<p>Yeah, I've been hearing different versions of this. Would I not be checked off as "most rigorous academics", if I chose not to take the maximum course load? (I took study hall instead of an extra course). </p>
<p>If it helps, I've taken all the APs available at my school.</p>
<p>no? MBA is a graduate degree but its not the best one you can get if your trying to get into finance a MSF, MFE or MFIN is much better.</p>
<p>Oops, I should have been clearer. By MRA, I mean “Most Rigorous Academics” in the “difficulty of course selection” part on the secondary school report of the Common App.</p>
<p>Ask your counselor. That is who will decide this.</p>
<p>It’s mostly about taking the hardest courses your school has to offer. Considering you’ve taken all AP courses available, and merely dropped an elective (which likely would not have been rigorous at all) to take study hall, I can’t imagine that would remove you from the “MRA” category. But ultimately, it’s your counselor’s discretion. There is no formal definition or list of requirements. Very unlikely that she will tell you what she marked. </p>
<p>Just don’t worry about it. Colleges can make their own judgments about how rigorous your courseload was- the purpose of the “academic rigor” section is mainly to help admissions understand if shortcomings in courseload are attributed to the student’s choices or attributed to the school. Some students take 2 APs and still get MRA checked because their school is awful. Others take 4 and don’t get MRA checked because their school offers tons of APs and expects more.</p>