Number of AP courses

erkybk · 11-03-2009, 01:22 AM

I like to know if the number of AP courses I took does affect my
admission chance at a highly ranked college.

Somebody says that I really need to take at least 6 AP courses
to be competitive in really good college applications.

Is that true? I though it might be true, because sudents who
did not take AP courses may get higher GPA easily but the high
GPA is not meaningful without taking challenging courses such
as Honor and AP courses.

I really like to know. Thanks in advance.

M's Mom · 11-03-2009, 08:47 AM

Top schools expect you to take the most demanding courseload possible at your school. If your school offers a lot of APs, you are expected to take not all, but substantial number. There is no magic about '6' vs '7' AP exams: If your school offers only two or three APs and you take them, you will not be viewed unfavorably compared to a student whose school offered many and took many. This is one of the questions that school counselors are expected to answer when they submit your school profile with your academic transcript.

Of course, students from schools with very few APs, who want to show initiative, can take them on-line. They are expensive, however, and therefore not within everyone's reach. Your family income would also be considered. Other students take advanced classes at the community college. APs are not the only way to demonstrate academic rigor.

MD Mom · 11-03-2009, 09:01 AM

I have also heard a college counselor say (from a top Baltimore boys prep school) that colleges like to see AP classes that complete an academic series of classes (like AP English for the last English classes, AP Calc at the end of math, AP histories, you get the idea). So many schools limit how many AP classes students can take because the course work is overwhelming even for the very best students. Think quality over quantity.

rastafarian · 11-03-2009, 10:47 AM

my school offers 22 APs i think

i think i'm taking enough
US History 1AP
English AP
Psych AP
Stat AP
Calc AP
Physics AP
World history AP
Spanish AP

8 of them

ckohsa · 11-03-2009, 11:10 AM

From what I hear, elite colleges want to make sure you have taken AP exams, not just AP classes. In other words, if you take 10 AP classes and get all A's, but take just 3 AP exams and get say 3s on them, it raises a red flag. Granted, many students take the bulk of the AP classes in the senior year, but colleges would expect that you take the AP exams for the AP courses you took in the junior year.

erkybk · 11-03-2009, 08:07 PM

Sure, without taking Ap exam, AP class taking doesn't make sense.
From the above postings, I am hearing that more AP courses(with AP exams) help.
and the more Ap courses, the better! Is that right? My D is attending a borading school and the grade and courses are very rigoroud. She is planning to take total 6 APs and 6 AP exams, or 5 APs with 6 AP exams. She can take one AP exam without taking the AP courses.
The school offers 24 AP courses, though. I have seen a student who took 9 AP courses
and went to MIT this year. That is a heck of workload. I guess more than 6 AP is really
tough in the school.

Harambee · 11-03-2009, 08:12 PM

That question is relative. Colleges expect you to take a rigorous course load at your school, which maybe just 1 or 2 APs, or 6 APs depending on which school you go to. I know Stanford explicitly states

Quote:

Originally Posted by From Stanford's Admissions Website

"We want to be clear that this is not a case of 'whoever has the most APs wins."

Ari7 · 11-03-2009, 08:19 PM

I've never understood why number would matter, unless this is a school that doesn't offer honors/advanced before AP?
(at my school I've even gotten the impression that honors is more difficult than AP) There are different 'tracks' you have to follow to reach AP courses, but I think it would be plain silly to maneuver around honors classes just to take APs.