Hi! I’m going to be a sophomore next year and I’m trying to decide what my next 3 years will be like. I already planned it out but I’m starting to doubt it again because my school recently added the AP Capstone program. My dream school is MIT, and I’m a straight A, science-research, math competition, tech-geek kind of person. My current 4-year plan has 14 AP classes (4 in sophomore year), but AP Capstone gives me a chance to get 16. I don’t know what is best because if I go with the 14-route, I get to take more science classes, but I will probably learn this science outside of school anyways through research. Also, my high school is very annoying and allows only 6 classes per semester, instead of 8 like many others, which puts me at a disadvantage. I’m very tempted to take all these science classes, and just self-study French, but I don’t know if this is a good idea. Any advice from people who have been in similar situations?
Well, your post was vague, so you’re probably not going to get the level of responses you want. I will tell you that once you get beyond 6-8 AP’s, colleges start to look at other aspects of your application. So the difference between 14 AP’s (which is overkill anyway) and 16 is miniscule.
I agree, even 14 is very extreme. The better question is what are you doing this summer? Are you taking college classes? Are you doing research in a field that interests you? Do you have a job? What about volunteer work. MIT admits students based on solid academics and test scores but also extracurricular activities and not just during the school year
Are you going from 0 APs this year to 4 next year? The typical sophomore takes, like, one. Or maybe two.
I’m attending a 6-week intensive math camp called SIMUW this summer. I will be attending 4 major national science fairs this year, including ISEF, and will be continuing science research throughout high school. A UW professor was interested in my research and has invited me to intern/work with him. I’m part of a non-profit that promotes science and math in girls, but I think I could use some more volunteering. I’m also looking for some CS courses to take over the summer.
Thanks for your advice!