Extracurriculars vs Courseload vs GPA?

featherkin
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 22:26:09 +0000

I’m a sophomore, but my current GPA (3.7) is a bit low, if I want in on the Ivy Leagues, so I’ve been wondering what I could do to make my application seem more appealing.

A few of my friends are taking easier courses like AP Human Geography, in which they get a 98, or regular math, and since I’m taking honors math, which in my school is the most prestigious honors class, I get much lower averages (~90). I’m wondering whether I should focus more on GPA, courseload or extracurriculars when I enter junior year.

I’m planning on taking:
-AP US History
-AP Computer Science
and taking the AP Biology exam without the class

I’m considering:
-AP English

These are the only options available to me at the moment. I’m currently taking AP World and AP Music Theory. I don’t have any extracurriculars at the moment, but it seems like I barely have any time to do anything after I finish homework and studying.

What should I focus on? Which one is more important? Do colleges consider your courseload before your GPA? My school doesn’t weight anything and grades pretty hard, especially if you get a strict teacher, so honors and AP averages stay lower unless you do really well.

Thanks!