I feel like I take the lightest load of anyone on here …
I’m in AP Chem (double block), APUSH, Precal H, Sp3H, American Lit, and Religion. Baseball is in season right now, so when I come home from baseball it’s homework until bed (~7-11:30). I don’t know how those of you who take way more AP’s than I do and juggle a sport maintain sanity … Heck I’m not even taking AP Lang because I’m awful at English.
@jjlundy Tbh, my school offers a very low amount of APs (1 in junior year and 3 in senior year, and that’s all.) So the classes I’m taking now are: Islamic Studies, Arabic Language, English 11, AP US Government & Politics, PreCal, Biology, Quran, and Computer & Technology Application. But I am selfstudying AP Calc AB, which the seniors take, so I can take AP Calc BC in my senior year. And of course selfstudying will make my application look better…
I see all of these threads saying you need to take the maximum rigor your school offers, but I also see threads saying 6-8 AP’s will suffice… When I graduate I’ll have 7-8 AP’s completed, but I also opted out of 3. Maybe I’m worrying about nothing but this still bothers me.
Edit: The three I will/have opted out of are AP World, AP Lang, and AP Lit
I’ll have completed: APHG, APUSH, AP Chem, AP Micro, AP Gov, AP Calc BC, AP Physics, and maybe self-study AP Stat.
I hope someone can enlighten me, but I really don’t understand why people self study AP’s. I was always under the impression that colleges judge you in the context of your high school, so if your school doesn’t offer an AP course, they don’t expect you to take the exam. Now if you’re studying for an exam related to your major that you’re interested in and want credit for, that makes sense. On the other hand, why do people self-study “easy” AP’s to try to make their application look better? Colleges know that some AP’s are easier, and I thought that colleges would prefer you spending your time doing something more meaningful.
@photogeek8 Have you considered talking to a medical professional or a counselor about your problem(s)? It seems like it is very serious and you should get help before it gets even worse
@photogeek8 I’ve had those issues (still do to some extent), and what helped me the most was realizing that no one cares about you nearly as much as you do. What people have always told me is “Don’t care about what other people think of you!”, but that’s sort of misleading advice since it assumes that people actually care what you do - they don’t. Most people, including ourselves, are preoccupied with what we’re doing in life (not saying this is a bad thing). You probably don’t remember what Johnny said in response to a teacher’s question last week because it isn’t important to you, regardless of how funny or stupidly embarrassing it was.
You seem to be aware of most of this, so I’m sorry if this isn’t much use for you, but I know exactly what you’re feeling seconds before you speak, and I can totally reassure you that you aren’t the only one in your class with this issue. I think that if you truly internalize the fact that people don’t care and have their own worries, you’ll have a more carefree attitude. Best of luck, you can message me if you wanna talk!
@Motodile Since my school is partnered with an educational organization called NMSI that gives each student $100 for each math, science, or language AP exam they pass, many study easy AP’s like Environmental Science to get $100. Also, since our school pays for everyone’s AP exams, they’re essentially profiting from passing these tests. I get this motive, but I honestly don’t think it’s worth all the time and effort just for $100, even if it’s an “easy AP”.
At other schools where people pay for their own tests and have no organization to hand out money for these exams, I have no clue why they would self-study if they’re not interested in the subject. It’s completely useless.
@neoking Exactly what I thought. People think that it will make their application look better, but it really does the opposite.
@photogeek8
I’m so sorry that you feel this way. I agree with what another poster said about talking to a counselor - although in the sense that it might make you more anxious, having to share how you feel with someone else, whether they’re close to you or not, is also a grueling experience.
I’ve had feelings similar to yours in situations analogous to the one you described (particularly how you said anything entailing interaction with people), and possibly the most helpful thing for me (as counterproductive as it might seem) is concentrating on myself and my actions. I tend to overthink - not just about me messing up, but also about other people laughing at me & considering me a failure if I do commit an error. However, focusing on myself in times of stress also helps center me a bit and brings me back around to the thought that I am the one thing in life I can control (to quote Aaron Burr in the song Wait for It). As long as you do your best, and that you try in the first place, that’s the most important thing 
Sorry if this wasn’t the most helpful response! If you need to talk, feel free to message me. ^-^
@Motodile I’m not self-studying ap stat to improve my resume per say, I’m genuinely interested in the subject and can’t fit it into my schedule. Why not kill two birds with one stone and take the AP exam?
@neoking @desideratum Thanks, you guys, that’s really sweet of you. High school + family problems = not a good combination, haha. I have seen my school counselor, but I found the meetings awkward. I think that, as you guys said, it’s important to just stop worrying about what others think and focus on what matters to me.
I’ve done something that may be a risk to my health (i.e. my mom killing me): I signed up to be a shavee for St. Baldrick’s at my school next month. Never in my life have I ever done something so rebellious. She’s told me countless times that “you better not get your hair cut” and that “you’re MY child.” But it’s for a great cause! I am going to cause so much trouble over this, and it feels exhilarating.
@tigerman333 May not be such a bad idea if it gets bad enough, @photogeek8
I think you’re perfectly strong enough to do this on your own, and sure, it will take time. But please don’t hesitate to seek medical help if you feel that it can help you in some way.
@QueenOfBohemia That’s awesome! I always wanted to do St. Baldrick’s but didn’t have the guts! Your mom should be proud that she raised such a someone so selfless!
@QueenOfBohemia That’s really cool! I wish I had the courage to do that.
I was just rejected from my dream summer program… Although I knew it was a long shot (it has under a 2% acceptance rate), I had hoped to at least make it to semifinalist status. And it would be so, so cool to go–you get to spend three weeks doing research in Greenland for free. Oh well, though. I just hope I make it into one of my other programs.
Is anyone on here in AP Physics C: Mechanics or has anyone taken the class? I’m deciding whether to take AP Physics 1 or C; I’ve never had a Physics class before. I love and excel at math and science, so I’m leaning toward C.
- Don't take C without prior knowledge.
Anyone know if I should self-study nuclear chemistry for the AP Chem exam?
@jjlundy I look Physics C last year (both of them) with no prior physics knowledge. Honestly, I don’t think that having physics before it would have helped lol, but it ended up going well for me. As long as you’ve taken or will be taking Calc BC, you should be fine; it’s a great class. Let me know if you have questions!
I haven’t been here in awhile, but seeing everyone’s posts I feel like this is the most stressful time of the year. Everyone is applying to summer programs and starting to study for AP exams and picking their next year schedules and thinking about colleges. Hang in there everyone the end is near!