<p>hey guys,</p>
<p>ok so for my senior scedule i have only 2 aps....but the big problem is that i took 5 aps last year, lol. the thing is i kinda blew through all the math and science aps and the ones left are Crap aps. </p>
<p>my plan was to do university level math (2-3 courses per semester) to replace this "deficit" of rigor, but all my peers think its weird and risky. </p>
<p>is it really that bad? (btw im taking courses at stanford's online school).</p>
<p>No. My school had no APs, so I took all of my academic subjects at a local university my junior and senior year. It really worked great for me. I wish I knew about Stanford's online school when I was an underclassman, because I probably would have wanted to do that too.</p>
<p>Hehehe. I did two APs my senior year too - Psychology and English Lit. I had done eight the previous year.</p>
<p>I think you'll be fine.</p>
<p>MIT will judge you by how much you did compared to how much you could've done. ie, if you school has 2 APs, and you took both, you'll be on the same level as someone who took a lot of APs at a school where a lot were offered. Don't worry about lack of selection senior year, especially since it sounds like you've done a lot already.</p>
<p>As for more classes, put aside the panic about applications. Do you feel comfortable taking that many classes? How does the drop procedure work?</p>
<p>Take as many tough classes as you know you can do well in. S never took more than three APs a year; he was taking 2-3 post-AP courses in addition. He aslo took APs only in classes he was truly interested in. The one exception he wish he had made was to take AP Eng Lit (no one takes it as his school because they don't care for the teacher or all the poetry). He took Honors English instead, was bored to death, had a lousy attitude, and his grade reflected it. He said "At least if I'd taken AP, I would have been challenged and had kids in the class who cared." Lesson learned. </p>
<p>First semester senior year is not the time to have your grades plummet due to an overly tough course load and applications. </p>
<p>If you are considering submitting research to Siemens or Intel, that is also a time consideration you must take into account. Those who get to the next level of each have a lot of outside preparation to do, and not much time.</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack the thread, but does MIT consider inability to take an AP due to annoying prerequisites?</p>
<p>Probably not, because they'd have to guess, out of tens of conceivable reasons a student might not take a certain AP, which is the actual reason, and that leaves too much room for (possibly incorrect) interpretation.</p>
<p>As a general guideline, don't fret about whether you take a particular AP or not. No decision will come down to that.</p>
<p>If you tell them, say in the "Additional Information" section, that's a different story. Just don't make it look like you're coming up with excuses, though. Again, that one class will make little difference, if any.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sorry to hijack the thread, but does MIT consider inability to take an AP due to annoying prerequisites?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Can you describe your specific situation?</p>
<p>Well basically students at my HS have to take a required curriculum to 'prepare' for a few AP courses. For example, to take AP Calculus BC (which I will be taking), you must be an Honors math student, complete the math courses required for graduation, and then complete a special preparatory course (Precalculus H-BC). Another problem is that some APs take up two semesters, and that makes it hard to fit them in my schedule.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Well basically students at my HS have to take a required curriculum to 'prepare' for a few AP courses. For example, to take AP Calculus BC (which I will be taking), you must be an Honors math student, complete the math courses required for graduation, and then complete a special preparatory course (Precalculus H-BC). Another problem is that some APs take up two semesters, and that makes it hard to fit them in my schedule.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Those don't sound like particularly annoying - just usual. Are you not in honors math? Have you not completed the math requirements for graduation?</p>
<p>And APs in most schools are two semesters (the only exception at my school was AP Government). I'm fairly certain they're designed to be that way. Have you taken other APs?</p>
<p>It kind of sounds like you're unwilling to put in the work...?</p>
<p>Err, aren't ALL APs (except the two Physics C courses) supposed to take two semesters?</p>
<p>Like I said above, I think AP Gov is another 1-semester class. Not sure, but having to take an AP class in 2 semesters is definitely usual. </p>
<p>The fact is that if you're not making an effort to fit challenging high school classes in your schedule when you HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, then MIT is probably not the place for you.</p>
<p>Um, just take what you actually want to take, without trying to figure out what will "look best." That is always the right answer.</p>
<p>There are two AP govt: Comparative and US. Each is supposed to take one semester. Some schools do a super-govt class that has one in one semester and the other in the next semester. There are two AP econ: macro and micro. Each is also supposed to take one semester. Some schools also do a super-econ class with one in one semester and the other in the next semester. My school only offers US govt and macroecon, so we do govt in one semester and macro in the other.</p>
<p>Hmm, my school (and the entire county, probably) makes them both full-year classes.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Are you not in honors math? Have you not completed the math requirements for graduation?
[/QUOTE]
I am in honors math, and I just finished my freshman year.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
And APs in most schools are two semesters (the only exception at my school was AP Government). I'm fairly certain they're designed to be that way.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
Err, aren't ALL APs (except the two Physics C courses) supposed to take two semesters?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but our school uses block scheduling (4 classes a semester.) It is hard to fit more than 2 AP classes in and still take the high school required courses. Just look at my sophomore schedule:
First Semester
Math 3H - Required
English 10H - Required
Health/PE - Required
AP Computer Science A
Second Semester
Math 4H - Should take in 10th grade if I want to take AP Calculus BC
Chemistry H - Required
US History 10H - Can be substituted with AP US History, but that class takes two semesters
Latin - Required
I could dump AP Comp Sci. A for AP US History, but I'd rather not.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
It kind of sounds like you're unwilling to put in the work...?
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
The fact is that if you're not making an effort to fit challenging high school classes in your schedule when you HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, then MIT is probably not the place for you.
[/QUOTE]
I am willing to do work. I'll do independent study if it boils down to that, but I'd rather take a class.</p>
<p>It can vary by whether or not a school is on semester block scheduling. My daughter's school offers some APs on a one semester only basis, in the fall, which leaves a big gap before the AP tests in May. Some APs, bio and chem for example, run two semesters, which theoretically is the equivelent of two year-long classes at a non-block school. In that scenario, there is less chance to fit in as many classes as students from non-block schools.</p>
<p>Also, in a lot of schools, if you want to take an AP class, you have to take the regular or honors version of that class first, which wastes a year on non-block schedule and a semester on block schedule. But I suppose that it comes down to whether you're passionate enough/have initiative to demand your counselor to let you straight into the AP class. Having your parents come in and yell at your counselor always works (at my school, at least, where parents>administrators/counselors>teachers). :)</p>
<p>At S1's school, AP Comp Gov is one semester, as are Micro and Macroecon. (Ditto at S2's school) He was also able to take AP Stat and AP Comp Sci AB as one-semester courses.</p>