Hi, I’ve been reading that Harvard hopefuls take the most demanding course load at their school. So I was wondering, how many AP courses they take?
Most colleges will look at how many AP courses your school offers. A rigorous standard can look different depending on your high school.
Ask your GC since they are the one who checks the box. What makes a schedule most demanding varies by HS.
Well, I’ve read that top schools require 7 to 12 APs, my School offers 19 APs. Also they only allow Juniors and Seniors to take them. So I’m guessing that I should take the hardest courses, such as Cal BC, English Lit, Bio, Chem, Physics C and APUSH.
It means what your counselor defines it as, if you mean the checkbox on the report that the counselor fills in.
College admission readers may also look at your record of course choices beyond that.
To give an example, DD’s HS defines it as taking the highest level of classes in four of the five cores for all four years.
Other schools define it differently. That’s why you can only get an accurate answer from your GC.
BTW, Harvard accepts students without AP classes. Some top boarding schools have designed their own rigorous programs, and colleges are familiar with them. Other schools only offer IB programs. Some high schools are heavily into dual enrollment for juniors and seniors.
Also, not all AP classes are valued equally. Only high schoolers who don’t know better put AP HUGE in the same category as AP Calculus BC, or AP Chemistry or AP Physics C. Colleges know the difference in rigor and evaluate the transcript accordingly. It isn’t about sheer numbers.
You read wrong. Or you read it cirrectlt, but the writer was wrong.
A grand total of zero colleges expect an applicant to have all 3 of AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP physics C. For a top college, you should have a year each of intro bio/chem/physics plus one more at an advanced level. If offered, an AP history, an AP calc, and an AP English are good selections. And you can round out with other APs as needed. Many schools require gov and/or e con to graduate, so these are good AP choices as is an AP foreign language. There is zero expectation that you need an AP in every core subject, but they also don’t want to only see AP STEM
My apologies, but can you please maybe give me some advice on which on what to take?
See my post above.
I’m just asking because my school only offers APs for Juniors and Seniors, and I know in order to get into Harvard and Ivy League you must take the most rigorous courses available.
Will it look bad that my high school only offers AP courses for 11th and 12th Grade? I don’t want to bite off more than APs than I can chew.
You will be judged for admissions in the context of what is offered by your school so you will not be penalized that AP’s were not offered until Junior year.
What have you taken for the last 3 years to help determine what is appropriate for your Senior year?
What colleges are you targeting and possible intended major?
Many high schools only offer APs in junior and senior year. It isn’t that uncommon. You will not be penalized for what your high school does not offer. You will be evaluated in the context of what your high school does offer and what is typical for top students there.
I’m interested in schools such as Harvard or MIT. As for major I’m interested in Physics. Though I’ve read that for both school you don’t declare a major until Sophomore year.
For a school that only offers AP starting Junior year, I’d say 1 AP each in English, Math, Science, and 2 in history/social sciences would be a minimum “expected”, though there really is no such thing. And probably an AP CS for a STEM major, if offered. Many students will have a few more.
Here’s a planned schedule
Junior year
AP Cal AB
AP English Lang
AP US History
AP Chem
Honors Spanish 4
Senior year
AP Cal BC
AP English Lit
AP Euro
AP Physics C
AP Bio or AP Spanish still ambiguous
My school doesnt offer AP Computer Science. How does it look?
It looks very rigorous. Get excellent grades and along with some ECs, you should be a competitive candidate.
You do not need AP CSA, and you will not be penalized for anything your high school doesn’t offer.
FWIW, I would take AP Spanish senior year. Make sure you have a year of biology, a year of physics, and a year of chemistry on your transcript. They do not need to all be AP classes, though. AP Chemistry is not intended to be a first year chemistry class anyway.
AP courses before 11th/12th grade are uncommon. It is not like you are “behind” if you do not take any before then. After all, they are supposed to cover material otherwise suitable for college frosh. Usually, students who take AP courses earlier fall into one of these categories:
A. Super-advanced student in math takes calculus in 10th grade or earlier.
B. Student with knowledge of a foreign language from an elementary school immersion program or as a heritage speaker starts in a more advanced level, reaching AP level in 10th grade or earlier.
C. School offers an easier AP like human geography as an honors option for some 9th or 10th grade course.
For MIT you don’t designate your major until the end of your freshman year. Students are admitted to the university and are free to choose whatever major they like.
There are no minimum number of AP classes for MIT as the number of AP classes vary by high school. Rigorous can be loosely defined as finishing the highest level of a class track within your high school. Again that will vary by high school.
Will taking college courses over the Summer help my application?