As most students, I aspire to get into a top college (ivy). Ive read online that Ivy students take their AP classes starting from Sophomore year, but i am a going into my Junior year and my Sophomore year i did not take any AP classes. This year, I will be taking 5-6 AP classes, and I dont know about my Senior year. I also have pretty good extracurriculars. My GPA was really not great my Freshman year but turned it around into a 3.8 my Sophomore year. One of the colleges I want to get into is Princeton, and I also live very close to it if that says anything.
The first (and most important) lesson is: don’t believe everything you read online. There are “Ivy” students who hit college having never taken a single AP, who take their first one(s) in Grade 9, 10, 11 . and 12. What matters is how rigorous your courseload is in the context of your class/school. For highly selective schools (not just “Ivy”) your GC needs to be tick a box on your application indicating that you have taken the “most rigorous” courses possible. The GC has latitude to determine what is ‘most rigorous’ for that school. Your HS will submit a ‘school profile’ that will indicate how many APs are offered (and the rules- at one of the secondary schools our collegekids attended only students in grade 10 & 11 were allowed to take APs; in another students in grade 9 were allowed to), how many students take them, what the average marks are. etc.
You live near Princeton, it is easy to see yourself there, and it appears that you go to a school with other students with high college aspirations. Pro tip: starting now (and continuing over the next year), pick some colleges that you like that are not Princeton/Ivy and do have an admit rate of at least 25-30% or higher. Find something that you like about each one- the location of this one, a particular program at that one, an EC at another- whatever. And for the next 18 months every time somebody asks you were you are thinking of going to college bring out one or another of them. “I think College X- they have this amazing program where you get to do Y”. You may or may not actually apply to them next year but
- it gets you looking at other amazing colleges, and seeing what they have to offer- and you may actually find places that fit you better
- it keeps the pressure you put on yourself from getting out of hand- if think you are anxious now about getting into Princeton, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Every homework, every quiz that is less than perfect for the next year will have you wondering ‘have I ruined my chances’? High school is about more than getting in to college and if you spend all your energy fixating on getting into a handful of super-select colleges you will miss a lot- including, ironically, possibly the thing that makes you stand out from the pack of applicants.
- with other strong choices that you are genuinely interested in, whether you end up at Princeton or someplace else you, your friends and family will be happy that you got something you are excited about.
Don’t take 5+ APs junior year from zero sophomore year. That’s a recipe for disaster.
3-4 should be enough, and 4 senior year.
Students who get into Ivies have done something nationally or internationally. Are you on track for that?
Finally, your college list should be built from the bottom up - it’s easy to have dream colleges , much harder to find two affordable safeties. Find these first.
You don’t need to do something nationally or internationally, but you DO need to be able to sort misinfo from legit.
No one can say most load up on AP early, considering different hs have different opportunities. You could be the sort who vets info. Eg, H and Y deans, among others, say clearly that this is not about an AP arms race.
You need to be researching what those tippy tops DO say, on their own sites and public info. That includes info about successful stats, incl gpa and testing. And what matters in holistic admissions…
^ to be more precise “nationally/internationally” is my shorthand for “exceptional” and not just “lots of stuff”, which the AP question seemed to convey.
@MYOS1634 Hmm, I can get that- and thanks for the explanation. I just think it goes over most kids’ heads and they take it literally, Lol, all the chance threads about some national recognition that actually amounts to little.
OP, you have miles to go, lots of true understanding to collect. Try not to go on hearsay or who-knows-what random comments on the web. None of getting in is as simple as being great in your own high school. Nor just wanting it.