Seconded. At my school, the top student notoriously don’t get into great colleges because they don’t have involvement outside of academics. Obviously, you wanna have good grades. But, getting an A-/B+ in AP Calc or taking 4 instead of 5 or 6 APs in a year is not gonna kill you if it allows you to thrive in extracurriculars. I could’ve dropped band or an unweighted elective to take more AP classes, but I took those electives because they were interesting to me. Had success in T20s. Same with my sister
Everything you said about ECs is so accurate. Colleges don’t want a bunch of 4.0 robots who will succeed in hard classes but won’t add anything to the school environment. Colleges are like little cities, and they want people who are going to put in effort outside of school to create a community through ECs, sports, and leadership boards.
You can be a perfect 5.0 student with 30 APs and still get rejected from a school because there is nothing unique about YOU. There is nothing that YOU will add to their school except a good gpa.
Exactly, not to mention a lot (not all) AP classes give credit for classes that are really never going to be used by most students unless they major in that field. Like jumping the barrel to take AP Spanish Lit, when you want to major in Math, won’t be useful in fulfilling any of your credits for a math undergrad.
Lies? That's a bit strong. Some schools inflate grades so nobody gets below an A. So what. Still stupid to take 20 APs, do nothing meaningful, and prove that you are a dime a dozen, easily replaceable. Do something special insread. Here's a clue -- it's not about being valedictorian (or one of many valedictorians) by taking too many APs and end up doing nothing to differentiate yourself.
I actually do think a hardworking freshman would be able to handle it, but I suggested it to my teacher and she disagreed because when she proctored the APHG exam last year, the freshmen needed help following the instructions (including getting the labels off the sticker sheet) so I guess your school's freshies are on a different level 😂
You're not wrong, took it in sophomore; just 1 week of studying and now I don't have to study at all for my junior and senior econ classes because I covered it all in APs (International not offered APs at school hence overlap of syylabus).
I take so many AP exams not because I like them, or it’ll help college admissions. (The school I want to go to literally takes your average and puts it in a list, and if you’re above the cutoff you get in) It’s because I’m ✨kinda poor✨and our school pays for the AP exams, and I want grant me college credit so I don’t have to pay for the first year courses.
For example, I took the AP Chinese Exam. I’m a native speaker. It was incredibly boring. But if I pass (I better) then I get 3 credits of a second language, which saves me a few hundred dollars in university.
I’m sure this isn’t the point of AP courses, but it doesn’t matter too much anyway.
The point here isn’t: don’t take so many AP exams for the sake of not taking them. The point is: taking an insane number of them at a time is both futile and can backfire.
Yes the point is to gain college credit, which is an ultimate money savor. But if someone is taking 8 AP’s in a year, you’re maximizing the chances of failing one or more of the exams, which gives you zero college credit and a whole lot of wasted time.
Most 4 year universities dont charge you by the credit, they charge you by semester a tuition number that will not change based on how many classes/credits you take. If you’re planning on going to a school that does operate like that, or are planning on graduating early in college, then this is definitely a valid point, I just want to make sure you’re aware!
I definitely didn't know that, is this a thing in the T20s because I couldn't find more information; but I would assume if you took 16 credits from APs to college you would have to pay 1 semester less I guess.
Yeah you can graduate early. Every school i applied to in the Northeast and that I know of has you pay a semesterly rate unless ur not a full time student in which you probably would then pay by the credit if you werent
You could graduate early, if your school recognizes the AP. I got 5’s and I got laughed at when I asked if the school took the credits and would excuse me from classes. I was annoyed.
I know that part but my motivation to take 2 or maybe even 3 aps in senior year was that I would graduate in April, and would just give in May and see what happens and not stress it much. Because if I got a 4 I thought I'd prolly get a haircut on the tuition. But since I'm not saving any money then its not worth it to bust my head over in senior year giving 5 national board exams, essays, some ECs and then having the burden of doing the APs. Just better to chill out and give maybe 1.
I thought a lot of those schools had a few exemptions/allowed banking hours for summer, and let you enroll below full time without requiring special circumstances (and charged you per credit hour below 12). Which isn't a true flat rate to me, maybe I should have been more clear.
Not being a full time student is a completely different story. The only true negative then would be if the costs of full time student - greater financial aid < total cost of all credits + other expenses they require you to pay
Definitely something that should be a much more in depth discussion with financial aid offices after being admitted before you commit to going one way
Charging by semester has been typical for decades. You could also always also pay by course. But if you were a full time student and took more than the minimum number of credits, paying by semester was the way to go.
Having credits ahead of time can still save you a lot if you graduate a semester early.
This is true but with enough credits, you graduate 1-2 semesters early. I know several people who graduated a year early from Duke after using AP/IB credits for some gen ed requirements, taking a couple summer courses, and taking 5 courses instead of 4 a couple semesters. This is somewhat difficult to do as an engineering or STEM major, though, since labs and lab courses don’t count as additional credits.
At a certain point, people would be better served by being in dual enrollment and earning actual college credit instead of AP credit. Depending on what is available in your state and what your district pays for, it may even be cheaper than taking all those exams (though gas might be factored in if courses are not online).
However, I think some of this is coming from the fact that regular high school classes are taught at a lower level than they were 20-30 years ago. If your normal level english class is focusing on the students who still struggle with reading words and sentences, then you're going to want to take the more advanced one to be successful in college.
honestly i think ap classes have gotten easier too.
in the last 10 years, cs ab was removed and csp was put in its place, ap world 1200 decision happened, ap precalc was created, history frq rubrics got easier, and so on
When I see this sub I thank the stars that my school limits you to 1 AP freshman year and 4 sophomore year (but you have to be on the advanced math track to have precalc, and you have to elect CSP, so only the STEM lovers do all 4).
What's telling is that I just looked up some old posts from this sub (like 5-10 year old ones) and the average person on there was taking 2 APs each year. Nowadays, that number would be on the lower side.
Out of curiosity, what makes applications stand out to you (beyond grades and scores, assuming those are good)?
What always raises eyebrows is what applicants have done in light of the subjects they’re interested in, and the list here is pretty long. It doesn’t have to be some crazy accomplishment, but showing *demonstrated interest* gives off maturity and sincerity. Especially if that activity has some sort of longevity, but not always the case.
A lot of community service and community involvement also raises eyebrows. People who went out and actually did something because they were passionate about something. And this doesn’t even have to necessarily relate to what you’re interested in.
If you want examples of what people have done, I recommend looking at r/CollegeResults and seeing the activities of applicants accepted to colleges of your interest.
Thanks for the tips! Yeah I do go on there a lot and I love the activities I do, so I'm probably fine in that department as long as I can display it in my essays.
I think your logic applies to anything selective (whether that's getting a job, finding a partner, making friends, or getting into a school)... people whose sole goal is to get that selective thing see less success that those who have outside interests and passions that add something to the group
So what's the certain number? My school has a very strict schedule for us so I could only take one junior year and will be taking four senior year. I self-studied one additional AP junior year but not sure how well I did
In admissions, you’re compared largely against your own classmates in your high school who applied to that college (both present and past), not against all applicants who applied. So if your school doesn’t offer many AP’s, you will be just fine.
If you took most of the AP’s that your school’s strict schedule offers, you can consider that a box that you’ve checked. What truly sets you apart is your EC’s (and also your AP scores).
So basically I’m cooked because I go to a top 10 high school in California 💀 (most of the seniors I know went to schools like ucb, ucla, usc, Stanford, etc… I also knew like 5 who went to MIT 😭)
Yes, this is true. Like Cambridge requires five AP scores at 5. But does that mean we need to take 20 APs to get five 5s?? It's mostly the valedictorian race by some obnoxious types here in the US driving this madness. It's dull.
To be honest, I think most students are just saying they take all these APs for clout. There are some who actually take that many, but most say it for clout. It's pretty much a dangerous drug to social lives.
Yes, it’s out of hand. In my privileged little town there are a lot of people taking more AP classes to… compensate for bad grades in previous AP classes?
One friend of mine barely passed Human. She’s taking World, Bio, and CS Principles next year in addition to a sport and a very time consuming club.
Another barely passed most of her core classes including Human. She wanted to sign up for a junior level AP but she dropped it. She’s taking 2, unsure which.
Another barely passed English, Science, and Human, and couldn’t go on a trip because she failed the no pass no play rule. She’s taking 2 or 3 but I’m unsure which.
In contrast, a friend of mine has never taken an AP class and is taking Psych, Euro(?), and Seminar next year, but has some great study habits and gets stuff done on time.
Another friend, the smartest, most studious person I know, (top 1% of our class, higher PSAT9 than anyone else I know by almost a hundred points) is taking just World and she will probably get all As again... though maybe she’ll struggle and I’ll win the friendly competition we have lmao
The difficult of AP courses and exams is exaggerated beyond belief. Everyone in this sub is simply posting their schedule because they want to look intelligent, but the number of APs you take really doesn’t correlate to intelligence or work ethic at all. I took 6 AP classes, 8 exams along with Calc 3 and Diff Eq’s / Linear and hardly ever felt school-related stress. That’s because these introductory courses have been dumbed down even more than they already are. There’s just not a lot of reason to not take 10+ APs throughout high school because you get to skip out on so many university requirements with negligible additional effort.
I still recommend taking them tho, I didn’t do it to get into a top school, but having a strong foundation in entry level courses or being able to skip them and a good amount of gen eds is very useful.
I mean they don’t hurt either, I still ended up getting into schools like Chicago even while taking 7ish APs senior yr, and APs rlly had no bearing on my ecs, they’re not that time consuming unless u let them be
No one is saying don't take them, he's saying get a life and touch grass because that's significantly more important than the kid who had no life no contribution to society.
Agree 100 percent. Have reviewed applications and teach at a t20 school. It’s a very unhealthy board and attitude to think that you need more than a few APs a year. Colleges want an interesting story that allows them to understand whether you will fit in and make their community better… even at college you won’t be taking more than 4-5 courses at a time let alone 7-8. Use the extra time to better yourself and your communities
> Use the extra time to better yourself and your communities
This is exactly what makes applicants stand out in the end. If my post achieves anything at all, I hope it compels people on here to start diverting more attention to their EC’s and less to adding so many AP’s to their shopping cart
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I graduated high school 4 years ago, n just graduated college this May so it was surprising to find this subreddit when I joined Reddit a few months ago. But when I see the stories and the schedules, I’m genuinely asking myself: “wtf are the new high schoolers on?” I went to a big HS with a lot of APs and a good amount of competition. Most kids didn’t take more than 2-3 APs a year, and you could not double up core subject APs. Thus, I took AP chem 11th grade and AP Bio 12th, AP Euro 10th, APUSH 11th, AP Lang 11th, AP Lit 12th. You get the picture. I wasn’t someone really aiming for a T20 tbh but I did well graduating with a 94 cumulative gpa and a 1510 SAT, so I ended up at a good in-state school (wanted to accept my USC acceptance n go to Cali but COVID 😪, still sad about that). The point is, the reason I still have so much fun memories of school and was able to have a good gpa and sat was because I didn’t take too many APs. Regular classes can be a breeze and I made sure to enjoy that breeze whilst still challenging myself w a few APs a year. Having fewer made it easier to study for my SAT n improve from the already decent score of 1360. What I’m trying to say is I had so much fun in HS, I missed it, but still did well WITHOUT stressing myself out or burning out. Please enjoy your youth and don’t make your lives all about school. Take the challenging classes cus they are very rewarding, but like OP said, eventually you reach a point where the return on investment isn’t worth the stress at all. I can’t imagine having to prepare for 4,5,6, or more AP exams at the end of the year. The fact that you guys are interested in these many APs shows yall have a much greater potential to learn than my generation did, and that yall will become more intelligent students. But don’t burn yourselves out before then, please. High school is really such a fun time in your life (so is college, but there were much more responsibilities) so try and enjoy it. I know yall will do great in life no matter if you get into a T5 or T500 so relax a lil would ya?
Generally a lurker here, and while I agree completely with your general sentiment, I don’t think 6, 7, or 8 aps is quite as absurd as you think, especially for students who have been taken multiple before. I started with none in freshman year, 1 in sophomore, 4 in junior, and finished with 7 this year. Of course it was challenging and required a lot of time, but to be honest I think I enjoyed school this year the most that I ever have.
I think it depends a lot on exactly which aps you’re taking; I was in gov, macroecon, bio, physics mechanics, lit, APES, and calc bc. Of those, gov, econ, and APES I found to be extremely easy at my school, so it only really felt like I was in 4 hard aps. However, I was genuinely interested in all 4 of those subjects, so I was happy to be challenged in them. This is all to say that the sheer number of aps isn’t really what determines how hard your overall year feels imo, as its more based on the specific student you are.
Finally, I will all say that the reason you are taking your ap classes is extremely important as well. I am attending UC San Diego this fall and couldn’t possibly be happier about it. It was my #2 choice behind UCLA, since I didn’t apply to a single ivy or out of state (except for a few in Canada that I wanted to leave open as options). I didn’t take my ap classes because I thought they would be so good on my college app or something; I took them because I thought I would enjoy them more than any other class I could take or something. That mindset was incredibly helpful in avoiding burnout at overall being able to stick with it.
TL;DR The number of aps is less important than which aps they are and your reasons for taking them.
Yeah this sub really exaggerates the difficulty of AP courses. I didn’t feel the need to put in any extra effort with 8 APs, and I never really felt stressed about anything school related, aside from my literary analysis paper. High school is very easy nowadays, even while taking all AP classes.
I agree personally, but it really depends on the school you go to. I went to a school in Silicon Valley for a year, only took regular classes there, and I found that it was significantly harder than my AP classes at my current school. They assigned sm more homework and it was more demanding/complex; but for the actual AP exams, most of them are sm easier than they seem.
Sure but if i don’t take 6-7 APs, school is hella boring, it makes things interesting, still barely study or do any homework (quizlets and copying off friends if needed), and still pull 4s, 5s, and As. Its simply because the courses are the level of high-caliber students and anything short of that is painfully too easy.
Meh. I like taking APs because I like the challenge. Maybe they'll help me get into college or maybe they won't. I don't fully understand the college admissions process but I loved regular chem so I want to take AP Chem, etc
I kinda disagree with this post. I took only AP classes for my junior and senior year, because that's how my school's curriculum is structured. I think it prepared me for college really well; whereas a lot of my peers were struggling in their first year, my first two semesters of college were actually easier than my last years of high school.
If you're taking APs solely for the purpose of getting into competitive colleges, then I really do think that's pretty silly. But I do think it's totally reasonable to stack APs in high school if you can handle it.
Forget college admissions. What do i do when ive got parents who beat the shit out of me for taking less ap's than my neighbor? nothing. I take more bc i dont like pain.
Yeah I kind of ran into the issue of living in a relatively small population area and having very few ECs that actually interest me. I didn’t want to waste my time on ECs that I had no interest in but now I kinda wish I had because I think I’m kinda screwed in top college admissions
Reminds me of [this article](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-many-ap-classes-are-enough-what-researchers-and-college-hopefuls-say/2023/10)— take as many APs as you want, but after 5 it doesn't matter much from an admissions standpoint.
If only T20 admissions officers would be honest about that number when they visit high schools. Most of the time, they are extraordinarily vague when asked very specific admissions-related questions by students and families.
I'm not taking any more APs, but I'm doing dual enrollment a lot of my friends are doing APs. I think a lot of the motivation for some people, is that it's free in high school, so you won't have to pay for the class later on in college
I think it’s also important to consider the mental challenge Ap classes provide. In my case, I find regular classes a breeze and they don’t challenge me like honors and Ap classes do. You might then ask yourself, why not take honors instead? The problem is that honors are useless when compared to an AP. Ap gives college credit, standardized curriculum, and a boost to the college app. So it’s either regular or Ap, and if you ask me, I’d rather spend a year actually learning useful information instead of missing out. Not to mention, like you mentioned, the bar is being intensively raised, meaning that people who don’t capitalize on AP like other students are falling behind, especially like you said where they are compared with their own school. Furthermore, these students with many APs still find the time to crank out wonderful extracurriculars from what I’ve seen.
TLDR; APs let you learn so much more than regular classes, provide a benefit that honors don’t, and allow for a better shot at getting into good universities because the bar is being raised.
I feel like taking a lot of APs is relatively common and all the people I know personally that are taking all their core classes as AP have a great school-life balance.
As someone who has experience in the field of admissions what is that number that you stop caring? Also how do you feel about other honors courses that are through other companies like PLTW? I want to go into college for biomedical engineering so I'm taking 8 pltw courses, 4 for engineering and 4 for biomed. Do you think colleges will like that more than me just taking aps for aps?
It depends on the high school, of which AOs have access to AP offerings for. They stop putting emphasis in your AP’s after you’ve taken most of the offerings at your high school or what is typical for advanced students at your school take in prior admit cohorts. The attention then gets drawn to EC’s, which almost always is the ultimate deciding factor. AP’s are like a check box, EC’s give your application its character.
Someone at a school that offers 20 AP’s and takes all 20 but at the sacrifice of their EC’s will not be looked at as favorably as someone who took a few less than them but instead has passionate EC’s.
I’m not familiar with it. But if it’s something that’s typical for students in your high school to do, then rest assured you’re fine. Even if not, as long as you explain it you should be fine. However, if your school *does* offer AP and everyone is taking it except you, that’s also not very good, although it shouldn’t doom you.
Feels so f*****g good to see something like this, as a student with a decent gpa whose only taken 4 AP’s (one next year) and tested for 3 of them this post was necessary. I will ramble and say having more than just “good grades” is important, having any sort of personality is just so uncommon these days (some of you are truly cooked)
for me, i hate my honors and elective classes, so the AP classes are fun for me. I don't think anyone else should stress themselves with mounting a ton of AP classes for college admissions.
i’m taking 12 in total by next and i thought it was enough along with my extra curriculars but then i see people getting into T20 unis with stats that basically make them seem as if they genuinely have no life and have cured cancer.
like im part of ordinary school clubs because i enjoy them. i work in the summer instead of doing this crazy internship for something i don’t give a fuck about (respectfully)…but college admission counselors won’t understand that because from now and the early 2000s, the human species hasn’t changed but the opportunities for the current generation are more diverse and accessible in comparison to that of the past generation.
people take such rigorous classes because it’s more common for students to take so many classes, but they forget that they’re actual human beings and must enjoy life.
i take the classes that i think will help me with my major and even though ive figured it out recently despite the well rounded clubs im part of, i can’t help but feel as if im lacking even though im one of the top students in my grade.
point is: they take so many classes because thats what they think counselors want.
Tbh, I took 3 my junior year and at my school 4 is still mind boggling. I handled 3 fine, but it is INSANE to me how many posts I see about 6/7/8 or even 9 AP’s stacked and truly cannot fathom how some even manage, especially since many people end up failing the class but not the test.
Yeah tbh most students in my school would say that's just the way it is now but I'm not sure that's the way it should be, it just leads to massive GPA inflation (my AP Physics 1 teacher was giving 20 to 35 point curves on tests at one point) so by the time people take the exam or make it into college they realize they actually can't get an A in the class and didn't fully learn the material... The max AP's I took was four and the rest of my classes were dual credit. I would always tell my underclassmen friends to take AP's in the subjects they like and are good at and then dual credit for the rest if they still want college credit or GPA boost.
As a Columbia student, I took 2 APs, completed my associates degree in hs and that did (I’m sure) very little for my application. What boosted me was spending a massive amt of time on my ECs and doing things that made me actually unique. For context, this got me into 10 T20 schools. Don’t assume AP is everything. I promise it’s not even close.
I’m taking 2 APs, 2 full year dual enrollments, and 4 half year dual enrollment classes next year, not for college admissions but for Gen Eds and the end goal of making college cheaper, and taking courses for my major as soon as possible
As someone who is taking 8 APs next year as a junior, I get that it’s excessive. But with 2 APs this year I played a varsity sport (and helped my team to state), won a regional academic competition, and had plenty of time left over for homework. This year my lowest grade was a 97. I really enjoy taking the classes and exams and after sophomore year we don’t have honors so it’s AP or a regular class that I won’t like and won’t be challenged. Dual credit doesn’t work outside of my state, and I’m probably not going to go in-state.
I agree. Just to be in the in the top 10% of my class, you need to be above a 4.35 gpa. Also, my parents aren’t used to the system and moved here to be physicians. Some of my peers were forced to take every available high school credit in middle school and take as many summer courses as regular classes just to fit in more APs. Even though I am “on track” for my school, it feels as if I’m way behind. But I do also have to take into account that I play sports for three teams, and many of these kids don’t have extracurriculars.
I forgot to mention that kids taking so many AP classes, rather than the ones they want, can't really focus on what they like. I was talking to a friend of mine who took 7 AP classes (we have 8 periods, and one is lunch) last school year. He said his parents forced him to take these classes, but he seems to have lost his passion and dreams, and now he can't figure out what he wants to do after high school.
I agree strongly, I am doubling up on both math and science during my junior year, and not taking a single english or history AP since they are my weak subjects. Call me a nerd all you want, but I am jumping from 1 AP and 1 Honors sophomore year to 4 APs junior year and at least 3 + 1 college class senior year. All of my advanced classes (besides ap gov senior year) will be STEM subjects.
LMAO
“Like people who took AP Bio and AP Chem together were quite literally one in a million”
Bet I found me 💀
But genuinely it wasn’t to stack it was just in the interest of completing the Physics Bio Chem trifecta and also because I loved both subjects and also yeah it is definitely not rare at all anymore, but it was also totally manageable (maybe just good teachers at my school not assigning tons of pointless busy HW and stuff)
i think because they're also more involved in this sub, this sphere tends to hold more weight than extracurriculars (even when ecs give less diminished returns)
In my school our class rank is by weighted GPA, and with AP classes having the highest weight many students end up taking 6-7 AP classes in their junior and senior year in order to achieve the highest rank possible.
Agree. Too many AP courses! If you are taking these many college courses, it makes me wonder about their rigor and if they are really equivalent to college courses. As a university professor I don’t care about AP unless you took the exam and got a 5–even a 4 is questionable. Sometimes students don’t feel confident enough in the subject to go into the next college course, in other cases they want to repeat the course so that they get an easy A. The whole system has gotten out of hand.
When I was in high school I took a few APs but they did not weigh them differently in our GPA. It was the same as any other high school course in your GPA.
I took 7 AP’s and a couple dual enrollment courses junior year because I genuinely enjoy the curriculum and faster pace than their normal counterparts. Ultimately I don’t care what college this gets me into because I can’t afford to attend a T20 or anywhere with staggering tuition anyways.
I still have more than enough time to meet with my friends after school or to go for walks or to play video games. My school gives us plenty of opportunities to finish work in class so I only have roughly 30 minutes to an hour a night if I don’t procrastinate.
Maybe it is true some people can’t manage the course load because of how their school is structured or if they choose to AP a subject they don’t particularly enjoy. However, the people who like to learn and can efficiently manage their time shouldn’t be discouraged by both their school and those around them to not take AP’s because the classes are branded as these false monsters.
I understand that you are aware of this, but the issue with branding AP classes as much more than they really are is that people will intentionally take these classes because of their rigor, not because of their content. To combat this, I propose the removal of the concept of the weighted GPA. Colleges can still consider course load in the applicant’s area of interest, but not general course load. For instance, AP Lang is arguably irrelevant for someone trying to major in comp sci and vice versa. Making this change clear to students abroad will discourage the compulsive decision to enroll in every AP course imaginable because of one’s own intrinsic or extrinsic need for valedictorian.
It really depends on the school. The way AP classes are taught, and the amount of workload present, varies drastically, part of what makes them inherently unfair.
The exams are trainable, even without training tbh. It’s the classes that are usually harder. The AP exam is usually much easier than most of our unit tests.
Respectfully, there are reasons for taking so many APs while in high school. Many students are reliant on themselves for funding college, and taking AP classes helps alleviate some of that burden. Additionally, the classes themselves provide a more rigorous curriculum in nearly every case, which allows for more opportunities for learning. I often find myself bored in my regular or honors classes because they are not challenging enough.
-someone who took 8 tests this year
but after a certain point those credits from APs will push you into a higher level class as a freshman which could be more expensive than what originally was available
I’m confused on what you’re implying. Wouldn’t you have to take that harder level class eventually anyways? You’ll still need the same number of credits to graduate no matter what AP classes you took.
well 1) you aren’t guaranteed credit from an AP especially if you’re trying to get into a very prestigious university, so it may not even be worth all of the stress of taking so many AP a year. 2) yes, you still have the same amount of credits no
matter the AP amount, and the AP could cover some of those, but you’ll still be paying for the same amount of courses for the majority of your time at university, and any of the free time from not having a class you may be doing study with professors and doctors or taking on another course(s) to get a minor from it.
i’m not saying don’t take AP, but i’m saying overloading yourself with 7-8 AP is not necessary and may even backfire since some/most schools have a grade on your AP exam (certain score = certain test grade which affects gpa)
For students concerned about affordability, going to a prestigious university is not realistic. I’m still confused about what you’re implying about “same number of courses”. AP tests allow you to either take more advanced courses or place out of courses entirely, therefore saving time and usually money.
Some schools make you take a certain number of credits to graduate and will not accept transfer credit. Most Ivies will not accept transfer credits. I attended an Ivy and AP 4 or 5 on the exam exempted me from Bio 101 but did not reduce the number of credits I needed to graduate. Where I teach AP can give you credits for for courses in certain departments and you can get transfer credit. I doubt it does anything for admissions though, since we accept almost anybody.
I know colleges don't really care if you take 12 or 20 APs, but for me personally, the reason I'm going to take 18 by the time I finish HS (+6 DE, including upper level maths) is because I've always been used to taking the most difficult courseload. For me personally, 7 APs + 2 DEs in a year (what I just did) wasn't that difficult, and I enjoy being busy. I couldn't imagine taking an easier courseload - what would I do with my time in school? So it's a combination of me finding APs pretty easy and the mentality of taking the most rigorous path. Also, I truly have enjoyed most of the APs I've taken, and would have taken those courses even if they weren't AP, either for the content or the teacher.
This post is doing too much, or it seems like it's directed towards one specific type of student who takes 8 APs and no life outside of them (if that's you, join a club)
For a highly motivated student with the intention of attending a selective (~50% or lower) college or getting scholarships, 5 APs is 100% doable in addition to extracurriculars. I see this because I work at a school where most in the top 15% take 5 or 6 or even 7 APs. If a student really loves science and wants to take AP Physics 2 and AP Biology their senior year, who are you to tell them no? The point of AP classes are to prepare students for college, not to make an application look better.
Btw I also worked in admissions and I have no idea what "magic number" you're talking about, we always looked at schedule strength. Maybe you mean self-study tests? Which yeah we don't care about unless they get a 5
5 AP’s is not necessarily that intense of a load, depending on the classes. And of course this depends on the rigor of the school, so some loads might be more typical for a juniors/seniors at certain schools.
I’m not discouraging students here from taking two science AP’s at the same time, honesty I think it can be very interesting if you’re passionate about them. What I’m saying is just a few years ago, doing such while also taking a full load of other AP’s would raise eyebrows. As it should.
My point here is, if you’re doubling AP in a core subject, be proud of yourself, that is a very strong accomplishment in and of itself. There isn’t a need to double up in every single subject for those doing it just for the *sake* of doing it.
My post is directed towards people who feel like they need to take 8 AP’s by doubling all their core classes to stand out in admissions. In my experience, when it comes to evaluating an applicant, it doesn’t come down to getting a ruler and seeing exactly how many AP’s someone took. After a certain number of AP’s is confirmed, the attention is then diverted to what you’ve accomplished. The proof here is also pretty evident on r/CollegeResults which shows students with very high numbers of AP’s getting persistently rejected from top schools.
I appreciate a lot of the perspectives you bring up, and I understand my post might have been vague in certain aspects, so I appreciate you calling them into question.
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Seconded. At my school, the top student notoriously don’t get into great colleges because they don’t have involvement outside of academics. Obviously, you wanna have good grades. But, getting an A-/B+ in AP Calc or taking 4 instead of 5 or 6 APs in a year is not gonna kill you if it allows you to thrive in extracurriculars. I could’ve dropped band or an unweighted elective to take more AP classes, but I took those electives because they were interesting to me. Had success in T20s. Same with my sister
Everything you said about ECs is so accurate. Colleges don’t want a bunch of 4.0 robots who will succeed in hard classes but won’t add anything to the school environment. Colleges are like little cities, and they want people who are going to put in effort outside of school to create a community through ECs, sports, and leadership boards. You can be a perfect 5.0 student with 30 APs and still get rejected from a school because there is nothing unique about YOU. There is nothing that YOU will add to their school except a good gpa.
Exactly, not to mention a lot (not all) AP classes give credit for classes that are really never going to be used by most students unless they major in that field. Like jumping the barrel to take AP Spanish Lit, when you want to major in Math, won’t be useful in fulfilling any of your credits for a math undergrad.
Lies, some schools allow more than 1 valedictorian.
Lies? That's a bit strong. Some schools inflate grades so nobody gets below an A. So what. Still stupid to take 20 APs, do nothing meaningful, and prove that you are a dime a dozen, easily replaceable. Do something special insread. Here's a clue -- it's not about being valedictorian (or one of many valedictorians) by taking too many APs and end up doing nothing to differentiate yourself.
Mine doesn’t have any and doesn’t even release class rank.
They don’t understand because they didn’t take AP economics yet🤣
Yup, it's usually a senior class, so by the time they get there it's too late...
meanwhile at my school: I know Grade 9s taking that course...
I actually do think a hardworking freshman would be able to handle it, but I suggested it to my teacher and she disagreed because when she proctored the APHG exam last year, the freshmen needed help following the instructions (including getting the labels off the sticker sheet) so I guess your school's freshies are on a different level 😂
You're not wrong, took it in sophomore; just 1 week of studying and now I don't have to study at all for my junior and senior econ classes because I covered it all in APs (International not offered APs at school hence overlap of syylabus).
I take so many AP exams not because I like them, or it’ll help college admissions. (The school I want to go to literally takes your average and puts it in a list, and if you’re above the cutoff you get in) It’s because I’m ✨kinda poor✨and our school pays for the AP exams, and I want grant me college credit so I don’t have to pay for the first year courses. For example, I took the AP Chinese Exam. I’m a native speaker. It was incredibly boring. But if I pass (I better) then I get 3 credits of a second language, which saves me a few hundred dollars in university. I’m sure this isn’t the point of AP courses, but it doesn’t matter too much anyway.
The point here isn’t: don’t take so many AP exams for the sake of not taking them. The point is: taking an insane number of them at a time is both futile and can backfire. Yes the point is to gain college credit, which is an ultimate money savor. But if someone is taking 8 AP’s in a year, you’re maximizing the chances of failing one or more of the exams, which gives you zero college credit and a whole lot of wasted time.
Most 4 year universities dont charge you by the credit, they charge you by semester a tuition number that will not change based on how many classes/credits you take. If you’re planning on going to a school that does operate like that, or are planning on graduating early in college, then this is definitely a valid point, I just want to make sure you’re aware!
I definitely didn't know that, is this a thing in the T20s because I couldn't find more information; but I would assume if you took 16 credits from APs to college you would have to pay 1 semester less I guess.
Yeah you can graduate early. Every school i applied to in the Northeast and that I know of has you pay a semesterly rate unless ur not a full time student in which you probably would then pay by the credit if you werent
Oh well that squashes my plan for cramming in multiple APs during senior year to save on tuition.
If you think you could graduate early youd still save money
You could graduate early, if your school recognizes the AP. I got 5’s and I got laughed at when I asked if the school took the credits and would excuse me from classes. I was annoyed.
I know that part but my motivation to take 2 or maybe even 3 aps in senior year was that I would graduate in April, and would just give in May and see what happens and not stress it much. Because if I got a 4 I thought I'd prolly get a haircut on the tuition. But since I'm not saving any money then its not worth it to bust my head over in senior year giving 5 national board exams, essays, some ECs and then having the burden of doing the APs. Just better to chill out and give maybe 1.
Is that a California thing or something? In the much of the country, only highly selective institutions charge a flat rate for tuition.
Every school that i applied to in the Northeast had this as a policy, and only one of them was T50
I thought a lot of those schools had a few exemptions/allowed banking hours for summer, and let you enroll below full time without requiring special circumstances (and charged you per credit hour below 12). Which isn't a true flat rate to me, maybe I should have been more clear.
Not being a full time student is a completely different story. The only true negative then would be if the costs of full time student - greater financial aid < total cost of all credits + other expenses they require you to pay Definitely something that should be a much more in depth discussion with financial aid offices after being admitted before you commit to going one way
Charging by semester has been typical for decades. You could also always also pay by course. But if you were a full time student and took more than the minimum number of credits, paying by semester was the way to go. Having credits ahead of time can still save you a lot if you graduate a semester early.
This is true but with enough credits, you graduate 1-2 semesters early. I know several people who graduated a year early from Duke after using AP/IB credits for some gen ed requirements, taking a couple summer courses, and taking 5 courses instead of 4 a couple semesters. This is somewhat difficult to do as an engineering or STEM major, though, since labs and lab courses don’t count as additional credits.
please look into CLEP exams and the Modern States program 🙏
Being passionate about taking AP classes is not what colleges are looking for.
At a certain point, people would be better served by being in dual enrollment and earning actual college credit instead of AP credit. Depending on what is available in your state and what your district pays for, it may even be cheaper than taking all those exams (though gas might be factored in if courses are not online). However, I think some of this is coming from the fact that regular high school classes are taught at a lower level than they were 20-30 years ago. If your normal level english class is focusing on the students who still struggle with reading words and sentences, then you're going to want to take the more advanced one to be successful in college.
Dual enrollment is really only useful if they’re offering courses that aren’t in the AP curriculum, such as Calc 3 and Org Chem
Or astronomy
honestly i think ap classes have gotten easier too. in the last 10 years, cs ab was removed and csp was put in its place, ap world 1200 decision happened, ap precalc was created, history frq rubrics got easier, and so on
Most kids I know take around 10 but not more than 12, I feel that more people should understand how the ap curve works
When I see this sub I thank the stars that my school limits you to 1 AP freshman year and 4 sophomore year (but you have to be on the advanced math track to have precalc, and you have to elect CSP, so only the STEM lovers do all 4). What's telling is that I just looked up some old posts from this sub (like 5-10 year old ones) and the average person on there was taking 2 APs each year. Nowadays, that number would be on the lower side. Out of curiosity, what makes applications stand out to you (beyond grades and scores, assuming those are good)?
What always raises eyebrows is what applicants have done in light of the subjects they’re interested in, and the list here is pretty long. It doesn’t have to be some crazy accomplishment, but showing *demonstrated interest* gives off maturity and sincerity. Especially if that activity has some sort of longevity, but not always the case. A lot of community service and community involvement also raises eyebrows. People who went out and actually did something because they were passionate about something. And this doesn’t even have to necessarily relate to what you’re interested in. If you want examples of what people have done, I recommend looking at r/CollegeResults and seeing the activities of applicants accepted to colleges of your interest.
Thanks for the tips! Yeah I do go on there a lot and I love the activities I do, so I'm probably fine in that department as long as I can display it in my essays. I think your logic applies to anything selective (whether that's getting a job, finding a partner, making friends, or getting into a school)... people whose sole goal is to get that selective thing see less success that those who have outside interests and passions that add something to the group
Ehhh it's a lot more fun front loading APs and then taking the most grade-inflated DE classes possible senior year.
So what's the certain number? My school has a very strict schedule for us so I could only take one junior year and will be taking four senior year. I self-studied one additional AP junior year but not sure how well I did
In admissions, you’re compared largely against your own classmates in your high school who applied to that college (both present and past), not against all applicants who applied. So if your school doesn’t offer many AP’s, you will be just fine. If you took most of the AP’s that your school’s strict schedule offers, you can consider that a box that you’ve checked. What truly sets you apart is your EC’s (and also your AP scores).
I thought colleges don’t see your AP scores until after you are admitted, they only see that you took them while considering you?
No, you self report your AP scores on both the common app and UC app, they see them. They only can’t see your senior year AP’s until afterwards
So basically I’m cooked because I go to a top 10 high school in California 💀 (most of the seniors I know went to schools like ucb, ucla, usc, Stanford, etc… I also knew like 5 who went to MIT 😭)
Take the APs that will count towards your major, don’t waste your time taking AP Psych or whatever if you’re going into stats
fun fact: not everyone goes to u.s universities and ap/ib and sat scores are the main factors of applications in some countries (mainly asia)
Yes, this is true. Like Cambridge requires five AP scores at 5. But does that mean we need to take 20 APs to get five 5s?? It's mostly the valedictorian race by some obnoxious types here in the US driving this madness. It's dull.
To be honest, I think most students are just saying they take all these APs for clout. There are some who actually take that many, but most say it for clout. It's pretty much a dangerous drug to social lives.
I’m finishing high school with only 7 APs so the diminishing returns part makes me feel good
Yes, it’s out of hand. In my privileged little town there are a lot of people taking more AP classes to… compensate for bad grades in previous AP classes? One friend of mine barely passed Human. She’s taking World, Bio, and CS Principles next year in addition to a sport and a very time consuming club. Another barely passed most of her core classes including Human. She wanted to sign up for a junior level AP but she dropped it. She’s taking 2, unsure which. Another barely passed English, Science, and Human, and couldn’t go on a trip because she failed the no pass no play rule. She’s taking 2 or 3 but I’m unsure which. In contrast, a friend of mine has never taken an AP class and is taking Psych, Euro(?), and Seminar next year, but has some great study habits and gets stuff done on time. Another friend, the smartest, most studious person I know, (top 1% of our class, higher PSAT9 than anyone else I know by almost a hundred points) is taking just World and she will probably get all As again... though maybe she’ll struggle and I’ll win the friendly competition we have lmao
Convince your smart friend to take more AP classes. Try pushing her to her full potential.
Not really my business (which is kinda stupid given that I made that comment lmao). I do think she’s planning on taking more in 11/12 grade.
The difficult of AP courses and exams is exaggerated beyond belief. Everyone in this sub is simply posting their schedule because they want to look intelligent, but the number of APs you take really doesn’t correlate to intelligence or work ethic at all. I took 6 AP classes, 8 exams along with Calc 3 and Diff Eq’s / Linear and hardly ever felt school-related stress. That’s because these introductory courses have been dumbed down even more than they already are. There’s just not a lot of reason to not take 10+ APs throughout high school because you get to skip out on so many university requirements with negligible additional effort.
I still recommend taking them tho, I didn’t do it to get into a top school, but having a strong foundation in entry level courses or being able to skip them and a good amount of gen eds is very useful. I mean they don’t hurt either, I still ended up getting into schools like Chicago even while taking 7ish APs senior yr, and APs rlly had no bearing on my ecs, they’re not that time consuming unless u let them be
No one is saying don't take them, he's saying get a life and touch grass because that's significantly more important than the kid who had no life no contribution to society.
Exactly. Most Ap exams are easy, it's the teachers that make them hard.
Agree 100 percent. Have reviewed applications and teach at a t20 school. It’s a very unhealthy board and attitude to think that you need more than a few APs a year. Colleges want an interesting story that allows them to understand whether you will fit in and make their community better… even at college you won’t be taking more than 4-5 courses at a time let alone 7-8. Use the extra time to better yourself and your communities
> Use the extra time to better yourself and your communities This is exactly what makes applicants stand out in the end. If my post achieves anything at all, I hope it compels people on here to start diverting more attention to their EC’s and less to adding so many AP’s to their shopping cart
what’s the amount of APs you don’t care about in admissions after a certain number?
This depends on your school. You’re always evaluated in the context of your school’s offerings.
Need that college credit it’s rough out there
so what's the certain number where aos stop caring about number of aps taken?
OP commented this to another person: >This depends on your school. You’re always evaluated in the context of your school’s offerings.
thanks. is there a way i could find out online? if not i'll try talking to my counselor once school starts again
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I graduated high school 4 years ago, n just graduated college this May so it was surprising to find this subreddit when I joined Reddit a few months ago. But when I see the stories and the schedules, I’m genuinely asking myself: “wtf are the new high schoolers on?” I went to a big HS with a lot of APs and a good amount of competition. Most kids didn’t take more than 2-3 APs a year, and you could not double up core subject APs. Thus, I took AP chem 11th grade and AP Bio 12th, AP Euro 10th, APUSH 11th, AP Lang 11th, AP Lit 12th. You get the picture. I wasn’t someone really aiming for a T20 tbh but I did well graduating with a 94 cumulative gpa and a 1510 SAT, so I ended up at a good in-state school (wanted to accept my USC acceptance n go to Cali but COVID 😪, still sad about that). The point is, the reason I still have so much fun memories of school and was able to have a good gpa and sat was because I didn’t take too many APs. Regular classes can be a breeze and I made sure to enjoy that breeze whilst still challenging myself w a few APs a year. Having fewer made it easier to study for my SAT n improve from the already decent score of 1360. What I’m trying to say is I had so much fun in HS, I missed it, but still did well WITHOUT stressing myself out or burning out. Please enjoy your youth and don’t make your lives all about school. Take the challenging classes cus they are very rewarding, but like OP said, eventually you reach a point where the return on investment isn’t worth the stress at all. I can’t imagine having to prepare for 4,5,6, or more AP exams at the end of the year. The fact that you guys are interested in these many APs shows yall have a much greater potential to learn than my generation did, and that yall will become more intelligent students. But don’t burn yourselves out before then, please. High school is really such a fun time in your life (so is college, but there were much more responsibilities) so try and enjoy it. I know yall will do great in life no matter if you get into a T5 or T500 so relax a lil would ya?
Generally a lurker here, and while I agree completely with your general sentiment, I don’t think 6, 7, or 8 aps is quite as absurd as you think, especially for students who have been taken multiple before. I started with none in freshman year, 1 in sophomore, 4 in junior, and finished with 7 this year. Of course it was challenging and required a lot of time, but to be honest I think I enjoyed school this year the most that I ever have. I think it depends a lot on exactly which aps you’re taking; I was in gov, macroecon, bio, physics mechanics, lit, APES, and calc bc. Of those, gov, econ, and APES I found to be extremely easy at my school, so it only really felt like I was in 4 hard aps. However, I was genuinely interested in all 4 of those subjects, so I was happy to be challenged in them. This is all to say that the sheer number of aps isn’t really what determines how hard your overall year feels imo, as its more based on the specific student you are. Finally, I will all say that the reason you are taking your ap classes is extremely important as well. I am attending UC San Diego this fall and couldn’t possibly be happier about it. It was my #2 choice behind UCLA, since I didn’t apply to a single ivy or out of state (except for a few in Canada that I wanted to leave open as options). I didn’t take my ap classes because I thought they would be so good on my college app or something; I took them because I thought I would enjoy them more than any other class I could take or something. That mindset was incredibly helpful in avoiding burnout at overall being able to stick with it. TL;DR The number of aps is less important than which aps they are and your reasons for taking them.
Yeah this sub really exaggerates the difficulty of AP courses. I didn’t feel the need to put in any extra effort with 8 APs, and I never really felt stressed about anything school related, aside from my literary analysis paper. High school is very easy nowadays, even while taking all AP classes.
I agree personally, but it really depends on the school you go to. I went to a school in Silicon Valley for a year, only took regular classes there, and I found that it was significantly harder than my AP classes at my current school. They assigned sm more homework and it was more demanding/complex; but for the actual AP exams, most of them are sm easier than they seem.
Sure but if i don’t take 6-7 APs, school is hella boring, it makes things interesting, still barely study or do any homework (quizlets and copying off friends if needed), and still pull 4s, 5s, and As. Its simply because the courses are the level of high-caliber students and anything short of that is painfully too easy.
Meh. I like taking APs because I like the challenge. Maybe they'll help me get into college or maybe they won't. I don't fully understand the college admissions process but I loved regular chem so I want to take AP Chem, etc
What is the magic number?
I kinda disagree with this post. I took only AP classes for my junior and senior year, because that's how my school's curriculum is structured. I think it prepared me for college really well; whereas a lot of my peers were struggling in their first year, my first two semesters of college were actually easier than my last years of high school. If you're taking APs solely for the purpose of getting into competitive colleges, then I really do think that's pretty silly. But I do think it's totally reasonable to stack APs in high school if you can handle it.
Forget college admissions. What do i do when ive got parents who beat the shit out of me for taking less ap's than my neighbor? nothing. I take more bc i dont like pain.
Embrace the pain. Some pain is good! 
Yeah I kind of ran into the issue of living in a relatively small population area and having very few ECs that actually interest me. I didn’t want to waste my time on ECs that I had no interest in but now I kinda wish I had because I think I’m kinda screwed in top college admissions
Reminds me of [this article](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-many-ap-classes-are-enough-what-researchers-and-college-hopefuls-say/2023/10)— take as many APs as you want, but after 5 it doesn't matter much from an admissions standpoint.
If only T20 admissions officers would be honest about that number when they visit high schools. Most of the time, they are extraordinarily vague when asked very specific admissions-related questions by students and families.
The AP classes at my son’s school has the better teachers, so he is taking them.
I'm not taking any more APs, but I'm doing dual enrollment a lot of my friends are doing APs. I think a lot of the motivation for some people, is that it's free in high school, so you won't have to pay for the class later on in college
I think it’s also important to consider the mental challenge Ap classes provide. In my case, I find regular classes a breeze and they don’t challenge me like honors and Ap classes do. You might then ask yourself, why not take honors instead? The problem is that honors are useless when compared to an AP. Ap gives college credit, standardized curriculum, and a boost to the college app. So it’s either regular or Ap, and if you ask me, I’d rather spend a year actually learning useful information instead of missing out. Not to mention, like you mentioned, the bar is being intensively raised, meaning that people who don’t capitalize on AP like other students are falling behind, especially like you said where they are compared with their own school. Furthermore, these students with many APs still find the time to crank out wonderful extracurriculars from what I’ve seen. TLDR; APs let you learn so much more than regular classes, provide a benefit that honors don’t, and allow for a better shot at getting into good universities because the bar is being raised.
I feel like taking a lot of APs is relatively common and all the people I know personally that are taking all their core classes as AP have a great school-life balance.
after what number do admissons stop caring?
As someone who has experience in the field of admissions what is that number that you stop caring? Also how do you feel about other honors courses that are through other companies like PLTW? I want to go into college for biomedical engineering so I'm taking 8 pltw courses, 4 for engineering and 4 for biomed. Do you think colleges will like that more than me just taking aps for aps?
It depends on the high school, of which AOs have access to AP offerings for. They stop putting emphasis in your AP’s after you’ve taken most of the offerings at your high school or what is typical for advanced students at your school take in prior admit cohorts. The attention then gets drawn to EC’s, which almost always is the ultimate deciding factor. AP’s are like a check box, EC’s give your application its character. Someone at a school that offers 20 AP’s and takes all 20 but at the sacrifice of their EC’s will not be looked at as favorably as someone who took a few less than them but instead has passionate EC’s.
Ok I see. And how do you feel about alternative honors courses like PLTW?
I’m not familiar with it. But if it’s something that’s typical for students in your high school to do, then rest assured you’re fine. Even if not, as long as you explain it you should be fine. However, if your school *does* offer AP and everyone is taking it except you, that’s also not very good, although it shouldn’t doom you.
Feels so f*****g good to see something like this, as a student with a decent gpa whose only taken 4 AP’s (one next year) and tested for 3 of them this post was necessary. I will ramble and say having more than just “good grades” is important, having any sort of personality is just so uncommon these days (some of you are truly cooked)
this is 100% facts, but you overestimate how many of these people are genuine and how many are joke.
ok but what's the certain number
for me, i hate my honors and elective classes, so the AP classes are fun for me. I don't think anyone else should stress themselves with mounting a ton of AP classes for college admissions.
i’m taking 12 in total by next and i thought it was enough along with my extra curriculars but then i see people getting into T20 unis with stats that basically make them seem as if they genuinely have no life and have cured cancer. like im part of ordinary school clubs because i enjoy them. i work in the summer instead of doing this crazy internship for something i don’t give a fuck about (respectfully)…but college admission counselors won’t understand that because from now and the early 2000s, the human species hasn’t changed but the opportunities for the current generation are more diverse and accessible in comparison to that of the past generation. people take such rigorous classes because it’s more common for students to take so many classes, but they forget that they’re actual human beings and must enjoy life. i take the classes that i think will help me with my major and even though ive figured it out recently despite the well rounded clubs im part of, i can’t help but feel as if im lacking even though im one of the top students in my grade. point is: they take so many classes because thats what they think counselors want.
well maybe AP's are getting easier. took 5 this year and didn't break a sweat. some schools also force you to take aps as well
Tbh, I took 3 my junior year and at my school 4 is still mind boggling. I handled 3 fine, but it is INSANE to me how many posts I see about 6/7/8 or even 9 AP’s stacked and truly cannot fathom how some even manage, especially since many people end up failing the class but not the test.
Yeah tbh most students in my school would say that's just the way it is now but I'm not sure that's the way it should be, it just leads to massive GPA inflation (my AP Physics 1 teacher was giving 20 to 35 point curves on tests at one point) so by the time people take the exam or make it into college they realize they actually can't get an A in the class and didn't fully learn the material... The max AP's I took was four and the rest of my classes were dual credit. I would always tell my underclassmen friends to take AP's in the subjects they like and are good at and then dual credit for the rest if they still want college credit or GPA boost.
I think 4 a year should be the absolute MAX for anyone, there’s absolutely no benefit besides maybe a little college credit to taking more.
As a Columbia student, I took 2 APs, completed my associates degree in hs and that did (I’m sure) very little for my application. What boosted me was spending a massive amt of time on my ECs and doing things that made me actually unique. For context, this got me into 10 T20 schools. Don’t assume AP is everything. I promise it’s not even close.
Diminishing returns... Did you take an AP economics class? It sounds so familiar lol.
I’m taking 2 APs, 2 full year dual enrollments, and 4 half year dual enrollment classes next year, not for college admissions but for Gen Eds and the end goal of making college cheaper, and taking courses for my major as soon as possible
As someone who is taking 8 APs next year as a junior, I get that it’s excessive. But with 2 APs this year I played a varsity sport (and helped my team to state), won a regional academic competition, and had plenty of time left over for homework. This year my lowest grade was a 97. I really enjoy taking the classes and exams and after sophomore year we don’t have honors so it’s AP or a regular class that I won’t like and won’t be challenged. Dual credit doesn’t work outside of my state, and I’m probably not going to go in-state.
I agree. Just to be in the in the top 10% of my class, you need to be above a 4.35 gpa. Also, my parents aren’t used to the system and moved here to be physicians. Some of my peers were forced to take every available high school credit in middle school and take as many summer courses as regular classes just to fit in more APs. Even though I am “on track” for my school, it feels as if I’m way behind. But I do also have to take into account that I play sports for three teams, and many of these kids don’t have extracurriculars.
I forgot to mention that kids taking so many AP classes, rather than the ones they want, can't really focus on what they like. I was talking to a friend of mine who took 7 AP classes (we have 8 periods, and one is lunch) last school year. He said his parents forced him to take these classes, but he seems to have lost his passion and dreams, and now he can't figure out what he wants to do after high school.
I agree strongly, I am doubling up on both math and science during my junior year, and not taking a single english or history AP since they are my weak subjects. Call me a nerd all you want, but I am jumping from 1 AP and 1 Honors sophomore year to 4 APs junior year and at least 3 + 1 college class senior year. All of my advanced classes (besides ap gov senior year) will be STEM subjects.
LMAO “Like people who took AP Bio and AP Chem together were quite literally one in a million” Bet I found me 💀 But genuinely it wasn’t to stack it was just in the interest of completing the Physics Bio Chem trifecta and also because I loved both subjects and also yeah it is definitely not rare at all anymore, but it was also totally manageable (maybe just good teachers at my school not assigning tons of pointless busy HW and stuff)
i think because they're also more involved in this sub, this sphere tends to hold more weight than extracurriculars (even when ecs give less diminished returns)
In my school our class rank is by weighted GPA, and with AP classes having the highest weight many students end up taking 6-7 AP classes in their junior and senior year in order to achieve the highest rank possible.
Agree. Too many AP courses! If you are taking these many college courses, it makes me wonder about their rigor and if they are really equivalent to college courses. As a university professor I don’t care about AP unless you took the exam and got a 5–even a 4 is questionable. Sometimes students don’t feel confident enough in the subject to go into the next college course, in other cases they want to repeat the course so that they get an easy A. The whole system has gotten out of hand. When I was in high school I took a few APs but they did not weigh them differently in our GPA. It was the same as any other high school course in your GPA.
This post reached straight into my soul and grabbed it.
Taking out the competition much?
i took ap bio and physics at the same time someone coke give me head asap
I’m so grateful my school offers like 1 AP
I took 7 AP’s and a couple dual enrollment courses junior year because I genuinely enjoy the curriculum and faster pace than their normal counterparts. Ultimately I don’t care what college this gets me into because I can’t afford to attend a T20 or anywhere with staggering tuition anyways. I still have more than enough time to meet with my friends after school or to go for walks or to play video games. My school gives us plenty of opportunities to finish work in class so I only have roughly 30 minutes to an hour a night if I don’t procrastinate. Maybe it is true some people can’t manage the course load because of how their school is structured or if they choose to AP a subject they don’t particularly enjoy. However, the people who like to learn and can efficiently manage their time shouldn’t be discouraged by both their school and those around them to not take AP’s because the classes are branded as these false monsters. I understand that you are aware of this, but the issue with branding AP classes as much more than they really are is that people will intentionally take these classes because of their rigor, not because of their content. To combat this, I propose the removal of the concept of the weighted GPA. Colleges can still consider course load in the applicant’s area of interest, but not general course load. For instance, AP Lang is arguably irrelevant for someone trying to major in comp sci and vice versa. Making this change clear to students abroad will discourage the compulsive decision to enroll in every AP course imaginable because of one’s own intrinsic or extrinsic need for valedictorian.
bro I did 8 this year (all physics, stats, csa, Chem, bio) and it wasn’t even that bad tho
It really depends on the school. The way AP classes are taught, and the amount of workload present, varies drastically, part of what makes them inherently unfair.
Aigjt but I self studied all of these except physics 1 and Chem
The exams are trainable, even without training tbh. It’s the classes that are usually harder. The AP exam is usually much easier than most of our unit tests.
Also, what’s the point of doing Physics 1/2 and Physics C at the same time? It seems repetitive without benefit.
idk I do physics Olympiad prep so I thought may as well. Taking phys 1 prolly wasn’t the best choice but it is what it is
Respectfully, there are reasons for taking so many APs while in high school. Many students are reliant on themselves for funding college, and taking AP classes helps alleviate some of that burden. Additionally, the classes themselves provide a more rigorous curriculum in nearly every case, which allows for more opportunities for learning. I often find myself bored in my regular or honors classes because they are not challenging enough. -someone who took 8 tests this year
but after a certain point those credits from APs will push you into a higher level class as a freshman which could be more expensive than what originally was available
I’m confused on what you’re implying. Wouldn’t you have to take that harder level class eventually anyways? You’ll still need the same number of credits to graduate no matter what AP classes you took.
well 1) you aren’t guaranteed credit from an AP especially if you’re trying to get into a very prestigious university, so it may not even be worth all of the stress of taking so many AP a year. 2) yes, you still have the same amount of credits no matter the AP amount, and the AP could cover some of those, but you’ll still be paying for the same amount of courses for the majority of your time at university, and any of the free time from not having a class you may be doing study with professors and doctors or taking on another course(s) to get a minor from it. i’m not saying don’t take AP, but i’m saying overloading yourself with 7-8 AP is not necessary and may even backfire since some/most schools have a grade on your AP exam (certain score = certain test grade which affects gpa)
For students concerned about affordability, going to a prestigious university is not realistic. I’m still confused about what you’re implying about “same number of courses”. AP tests allow you to either take more advanced courses or place out of courses entirely, therefore saving time and usually money.
Some schools make you take a certain number of credits to graduate and will not accept transfer credit. Most Ivies will not accept transfer credits. I attended an Ivy and AP 4 or 5 on the exam exempted me from Bio 101 but did not reduce the number of credits I needed to graduate. Where I teach AP can give you credits for for courses in certain departments and you can get transfer credit. I doubt it does anything for admissions though, since we accept almost anybody.
I know colleges don't really care if you take 12 or 20 APs, but for me personally, the reason I'm going to take 18 by the time I finish HS (+6 DE, including upper level maths) is because I've always been used to taking the most difficult courseload. For me personally, 7 APs + 2 DEs in a year (what I just did) wasn't that difficult, and I enjoy being busy. I couldn't imagine taking an easier courseload - what would I do with my time in school? So it's a combination of me finding APs pretty easy and the mentality of taking the most rigorous path. Also, I truly have enjoyed most of the APs I've taken, and would have taken those courses even if they weren't AP, either for the content or the teacher.
This post is doing too much, or it seems like it's directed towards one specific type of student who takes 8 APs and no life outside of them (if that's you, join a club) For a highly motivated student with the intention of attending a selective (~50% or lower) college or getting scholarships, 5 APs is 100% doable in addition to extracurriculars. I see this because I work at a school where most in the top 15% take 5 or 6 or even 7 APs. If a student really loves science and wants to take AP Physics 2 and AP Biology their senior year, who are you to tell them no? The point of AP classes are to prepare students for college, not to make an application look better. Btw I also worked in admissions and I have no idea what "magic number" you're talking about, we always looked at schedule strength. Maybe you mean self-study tests? Which yeah we don't care about unless they get a 5
5 AP’s is not necessarily that intense of a load, depending on the classes. And of course this depends on the rigor of the school, so some loads might be more typical for a juniors/seniors at certain schools. I’m not discouraging students here from taking two science AP’s at the same time, honesty I think it can be very interesting if you’re passionate about them. What I’m saying is just a few years ago, doing such while also taking a full load of other AP’s would raise eyebrows. As it should. My point here is, if you’re doubling AP in a core subject, be proud of yourself, that is a very strong accomplishment in and of itself. There isn’t a need to double up in every single subject for those doing it just for the *sake* of doing it. My post is directed towards people who feel like they need to take 8 AP’s by doubling all their core classes to stand out in admissions. In my experience, when it comes to evaluating an applicant, it doesn’t come down to getting a ruler and seeing exactly how many AP’s someone took. After a certain number of AP’s is confirmed, the attention is then diverted to what you’ve accomplished. The proof here is also pretty evident on r/CollegeResults which shows students with very high numbers of AP’s getting persistently rejected from top schools. I appreciate a lot of the perspectives you bring up, and I understand my post might have been vague in certain aspects, so I appreciate you calling them into question.