to tell you what it’s really like. Personally, I would take the AP classes that you know you will enjoy and do well in.</p>

<p>It depends on what you can handle and how intense you think the work load is going to be. Personally, I took three APs my junior year, figured out that I could handle them pretty well, and took eight APs my senior year (though one constituted two APs, AKA micro/macro; I also took a research class) and had no problem at all. Take what you’re comfortable with and what you’ll enjoy.</p>

<p>Just for reference, I took 6 aps my junior year, while only having one before that year, and had maybe 1-2 hrs of hw a night. Got 5 5s and 1 4</p>

<p>Since you know yourself the best, of course the final decision is yours. Personally, I took 5 APs junior year (Calc AB, Chemistry, Physics Mechanics, English Lang, World History). The workload was bearable, but hectic at times, especially during sports seasons. If you know your teachers, you can get an idea of how much work you will have. I honestly didn’t have that much homework, except for chemistry and occasionally english. Studying for all of them was a pain in the butt, but somehow I managed to pull off all 5s with a 4 in Mechanics. Anyway, good luck :)</p>

<p>Oh wow, I just wrote a comment on your other post about junior and senior schedules. In that case, why not switch regular anatomy and AP bio around. It will be much better to spend the last 10 weeks in AP bio doing a full review of your anatomy class than doing a whole year of anatomy after covering the full thing in 10 weeks.</p>

<p>So jumping from 1 AP to 4 AP’s. Still a hell of a jump but not as bad right?</p>

<p>Sorry to get in the middle of this, but isn’t AP Macro/Micro 2 separate APs?</p>

<p>^ It’s 2 separate AP exams, but it might be offered as 1 course? I think it’s similar to Physics C because my school offers it as 2 different courses, but some other schools offer it as 1 course, even though it’s technically 2 AP exams.</p>

<p>I would drop one of the 2 ap sciences u are taking</p>

<p>Last year (my junior year) I took AP Chem, AP AB Calc, AP Human Geo, and AP Lit and Comp and it was no big deal at all- you’ll be fine</p>

<p>just letting you know…taking 2 sciences is hell. And one of them i took wasn’t even AP!!!</p>

<p>i’m doing pretty much the same thing.
AP Chem, AP Physics C (calc-based), AP US History, AP Calc BC, and AP Language. Along with Chinese III. </p>

<p>if you’ve been in an AP Class before (considering it’s not Human Geo or Psych, which are considered the easy APs at my school) you should pretty much know what the workload is going to look like. if you’re doubting yourself - in any case, it’s good that you took AB, which lessens the workload. it’s not at all impossible, just know that you have your work cut out for you. </p>

<p>Besides, if you come even close to having the knowledge required to get into those classes, your judgement skills should be right anyways. You’ll be fine.</p>

<p>//Yeah, it is too much, especially having been in only one AP class beforehand. You don’t need to do this to be competitive at top schools. There is NO point in doubling up in sciences, ESPECIALLY those two. AP Bio= 2.5-3 hours of note taking each night guaranteed.//</p>

<p>Really? I don’t understand how people can KNOW how classes, even AP, are run at schools they don’t go to. I barely had any work in that class, got an A and a 5. The same runs the other way.</p>

<p>That said, only take two science AP’s if that’s what you like. Doubling on what you like is not a bad thing.</p>

<p>Well this made me scared for next year.
Im taking:
AP English Lang
AP Chem
Calc BC
USAP
AP Computer Science</p>

<p>I realize that Computer Science isn’t <em>that</em> hard, but still.</p>

<p>Same for me. Except its Ap calculus bc, Ap environmental, Ap chemistry or Ap physics, Ap English lit, and Ap Ap American history. I hope its not too much. I guess try talking to kids who’ve already had those teachers at your school and ask how hard they found it. From 1 to 5 is big, but manageable. But BTW, local college classes actually tend to be much easier than AP’s. I’m taking 2 now as a rising sophomore, and they’re easier than my gifted classes. Colleges like AP’s more, and they tend to give credit for them over college courses. If you’re really smart and aren’t afraid to work, is say maybe drop a science or just go for it. Good luck :)</p>