<p>Hi everyone, I am looking for help in managing with my daughter’s Ap courses. She is a sophomore and just transfeded to a new school, which has only one Ap course offered for sophomore, but she cannot take it because she did not take the prerequisite course. So if she wishes to apply for top liers, she has to take at least 4-5 APs in Junior. Which would be AP Enlish Literature, AP US History, AP Stats, and some others. I am quite worried if she can manage with so many APs in one year. </p>
<p>My question is, for top liers, how many AP’s scores are expected to demonstrate academic ability? if we cannot fit them into the schedule, is self-study Ap expected? so far she has no big honors in academic competitions, can submssion of more AP scores help this? Thank you for your help!</p>
<p>Being short one possible AP course sophomore year because she was at a different school as a freshman is not going to make a bit of difference. If you are concerned the GC can address this in their recommendation. The number of APs that might demonstrate academic ability vary widely. Many schools will offer alternate courses they believe are just as good as APs or better - if you attend one of those schools the right answer is “none”. My older son took 1 AP as a freshman, 1 as a sophomore, 3 as a junior, and 3 as a senior (along with one post calculus course). My younger son took 1 as a sophomore, 3 as a junior and 3 as a senior. Both got into top 20 schools. My older son got into more selective schools than my younger one, but that had a lot to do with better grades, SAT scores, and outside of school activities. They took APs in the subjects that interested them and that they thought they could do well in. Your school’s counselors and teachers probably have a good idea as to what sort of a load is a good idea for your daughter based on her past performance and what a typical load at the school is.</p>
<p>I would put the most competitive colleges out of the equation for the present, & focus on what is appropriate for her now.
It may be to take four AP, one AP or none.
Id also give her slack as transferring into a new school particulary in the middle of high school should be considered as challenging as an extra credit course, at least!</p>
<p>Since AP classes vary among schools, it would be a good idea to ask people at your HS about the workloads. At our HS, AP Stats is taught as a full year class and it is very manageable. Also at our HS, AP Literature is not too bad (in my opinion the students don’t read enough!), but the history courses always have a lot of work. She could ask students in those classes, you could speak to other parents to find out more about the junior classes.</p>
<p>The winner isn’t the person with the most “AP” courses, the winner is the student who challenges themselves and is successful with an appropriate courseload relative to what the high school offers. What AP classes are offered across the country vary significantly including schools that do not offer any of these branded programs. Focus on strengths first and forget about the number of AP classes.</p>
<p>The colleges will want to see you’re taking the challenge and doing well with it. In your situation, I don’t think missing one AP will hurt badly. If her AP teachers teach well, 4 or even more APs in a year are definitely doable. If her teachers don’t teach well - you can tell by looking at the past test scores - then I’d say definitely no more than 4, because you may need to do a lot of extra study outside of school. My daughter took AP chem (plus another AP) in sophomore year. She did so much extra work because her school very rarely had people passing the test, which is a proof that the teacher is not good at prep them. It was so stressful. This year as a junior, she’s taking 4. There is still a lot of work, but it’s definitely better than last year, just because her school has much better track record in the APs she’s taking now.</p>
<p>^It’s not just a question of doing well. Some AP teachers pile on the homework others don’t. For example my older son’s Calc BC teachers told students they could do as much homework as they felt they needed to and feel comfortable that they had mastered the material. My son did very little and got a 5 on the test. My younger son taking the very same class would have done all of the suggested work. (He had a different teacher and worked pretty hard for his 4.) </p>
<p>My younger son considered briefly taking the English AP but felt the person teaching it went overboard on the homework. OTOH he had no issues with AP Euro, which was probably equally demanding.</p>
<p>Both kids took APUSH. It seemed to me it had a very reasonable amount of homework and it was taken by nearly all the kids aiming for selective colleges.</p>
<p>She should take as many of the most rigorous courses as she can handle. This is for HER benefit, not playing the get into college game. “Handle” means wanting them and being able to do the work in a reasonable amount of time. We were lucky in our school district- some sophomores took AP US History instead of regular, likewise for Physics. Son took Honors Junior language arts instead of an AP language arts course that year so he could take 4th year French. Some students take AP exams without taking the AP course. Some schools offer a better course than what they would teach in an AP version.</p>
<p>As you can see there are many answers. Definitely have her plan out the rest of her HS years with an eye to maxing out on her education. Do not plan on a study hall- she should be able to handle a full load of academics, art/music and phy ed.</p>
<p>The first two years of HS are good times to see how much she can handle. If she needs to back off she can then do so. Her junior year grades will be the last full year admissions staff see- and improving grades can offset a poor start. She will be best prepared for college with the most she can learn. She will also get the best study habits if she is challenged (but not to the point of exhaustion). You want the best fit college for her, not the most prestigious. She also needs time to be a kid and enjoy extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Getting into top schools is iffy and quirky. I would not want to pile on the stress and make high school miserable, in order to get in. Let her follow her interests and challenge herself without worrying about college admissions, for now. Especially encourage any interests that emerge, that may guide applications in a few years- but for their present value in her development as a person.</p>
<p>Since we don’t know your daughter and we don’t know the rigor of the AP classes at her high school, we can’t possibly answer this question!</p>
<p>The best advice is to ask around and see what her peers thought of the AP classes. Also be good to know what type of EC’s your D is involved in. If she’s playing a varsity sport or working 20 hours/week, then that has to be taken into account.</p>
<p>For the elite schools, academics (AP’s) only get your foot in the door. A few classes here or there won’t make much of a difference as long as the student is challenging them self.</p>
<p>Start focusing on what the student does with their opportunities - the EC’s. Help the student to find their passion and run with it. That is what will make an interesting application and open the door.</p>