Hey, I am currently a sophomore and taking 3 ap’s this year, I can take more, but I want to keep my A+ average myself. Now here is the problem, I want to have at-least 8 APs under my belt when I apply. But I’m gonna apply RD, around January of my senior year, and I want to know will colleges count my AP’s in the first semester of senior year? Thank you very much!
PS: in this video does he mean he got the 10 ap’s In 9-11 or 9-12? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaWat9u2IDs&t=54s
Yes, colleges will “count” the APs you take in senior year. If you are aiming for top universities, then you want to be sure your senior schedule is designated most rigorous, which often means taking APs.
College admission officers look for course rigor senior year and they will see your senior year schedule. If you apply RD they will see your first semester senior year grades.
@yonceonhismouth and @happy1 Thank you, what about the video?
Colleges generally will use your senior schedule as a factor in determining admission to see if you are taking challenging courses. Colleges that use first semester, senior year grades to determine admission in regular decision (a large number) will consider the first semester AP grades along with prior grades in making a decision. However, colleges that use only through junior year grades to determine admission (also a large number and it includes the majority of public universities) will not use those first semester, senior year grades to determine admission. (As to the video, he does not say.))
Senior schedule is part of the application. If you ever change it after submitting the application, you need to notify the admission office as they really evaluate it.
Hmm, @drusba, is graduating from high school with 9 ap’s under my belt, good? for ivy league students.
There is no magic number for APs. What you need to do is speak to your guidance counselor and find out if your planned schedule is strong enough for him/her to check the box saying you have taken the most rigorous schedule available in your HS (which is not the most APs) on your college recommendation.
Don’t fall into the trap of not taking as rigorous courses in exchange for straight A’s. It will come to bite you later.
@ConcernedRabbit Thank you! I will try to aim for 14 AP classes. hopefully, that will help. so you are saying if I take a lot of APs it’s almost impossible to maintain a 4.0 average??
Yes…depending on how your school calculated GPA though… I know some schools say that a 90 is a A (a 4.0) while my school says that a 90 is an A-, aka, a 3.7. I can’t imagine a person being able to take 5ish AP’s and get straight A’s (no A-'s) all the time. I actually haven’t met a single person who has done that at my school. The closest would be a guy with a 3.95 GPA.
I’m an A to B student in several AP (over the max my school allows) and even though I have some B’s, I’m still being told to apply to top schools (MIT, NW, JHU), and have been told that I’ve got a good chance of making it.
Don’t worry if you get an A- or a B+, and don’t go out of your way to not challenge yourself for fear of losing the perfect 4.0.
It’s better to get a couple of B’s in top classes than to get straight A’s in easier classes.
WAIT? some schools treat a 90 as a 4.0!!! that is outright not fair!
Well, on the filp side…a 89% is a 3.0, rather than a 3.33 like it would be for us.
Top schools expect 6-8 well chosen AP’s (unless you live in Texas and are aiming for a public university.)
Piling up APs doesn’t help, choosing well and having a comprehensive secondary curriculum matters more - that means 4 year each of English (including 1 AP), History/ social science (1 minimum), science (including Bio, Chem, physics at any level, and one AP), math through calculus (or precalculus) and foreign language through level 4 or AP. Any other AP should fit coherently into your academic profile.
“WAIT, ****? some schools treat a 90 as a 4.0!!!”
Yup, and some treat a 97 as a 3.7.
The weighted GPAs are pretty much useless for comparison purposes.
I will try to aim for 14 AP classes. hopefully, that will help. so you are saying if I take a lot of APs it’s almost impossible to maintain a 4.0 average??
That is not going to help, it could hurt. Colleges know there is a lot of grade inflation when applicants get As on all their APs and you don’t want to be the “typical 15 APs” person.
I don’t expect that 14 AP classes will be necessary – college admissions is not a contest to see who has the most AP classes. As I said earlier talk to your guidance counselor about your schedule.
Don’t. It may even end up counter productive since the law of diminishing returns hits after you take 8 or so, and selective universities will then focus on excellence out of the classroom.
Yes, they will see your senior year classes. Pus, if you apply on january, the AP classes from the first semester will increase your GPA and they will see that you are already on the way and you are taking the AP classes. But, I don’t think they will see your AP scores since they will come on july next year.I’m not sure.