Will top Colleges like MIT and HYPS care if I start taking AP’s Junior-Senior year

Applying to College
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Will top colleges like MIT or HYPSM care if I only start taking APs junior-senior year

I am a rising junior. My schedule is pretty rigorous for junior year . I plan on taking core class AP’s like Lang, APUSH, etc. I have a couple of science AP’s + AP CSA ( hoping for computer science major). I have my schedule planned for senior year as well…but, the problem is that my freshman-sophomore year schedule was not that rigorous due to scheduling conflicts via moving schools the summer going into my sophomore year. Plus, I was not eligible for the AP classes in my freshman year. So my question is, will starting late affect the rigor score in admissions to these top schools? Or do they just care that you’re challenging yourself?.

Helpful information:

School 1 (grade 9 schedule):

Honors: Biology

AP’s: none

rest are regular classes

School 2(10th grade):

Honors: World History, 9th grade ELA

AP’s: none

rest are regular classes

Junior year(planned schedule):

APs: APUSH, APLANG, AP pre calc, AP CHEM, AP PHYSICS 1, AP CSA

Honors: none

Basically all AP accept for Game design and Spanish 2

Senior year(planned schedule):

APs:

APLIT

AP calc BC

AP BIO

APMACRO(1 semester)

AP GOV( 1 semester)

AP euro

[Some other rigorous + interesting AP please leave recommendations - I want rigor + enjoyability]

The only regular class is going to be Spanish 3 (there are no honors FL at my school)

Here are the AP’s offered at the school I attended in 9th grade:

APHUG and APES

——————

AP classes offered at my current school(23):

ELA:

AP lang

Ap LIT

Math:

Both AP calcs

AP pre calc ( next year)

AP stats

Science:

AP bio

AP chem

AP environmental

AP physics 1( my school doesn’t offer 2 or C’s)

Social studies/ History:

APHUG

APWH

APUSH

APMAC

APGOV

AP EURO

AP PSYCH

Fine Arts:

AP art history

AP studio art 2D/3D

AP music theory

Languages:

Ap Spanish

CTE:
AP CSP

AP CSA

———————-

Questions/comments/ notes:

I will have taken 14/23 APs offered

I am trying to only take rigorous AP’s offered( I.E no APES)

What should my final AP for senior year be?

Should I see if I can dual enroll at a college for a higher level physics class or programming class senior year?

THANKS FOR READING :slight_smile:

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Those schools will look at how you actually do in your courses too…so hopefully you have tippy top grades.

These schools are reaches for everyone who applies. Acceptance rates are in the single digits. If you don’t get accepted, you will never know why.

Take courses that interest you. It sounds like you are doing so. Simply padding your resume with AP courses will not guarantee you an acceptance at HYPS or MIT.

And while I’m offering free advice…please please look for affordable colleges that you like where you have a much higher chance of acceptance. Start there. Find those. Then work your way up to the reaches.

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They care that you are challenging yourself in the context of whatever is available to you. There is no set formula. They don’t expect you to take APs as a Freshman if your school doesn’t allow it.

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Your additional Sr. year class should be a Foreign Language, AP or otherwise.

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Yes of course! I am only taking APs for core classes and computer science. I have a deep interest in science, so I’m taking AP chem and AP physics junior year. I don’t plan on taking any ART, music, etc.

Do you have any suggestions for another AP my senior year? I want to find another class to Keep the level of rigor from junior year.

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You are planning 7 AP courses your junior year and 6 your senior year?? That will be a tough schedule.

If you are taking Spanish 2 your junior year, you absolutely need Spanish 3 your senior year. Some of these colleges actually recommend 4 years of foreign language. You need at least three!

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Are you not taking a language at all? I just saw its not in Jr year either?

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Yep! I’m taking Spanish 3 my senior year. I want to try and dual enroll at a CC for a college for a programming class or a higher level physics class senior year. Instead of doing another AP senior year.

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Sorry I missed that.

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In my opinion, you don’t need another AP course.

Did you ever take a fine arts class of any kind? If not, why?

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I’m taking 6 Junior year. I plan to take atleast 6 senior year aswell. Maybe 7 if I do well junior year.

It probably wasn’t typed well in my OP, but I said that I will be taking Spanish 3 in senior year. I am currently in Spanish 1(sophomore), and then going into Spanish 2(junior year).

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Yes, I am concerned you are going to burn yourself out on this schedule, and possibly your GPA will suffer, and in the end…You are doing it for a 5% chance at acceptance. It is not worth killing yourself. If you really love these subjects, OK, but from your posts, it sounds that like you are just trying to go for the most rigor you possibly can. Rigor is certainly important, but not at the sacrifice of your well-being. Please take care of yourself first and foremost.

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I saw that. Some of the colleges you list recommend four years of foreign language. Recommend really means requires…so check to see what they recommend.

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I agree. No need to add more. Honestly, find something fun. Sounds like adding more for the sake of adding more and there is no need to do that. Schools see through it.

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I took graphic design freshman year. I took Beginning guitar sophomore year. Those are the only two fine arts classes I’ve taken in highschool. The fine arts APs offered at my school are art history , 2D/3D, and music theory.

I don’t plan on taking them. They don’t really interest me. Accept for maybe Art history because it’s history, and I find history interesting. But 2D/3D actually requires drawing right? Im not a good artist. Music theory requires advanced Music reading. Not really interested.

Most of my APs are in core classes though + additional science classes.

I am applying for STEM( computer science)

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As another answer has already stated, taking APs only helps if you can get very strong grades in these AP courses. B’s in AP classes are not going to get you accepted to MIT. However, B’s in English Literature might be okay for MIT as long as you have high A’s in math and science classes.

Also, all of “MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford” are high reaches for nearly every student. Even straight A’s in AP classes will not make it likely that you will get accepted to any of them.

Remember that during your senior year you will be filling out applications, writing essays, visiting schools, and trying to decide which school to attend (assuming at least two acceptances – which you should get since you should apply to at least two safeties).

I would be cautious about taking too many AP classes since they are tougher than regular and honors classes.

I personally like the approach recommended in the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site. As I understand it, it recommends that you do whatever is right for you, and do it very well. Do not try to figure out what admissions wants to see. Figure out what is right for you. This applies to both what classes to take and what ECs to participate in. I also believe that this applies to other top universities and not just MIT. This also does describe what I did to get into MIT. Of course what is right for you and what was right for me are likely to be entirely different.

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My opinion. Again. You do not need any more AP classes. Your schedule is quite full of them already.

I’ll let others disagree with me…if they do.

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True, my top choice is MIT. Which requires 2 years. But schools like Harvard require 4 years. I didn’t start a foreign language until sophomore year, which pretty much set me off the track for Harvards admissions.

Does schools that require 4 years of a FL auto reject for not having it? Or does it put you at a disadvantage only?.

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Here’s some extra information for my standing in school:

GPA: 3.9 UW

Class rank: 38/615

I got a B in World geography freshman year

Rest are A’s going forward. It’s just that I have a lack of AP’s freshman-sophomore. I’m trying to make it clear to colleges that I’m challenging myself while also taking classes I’m interested in.

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If a college requires four years of high school foreign language and you don’t have level 4 of a foreign language, it will be more challenging to get accepted.

If a college recommends four years, really, most folks who really want to be competitive applicants will have four years.

My opinion. I am not an adcom.

I’m quite sure you can call any college and ask this question.