Will this benefit me?

<p>There are several threads here about what W & M is looking for in terms of a rigorous curriculum. What kind of APs or Honors courses have you taken so far, and how many APs are you likely to graduate with? And, a related question: how many APs does your hs offer? Colleges evaluate applicants in terms of how they challenge themselves within their own school’s offerings. If your hs offers APs in sciences, math, history, English, and languages, W & M will want to see that you have taken several of these courses. And if your school offers no APs, W & M (of course) won’t hold it against you that you haven’t taken them. </p>

<p>A few years ago, the W & M alumni magazine posted an article (<a href=“https://alumni.wm.edu/magazine/spgsum_2007/feature_5.shtml[/url]”>https://alumni.wm.edu/magazine/spgsum_2007/feature_5.shtml&lt;/a&gt; ) in which an admissions official talked about having five admissions bases covered: bio, chem, physics, calculus, and 4-5 years of a foreign language. The article also mentioned looking for 2 APs during junior year and 4 during senior year (provided the school offers that many). My d (also a dancer) did not take physics and had only 4 years of a foreign language, and was accepted; however, she did have 5 APs, including Bio and Chem, and 2 other college-level courses (SUPA). </p>

<p>W & M isn’t known for its dance or fine arts departments. It’s much more of an academically-focused school. If you enjoy dance and want to be in the dance company, by all means, do so! W & M and other selective schools are looking for students who have followed their passions and interests. But if taking dance would come at the expense of pursuing a challenging curriculum, I’d advise against it.</p>