This fall I will be taking 5 AP classes(Calc AB, Chem, Comp Sci, English Lang, US History). I want to self-study AP microeconomics but I’m not sure if the course load of that class will be too much to handle taking into account extracurriculars and sports? Should I self study for the course or drop it?
The five you are taking are more than enough. No need to add another especially considering you could spend that extra time on SAT/ACT prep instead
Exactly…colleges don’t care about self-prep. It has nothing to do with admissions. If you get a good score on the AP test then you can ge credit. But for admissions you need to do well on the classes you take in HS.
If your a sophomore do self study next year… AB is going to be tough because of all the new formulas and derivatives and integrals you are going to learn, and chemistry is not an easy class either…
Well all I can say is more power to you and that I think that it will definitely help in having colleges look at you good nowdays as that is what it takes to be “an average candidate” for that such as an ivy league school. But I will warn you, you can say goodbye to any social life and any and all friends you may have, well besides your bedroom because you’ll be up all night every night studying, oh and also while your at it you can kiss goodbye any good night’s sleep you may have ever thought of having this next year, as you will now be living and breathing school every second of every day, including weekends. So in conclusion I say go for it man, it will help you, but be warned there are real life dangers to overcommitting one self to anything, not just school but in general, it could be a job or friends or anything of that sort, anyway also be warned that having inadequete sleep constantly has been proven to increase chances of depression, lowered self esteem, and negative effects on ones general health. Your choice. I am just giving you the facts bro
Oh also you can say adios to any extracurricular or sports because with so many AP classes you will begin to realize that those will cut into your homework time which will then lower your already very little amout of sleep to near nothing, so to sports and extracurricular I say keep at a limit to ONE because it will just be too stressful and then you may reach a breaking point and quit, which is not what colleges want to see
College admissions is not a race to see who takes the most AP exams. You already have a schedule chock full of APs. Your time would be much better spent on things like: 1) doing the best you can in the classes you are taking 2) being involved in ECs and 3) spending time with family and friends than on self-studying for yet one more AP exam.
Agree that you have more than enough AP courses. My HS offers the majority of AP classes and I only took 3 — all during senior year. I got deferred from a top public and accepted at several other good schools, so from my personal experience I’d urge you to take the AP classes that interest you and not the ones that just buff your application. Good luck!
Semantics, but how does one “drop” a course being self studied.
Anyway, nobody is impressed with a self study course. Your schedule is rigorous enough.
FYI:
Stanford:
We expect applicants to pursue a reasonably challenging curriculum, choosing courses from among the most demanding courses available at your school. We ask you to exercise good judgment and to consult with your counselor, teachers and parents as you construct a curriculum that is right for you. Our hope is that your curriculum will inspire you to develop your intellectual passions, not suffer from unnecessary stress. The students who thrive at Stanford are those who are genuinely excited about learning, not necessarily those who take every single AP or IB, Honors or Accelerated class just because it has that designation.
You have plenty of APs. I feel that given that courseload, studying for another AP would just be too stressful. Are you interested in Economics, though? If that’s the case, go for it (and you might even be able to discuss how you overcame the challenges of self-studying in college apps).
If you’ve never taken many AP concurrently before, you may find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew and grades suffer. What year are you in hs? I might say, drop CS.
Don’t write an essay about the challenges of self studying AP courses. Lol.