Hey everyone, rising senior here. My counselor highly encouraged (basically forced) me to add AP Comp Sci since I took our school’s honors comp sci course in 10th and she was convinced my schedule wouldn’t be rigorous without an extra science. Here it is
AP Physics C (Mech. + E&M)
AP Calculus BC
AP Lit
AP US Govt
AP Macro
AP Compsci A
AP Spanish Language
I wanna remove comp sci because next school year will be hectic with college apps and difficult teachers, and I don’t wanna be bogged down by all the work. Also, I haven’t worked with Java since 10th grade, so I’ll have to relearn the basics (of course I’ll eventually fully learn programming though). On the other hand, perhaps my counselor is right…
Would it look bad not to take 7 AP classes as a senior. No. In fact 6 AP classes on top of college applications is too many. o yeah, I think your counselor is wrong.
Your counselor is wrong. Really wrong, actually. Having your entire schedule filled with AP’s the year you are writing your essays and sending in your apps is ridiculous. In most cases, 3+ AP’s is already rigorous. Seven is just overboard. You should be focusing on your apps senior year and if AP Comp Sci (or any other class/EC) gets in the way of that then you should drop it.
Yes, get rid of AP Comp Sci (unless you want to be a comp sci major, …then maybe drop AP govt or something.
What do you want to major in? What are your SATs?
You are correct that college apps takes time…plus your ECs and what not.
I would also look at potential colleges of interest and see what courses you could get ap credit for…
Does the colleges make you take a foreign language? If so, then the AP test may place you out.
But if you have no interest in furthering a foreign language then you could ask if you want to take AP Spanish.
Make a list of all your ECs, when you did them, about how many hours a week, and descriptions.
You only get 10 slots for ECs on common app, so start categorizing them. Like you may want to categorize all music ECs together, or split them up somewhat.
Make sure to mention what leadership you have in those ECs, even if not a formal position…and talk about what you did as a leader.
Choose a Common App essay prompt
Write a draft of your essay this summer. Give it to your GC/English teacher to review in the fall.
If you haven’t already, choose who you want to ask to write recommendations for you. If your major is STEM, ask a Math and a science teacher.
See what your HS Guidance office wants you to do for college apps…(look on their website)…Do they want you to complete a brag sheet or something else to help the GC?
Visit some local colleges…like your State flagship, a smaller private school…see what you like and don’t like about them.
Come up with a list of what you want in a college…major, location, urban/rural, size, etc etc
Based on that, use Naviance, Supermatch (here on CC), Fiske Guide, etc to come up with a list of colleges
Find out from your parents how much they can spend on college each year
Run the Net Price Calculator on those colleges to see if they are affordable
Try to visit some of those colleges over the summer if possible
Do all this and you will thank me in the fall…you will be taking the toughest courses of your academic career and usually having leadership activities in your ECs…you will be so busy but so happy you have all the grunt work out of the way for college apps.
Definitely drop an AP. Many seniors simply underestimate how much time goes into essays and writing the apps. Only take APs in areas that relate to your major (to get course credit) or you are interested in.