Hi,
If a student goes to a school that limits the number of AP courses/ exams they are allowed to take to 8, will that impact the student’s application at highly selective colleges if they choose to stick to 8 APs only? There is always the option to self-study and take more APs outside but is that an important criterion to demonstrate intellectual vitality?
Thanks
Students are evaluated in context of their HS. Self study is not necessary.
My D’s school had an 8 AP limit (actually 7 but with special permissions students could take the 8th) and students still had acceptances at top schools, including HYPSM.
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Agree, it will not be an issue.
I would not bother to self-study for AP exams. Admissions officers are interested in how well students do in an academic classroom setting, not how well they can cram for an exam. IMO time would be better spent excelling in coursework, being involved in ECs, and relaxing with friends and family.
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No. Colleges look at how you maximize the offerings within your high school framework.
And as an aside, for any student who chooses to self study, don’t ask “What are the easiest AP’s to self study to impress admissions?” Because it won’t impress admissions. And because every single AO knows which APs are the easiest to self study
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Often there is also the option for dual-enrollment at a local college. This has pluses and minuses. One minus being that it’s a real college grade and will have to be reported on any subsequent applications including grad and professional school.
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I’m a huge proponent for DE classes. We also picked a school specifically for its lack of AP curriculum so our kids can do DE classes with full HS support.
Yes there are minuses like you said – it’s real college grade that sticks forever.
But other pluses:
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Many are still on-line. If OP wants self study, online DE classes are actually better organized AND puts a fire under the kid to keep up.
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Many many class options. Our local CC offers drone flying under Geology, how cool is that.
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Free. At least in CA. AP tests cost money.
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For big public, you get real units/credit (subject to well defined articulation agreements), no need to fumble through a list of AP limitations.
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Not for everyone, but you get two weeks trial and drop before getting over your head. Very little risk involved.
IMO any kid who is capable of self study AP and pass a test will be capable of doing well in DE classes. Just need to pick the right classes.
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However, it appears that DE and community college courses generally can be much lower quality in some states, compared to California. So while DE is a good option in some situations, it may not be in others.
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I don’t disagree with you. DE classes can vary in quality.
But if HS places a limit of 8 AP classes. IMO, DE is a much better option than self studying for any AP test.
But overall “usefulness” of DE classes can be debated whether we are talking about exposure to different subjects, enhance personal learning, or adding rigor to application. I’m a huge fan for DE classes but I understand most people here favor AP.
I’m with you on this - hands down DE over AP for us (but we are also in California where the quality is relatively high and my D attends a state public which accepted all of her DE credits).
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The OP asked how many APs are enough, not whether APs or DEs are better, so everybody please stay on topic.
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My kids HS limited AP’s to 5. One year, a kid got permission and ended up with 6.
If that’s the schools policy, than the Adcom’s do NOT expect a kid to take 10. There are other ways to show academic rigor and intellectual engagement besides the AP arms race.
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No.
I think one of my kids had 7 APs and the other 8APs. Both were admitted to highly selective colleges.
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Our school caps at 8 and we send kids to highly selective schools every year. Students are evaluated in context. They want to see a good level of rigor. What keeps kids out of highly selective schools is not the number of APs they took —it’s the insane level of competition.
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If your school limits you will not be penalized, though make sure the school’s profile or counselor explains the limit!
I wouldn’t self-study for admissions purposes.
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Also, bear in mind many top private HS have zero APs. Those kids mainly go to highly-selective schools
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There is some nuance here. Your school limits the number of AP’s in all likelihood in part to encourage students to be more well-rounded and to reign in the “# of AP” arms race. So, some tact or planning as to what additional classes are taken and where is probably in everyone’s best interest so there is not the optics of sneaking around the limits as above or not appreciating the reasons for the rules.
I would strongly disagree that students are solely evaluated in the context of their High School. Yes, high school context matters. No, that’s not nearly the end of the story where a perfect or near-perfect HS record is not uncommon. That’s really the whole thing about DE and advanced research, creative writing or math summer camps. It can be exactly those activities, showing a student’s achievements on a scale outside of the environs of the high school, that can move the needle. At least in my experience, increasingly over the past years, “achievement beyond the four walls” has been a common phrase when students are discussed.
One way to show initiative and interest in this potentially delicate context and not run afoul of the “authenticity” or “striver” police is to pursue advanced study - either independently or through dual enrollment - in a single subject. Self studying a bunch of AP’s from different disciplines may make sense to a teen who doesn’t really know a lot about anything yet but who is intellectually curious. After all, we wouldn’t question a basketball star who tried his hand at baseball and football and golf. But without a clear academic focus, you run the risk of the cynical admissions officer who will interpret this as being a striving, academic, drone. An unrecoverable curse. Good becomes bad.
So even trying to learn has become fraught with its scylla and charybdis. Staying narrow and focused is probably safest path, and it may yield some benefit specifically in showing colleges what a student is likely to and good at studying. Oh and at 16 years old also is their life’s ambition.
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Thank you for the sage advice!
Thanks, everyone. Very helpful insights.
Not worth it to self study APs. The student should take what they want from what is available at their high school. They should choose the APs that interest them, and that have good teachers.
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