Lack of AP Classes really bugging me

Applying to College
1

I’m a junior at a small high school in NC. We have about 400 students all together and 124 in my class. That being said, my school only offers 3 AP classes. We have AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, and AP US History. Our school used to have 6 AP classes but we’ve been replacing them with Honors Classes at the local community college. I’ve heard that these classes are really easy compared to the AP classes. I don’t think that the honors classes will hold much weight so I’ve done a lot of work trying to take more AP classes. This is what my senior year should look like:

AP Biology (All year)
AP Environmental Science (Online)(All Year)
AP Statistics
English IV (Maybe Honors)
Roundtable (Maybe Honors)
Zoology (Maybe Honors)

Both AP Biology and AP Stats are at another high school about 10 miles from my original high school. Will it look bad if I didn’t take Honors Classes because of my schedule? I’m not choosing to give up those Honors Classes but my councilor said I might have to take regular. I’ve already taken both Calc classes. English IV and Roundtable are English Credits I need for graduation. I’m not sure what to do. Should I consider transferring to the bigger school and make my schedule a little less hectic? I’ve never taken a non honors core class before so will it hurt my chances for university? And should I drop Zoology for AP History? I’m not a fan of history or the teacher teaching it but I could use the AP credit so is it worth it? Sorry if I’ve been asking too many questions.

2

If your school offers only three APs, it’s better to take all three that are available, so I strongly suggest taking AP US History.

It’s good that you’re seeking opportunities outside of what is available at your high school. Don’t transfer to the other school because then you’d have to compete with students who may have had more APs under their belts.

What you’re doing is beyond sufficient compared to what your high school offers. If you’re worried about a lack of AP credits when you enter college, ask your counselor if you could self study and take the exams next May for classes that aren’t available.

3

I would stay at your current school, since transferring would mean starting over in terms of getting teachers for recommendations, many ECs, etc. Admissions officers say that they want to see that you fully challenged yourself in the context of your high school and they really do mean it.

For what it’s worth, I only ended up taking 4 out of 5 AP courses offered at my school and it all worked out.

4

Have you not taken a US history course? Is it not a graduation requirement?

5

I’m in Honors US History 2. My school moved both US History classes to Junior year. In all honesty, it’s probably one of the best decisions my school has ever made. It helped a lot to open up my schedule for senior year.

6

Well then, it’s a moot point. There’s no point in taking APUSH now. Regardless, I think you’d be fine with how you have your courses laid out.