I’m currently a junior in HS and am looking to apply to higher end colleges senior year. I’m currently looking to apply at Northwestern (top choice), UW Madison, UMich, NYU, UPenn (reach), Columbia (reach), now the list will probably get shorter as time goes on but that’d beside the point. I’m wondering if i don’t continue with AP lit senior year will these colleges look down on me. Currently my course load is:
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics 1
AP Chemistry
German 3
AP Language and Composition
Now senior year I’m thinking of doing:
Multivariable Calculus (at CC)
AP Biology
AP Physics C
AP US History
AP German
Then either British lit, or AP Lit.
My GPA is 3.79 uw and am hoping to bring the up past 3.8 this semester. If I take ap lit next year I’m fairly confident I can get a b, but it is not my strong suit, and would like to concentrate on my other ap classes. If I take brit lit I’m sure I can get an A. So what do you guys think?
It’s fine. Many top colleges will give credit for AP English Language or AP English Literature, but not both, so you have a valid reason not to take. Plus your schedule is rigorous enough as it is.
I’m not entirely sure how you are proposing to “cut back”. I guess I sorta see it now, but at first glance, your schedules seem roughly equally rigorous. But, is “equally” good enough?
Only some colleges would look down on it. Read the following excerpt right off Northwestern’s website and tell me if you think it might be one of them.
*"While you may have worked hard throughout your high school career, most colleges and universities will expect you to maintain (if not increase) the level of rigor in your senior year program. Taking fewer academic courses or decreasing the rigor level will only make the transition to college more difficult for you. It may also make your application less attractive to admission committees.
Summary
…Students successfully admitted to Northwestern will have taken the most academically rigorous schedule available, including a challenging senior year program."*
Well, that’s how I feel, too, but look at the new instruction that appeared there…“expect you to maintain b** the level of rigor in your senior year program…”
Wouldn’t his schedule maintain the level of rigor? While he won’t be taking AP English, he is moving to the AP German course. He would be taking the same amount of AP courses in both years.
Thanks for all the opinions guys, I meet with my counselor tomorrow for course selection, so i’ll also discuss with her. I seem to be kind of leaning towards AP Lit because of the “if not increase” quote in Northwestern’s website. Does anyone have an opinion on if taking an AP course and getting a B is better or worse than taking a regular class and getting an A?
AP Lit is very popular and one that should appear on your transcript.
The answer is that it’s better to risk the ‘B’, although I have to point out that thinking about it that way is setting yourself up to fall short of what you are capable of.
@JustOneDad I don’t agree with that. My high school was consistently ranked among the top 5 schools in the country and students there take either AP lit or AP lang, or neither (you cannot take both unless you take one as a junior, meaning you have to take both honors english 11 and an AP english at the same time and would be in a class along with all seniors). We send at least a dozen kids to MIT every year, similar or more to Stanford, and around 40 kids every year to the ivy league. Obviously, these top schools don’t care.
AP Lit is not a requirement for college. It does not have to appear on your transcript. You’ve already taken an AP english course and showed that you can handle it. As long as you still take an english class, they won’t care.