our school used to give both weighted and unweighted rankings before they completely stopping giving ranks. It’s a very competitive school and ranking was hurting college admissions.
@srk2017 Our school doesn’t rank. One of the reasons was the very top students were going to ridiculous lengths to one up each other in hopes for the #1 spot. In a school with a high percentage of top performing students, it’s almost cruel to add one more measure for them to try and compete against. Things like NOT taking classes they should like art or music because it would pull down their GPA’s.
QOTDs:
ED: It seems like the path to anxiety, second guessing, and regret for most 17 and 18 year old kids. That said, if the applicant is 100% sure and determined and the family doesn’t need to compare offers, to each his own.
APs: School doesn’t believe in teaching to the test so doesn’t offer them. However, if a student wants to self-study, he or she can be excused from class to take the exam at another school where APs are offered.
Number of apps: Probably 8-10 by the time she is done.
Swag: No stickers, frisbees, T-shirts, nada. She has gotten a few thick year books that are the side of IKEA catalogs.
Joke of the day: For @2muchquan one of my favorite little kid jokes: “What did the zero say to the number eight?” Nice belt.
Our school does not generally allow it on most classes with a few exception like AP Music Theory. (Many students study this with outside music teachers.) But they don’t offer a class for all tests and they do offer all the tests.
@Mommertons and @itsgettingreal17 - I prefaced my comments about APs by saying I would rather see some high quality honors classes rather than APs. I know of schools, for example, that offer regular classes, honors classes, AP classes, and advanced honors classes; the latter of these are at the highest level and students are accepted in only by teacher recommendation and a portfolio of their work.
Much to my chagrin, D17’s school does not offer many (or hardly any) honors classes at that level, so she, too, is relegated to taking AP classes because the kids are brighter and/or higher achieving than they are in the non-AP classes. I still dislike the AP curricula, find them dreadfully formulaic and superficial, and would much prefer for my daughter to be able to take advanced honors offerings.
@curiositycat333 - Truth be told, I think the logic behind the new UC essays has less to do with European-style statements of purpose and more to do with the attention span of the readers. How much can you really say in 350 words?!? Sheesh!! Next thing you know, students will have to tweet their essays.
2flatKansas – I hear you as D continues to be penalized for her music classes as they are average weighting (which pulls her down)-- if she had taken studyhall and lunch instead of Latin and Music she would be in the top 5% of her class. As it stands, she took many APs, worked her tail off and still is not in the top 10%- closing the door on many scholarships that require the top rankings.
Now friends are texting their 5’s on the APs and D is feeling horrible. She had higher class grades and knew the material inside and out - she tutored kids - and she didn’t get the 5’s (and in some cases didn’t get 4’s either). If our school didn’t rank then we would not have nearly as many kids taking all AP - and there would be more kids taking art, music, theater, and helpful nonAP electives (public speaking, personal finance, etc…) D is away at camp but her last text to me was all about her friends snapping her pictures of their screens with the 5’s across it — she said she wished she could curl up and cry. She will get over it but right now it is tough. When she gets home I will have to break it to her that those 3’s will not get her class credit at UA.
Number of apps, whatever it is, will pale in comparison to number of login IDs, user names, passwords, and secret security questions.
Our HS offers honors classes only during freshman & sophomore years, and AP only during junior and senior years. They have a pretty good selection, but you can only do so much. For example, students have to take Physics before AP Physics, and they are not allowed to take either until junior year. So, only one AP Physics is possible.
My D2 will come out with six APs; not sure all of them will be applicable to her major and some won’t even meet Gen Ed requirements. That’s ok – things like AP Music Theory she’s taking for fun, anyway.
As for class rank, the school is transitioning away from it, but will still rank this coming year. As with some other students, four years of band pulls her rank down. She just shrugs about it!
@novicemom23kids AP test score are mostly not used by College in their admission decisions. Rather it is the grade (in GPA). AP test scores are only used when claiming credit. So I think your DD doesn’t need to concern too much of those 5s.
I am surprised at the concern for students who take a heavy AP load. Since when does taking academic courses at the AP level instead of honors prevent kids from taking music or other electives? My D will have 4 years of band, a year of Drama and 7 years of FL along with her 13 AP classes ( 1 AP class will be a FL).
Since when does taking a class with an AP test at the end mean the teacher cannot go in-depth? Most of the kids in my D’s AP classes have been in gifted classes since elementary school, they learn at a different pace and different style than the kids that are in the standard classes. It is much easier for the teacher to explore a tangent and do a deep dive if she knows the students are doing their readings every night and don’t need to be spoon feed basic concepts.
My D says AP courses only add a little more to her homework time. She says with AP she has to keep up each night, but honors classes have more busy work that is often more time consuming. My D would rather read 10 pages of US History every night then do a diorama of Fort Pitt as a major part of her grade. Standard kids in AP classes do often struggle, spend a lot more time on homework and get lower grades. But for the kids that are making A’s and B’s and 4’s and 5’s on the exams, I don’t see a problem.
Perhaps it is the old YMMV issue. I think the fact that my D goes to a large school (3,400 +) with good feeder schools ensures a good population of kids that are capable and committed. That allows the school to invest in AP program and attract qualified teachers.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I am sure your classes are more interesting and enriching than AP courses, unfortunately we do not live in your school district. 
@VickiSoCal - How can your school not allow you to take AP tests? Isn’t that between your DC and The College Board?? I’ve heard of schools not letting you take AP classes unless you agree to take the AP test, but how can they stop you from taking a test if it is offered?
I would encourage her to study and then take the CLEP exams. UA gives credit for several history CLEPs.
I wish I said what @Dave_N said in post #9301
Shucks! Too bad! Seriously. I mean we offer courses like “Conflict Themes in the Works of CS Lewis,” “Philosophy: The Birth of the Modern Mind,” and “Dark Matter and Black Holes.” 
@LovetheBard Schools can and do deny access to not only AP exams but the PSAT as well. It is ridiculous that CB does not offer testing sites for students denied access.
why do kids need school permission to take AP test @ another school? Can kids call in sick on test day?
@srk2017 The other school may deny access. Homeschoolers can face huge problems in getting a school to allow them to take the test. It isn’t as if their scores impact the school. Homeschoolers have to use their own school code. I can understand if the school isn’t proctoring a test, but if they are and have room available in the given classroom, it really is nothing more than a power play.
I don’t know, but when you go to the finance office to pay for AP tests they have a list of your AP classes and those are what you can pay and register for.
My S took one AP exam @ different school last year. I don’t recall getting his school permission to do it. We did fill official excuse form though. Ours is IB school with couple of AP classes. Last couple of years more kids are taking AP exams instead of waiting for IB HL exams. My S took 4 and (3 of them are @ school). Today I found out most colleges won’t give credit for IB SL. I guess if he wants credit he has to take AP exams next year.
@srk2017 …is he getting the diploma or no? They have a certain amount of HL hours with the diploma…not sure how many though.