<p>I'm currently a Junior, and will be graduating next year. My GPA is around 3.85 give or take .5 (finals haven't been graded yet). I haven't taken any honors or AP courses in the three years I've been a high school student, and my SAT score was 1940. My parents are pushing me (hard) to take the SAT again next year, which I guess I'm okay with, but they also plan to force me into taking AP Euro next year, since it's the only AP course available to me. They say that by taking it I will have many more doors open to me, and I'll save tons of money (They are extremely against taking out loans). My dad works at Princeton University, which means nothing for my admission there but it does mean that 50% of my tuition will be paid for any college(s) I go to. The other 50% will have to be covered in scholarships. They won't be putting money into my tuition and I guess I'll be paying for transportation, supplies and possibly room/board myself (I have no car or license). I'd like to work in the IT field when I'm older, like for a school or company. Now that you've read my current situation, what do you think? What are my chances of getting into a good college with or without that AP course? Do I even need it (will it make a difference)? By the way, I live in NJ (think West Windsor/ Princeton area).</p>
<p>@rino757 AP courses at least in California play a huge role. The way AP courses are looked at is that you took the rigorous courses and went above and beyond, as opposed to simply taking the regular courses. Your GPA isn’t bad and I know some friends who got into okay schools without AP courses, but they definitely make a difference if you’re trying to go to a really good school. </p>
<p>You think about the pool of applicants who are applying. You’re automatically behind the curve because a lot of applicants applying for good schools straight out of high school will have AP credit backing them up to some extent.</p>
<p>So it would be a good idea to go for that one AP course next year, even if it negatively impacts other grades? Would having something like a B in AP Euro justify bringing my math and LA grades down to the same level? I could probably get really good grades if I didn’t have the workload of an AP course pushing down on me, but if the credits I’d get from it are worth it, I guess I’ll stick with the class.</p>
<p>@rino757: Well you can’t let your other grades slack off just because you’re taking one AP course. If you feel like it would truly have a negative impact on your GPA then taking it probably wouldn’t be advisable, just realize a lot of good schools have good applicants. Depending on where you apply you’re going to be in a huge pool of applicants who have been taking AP courses their entire high school career. </p>
<p>Also remember some colleges only give college credit for a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, so if you pass with a three it may not qualify you for the college credit. </p>
<p>You can always do the transfer route if things do not work out for you in the straight out of high school route! </p>