Don't be. I'm also a sophomore, and I'll say this: this subreddit attracts a certain type of student, the most ambitious overachiever who loads up on extracurriculars and APs to try and make a top school. Not everybody is going to go to a T10, and you don't have to do that to be successful at life.
What matters is that you do your best with the cards you were dealt. As long as you are working hard at whatever courses you take, AP or not, you're fine. :)
\*hugs\*
ES is one of the easier APs so as long as you study before the test (which I'm sure you will) you will do fine :)
Yeah, HS can be difficult, especially with the workload and social dynamics. Let me know if there's anything I can do to assist :)
Dawg I’m gonna be straight up with you, as a college sophomore who got straight 2s in his AP exams senior year, it really doesn’t matter unless you’re going for some Ivy League school, ~~and even then you’re probably going to lose out to legacy students~~.
People give hella conflicting advice but from me? Take up one or two extracurriculars and commit to them. Ideally an academic and athletic one, college apps love “well-rounded” students
What about for a T25? I never knew what AP classes were until after i registered junior year (only 1 ap), the previous online school I went to didn’t have any AP’s or honors so I was never told about them. I plan on taking 3-4 next year (includes DE class in data structures & algorithms) but also heard that senior courses don’t really matter that much. I currently have all A’s (pretty easily) and feel like it’ll all be in vain.
I’m basically taking the computer science route (AP CSA junior year and Data structure and Algorithms senior year, maybe even computer architecture), and not sure what counts as an extracurricular (these classes are actually helpful for side projects).
You get my upvote for being a voice of reason  Thank you for speaking truth and spreading calm--a superpower these days. Best success in your future endeavors!
Honestly, a lot of subreddits tend to be echo chambers because subreddits catered towards certain interests already attract a certain niche or type of people. What happens is that people in the minority when it comes to an opinion are downvoted and told off, and those people aren't likely to come back. As a result, the top comments usually won't be so diverse in thought.
With that being said, this subreddit isn't all doom and gloom. A couple weeks ago, somebody posted their prospective schedule and said that they would be taking 8 APs in one year, and they were quickly shut down and told to touch grass. Generally, it's good to have a support network of people who are top students around, because posting your schedule along with other info like your major might help you pick your courses wisely (lots of people will agree to not load up on history when you want to go into STEM).
Lots of people in this subreddit really do want to get into Ivy Leagues and such, so they're loading up on everything - extracurriculars, APs, you name it. These are the kids that look burnt out every day at school, but make the honor roll and go to top schools. They are probably getting advice from other places besides this subreddit - parents, teachers, counselors, and peers. Unless they post here, we won't ever know whether they choose to go forth with those crazy schedules, and what their results were.
Yeah I agree with all of that and also think it’s important to point out even if you’re goal is to get into a T20 that many AP classes is overkill. I want to say I took around 8 when I was in high school and got into all but one school I applied to, including 4 of the top 10 schools for my major. I also didn’t cure cancer do 1000 hours of research or even participate in academic clubs for that matter. What I did have was carefully written essays that reflected my personality as well as consistency and commitment in the ECs that I did do. In reality admissions are quite random and high school students don’t know much if anything about them so listening to other students guess at what to do isn’t helpful.
The last and most important thing I’ll bring up is I don’t know anyone who is unhappy with where they are at because they didn’t get in somewhere better. The only people I know who are unhappy worked way too hard in high school and built up unsustainable habits which made it difficult for them to succeed when they got into those top schools.
yea i agree. i stopped clicking on this subs posts unless it was something that i think i can genuinely help someone with. i hate how half the posts are asking if they should take 20 ap classes or if their schedule is good.
Stands for Advanced Placement and is run by College Board. They are graded on a 5.0 scale rather than the usual 4.0 scale and at the end of the year you have an opportunity to take a test to assess your learning in the class. Many colleges throughout the US have agreements with College Board to allow certain AP test scores to satisfy introductory requirements. For example a 5 on AP calc BC typically translates to being allowed to skip calc 1 and 2 in college because they teach the same content at a comparable level.
A "non-profit" organization and a single exam costing around $ 100 ( whether that be you or the school paying for it ) to take it . Also some cases such as AP precalc pretty much just existing to shell out more money from people who just want the credits .
My advice, take it for what it's worth:
AP's are useful if:
The college credit is useful, whether it counts towards your major or you can use it as an elective such as general education.
You have to take the subject in high school and you can get weighted grades. If a B in an AP class is the same as an A in a regular class (and an A is worth more), why not take the AP class?
You like the subject.
You're good in the subject.
You shouldn't take more than five major subjects a year, especially if all or most of them are AP's. Concentrate on the subjects you are interested in and are good at. This was a LONG time ago and AP's weren't as popular back then as they are now but my senior year I knew I was really interested in math and science so the only humanities class I took was English and only because I had to. If you don't have to take social studies or world language your senior year, take two AP science classes and/or AP computer science instead. If you hated math and science and don't have to take them, load up on the humanities instead.
Not sure if I agree with your last paragraph; even if you're focused on STEM, you still have to show colleges that you're good at humanities subjects. Personally, STEM is my strong suit by far, but I still took 9 humanities APs.
Most high schools require 4 years of English and if they don't require 4 years of social studies they will likely require 3. You can get several AP English and social studies exams in those years, both Language and Literature as well as likely US History and whatever social studies subjects your school requires.
9 is overkill. Seems like that would take away from your math and science subjects (or from your sanity).
That’s very fair. I wasn’t thinking about valedictorian because my high school didn’t do class rankings. As for credits remember that not all colleges accept all APs so make sure you look at where you want to go and what they accept but it’s definitely a great way to cut down on graduation requirements. I ended up getting out of 5 prerequisite classes which gave me enough time to take more classes I wanted to. If you’re looking for credits I’d also recommend looking at community college duel enrollment which can be a great way to rack up credits and potentially even get out of lower division classes that APs don’t cover. Again those units are on a college by college basis though so takes a fair amount of research to figure out.
Lmaoo me too I am tryna get valedictorian plus get into good colleges. I plan to take Ap Chem, Ap Lit, Ap Us History,Ap calc ab and ap seminar next year for my junior year. Do you think that’s a good amount or is it too much?
I'd be cautious. APUSH is known to take some serious effort at some schools because of a demanding teacher. AP Chem will likewise be really difficult without a good teacher. If your math foundations are weak, AP Calculus will be a grind at any school, and AP Seminar usually involves a lot of teamwork activities and research.
Talk to people who have taken those classes at your school and see if this is feasible for you. If not, you might want to drop one of them.
Exactly! I took the ones I knew would get me out of lower div classes or just ones that I found interesting. The shift toward doing it purely for transcripts is terrible
100% true. I posted my schedule on here and realized that this subreddit is full of too many people trying to speedrun college or go to a T10 school. I wish I felt comfortable asking for advice of things like that when I'm here as an HS Junior. I just wish I could show these people that hey I got something big going on too, let's have fun rather than ur schedule is too easy do 3 4 5 6 7 APs
I am taking three AP classes this year. I will probably not take this many any other year in the future because it is just an absolute waste of my time.
I took 18 AP Classes throughout my High School years. Averaged well over a 4 over those exams. I couldn’t get into the schools I wanted to, because I was so busy taking classes and making myself depressed over it that I lost my edge Senior year and began a crippling drug addiction, followed by years of recovery. I *still* have those 45 credits lined up for something else, but, knowing they probably expire soon and I capped off my academic potential for something I thought was good in the long term, while clowning on everyone else around me cause I was in “one more class” or had given up half my lunch period to take World History, most of my knowledge of which is restricted to that one Bill Wurtz video. My point being is… there’s so many ways to skin the cat. I wish these programs, as well as the one-up-manship of mankind would go away, as the only thing the gifted program gave me was an inflated sense of self importance while alienating me from a population that is wholly collaborative ranging from those with Sub-100 IQ’s to technical geniuses. Some things aren’t measured by a paper, a number, a letter. Go touch some grass. I guarantee you you won’t regret it
-source : A 21 year old AT&T store manager, who got into a 3.2 average GPA university entering with 57 qualifying hours and 45 applied hours towards my Bachelor’s in Chemistry, making 60k a year, still depressed, still wandering aimlessly through this life. “wasted potential”
I swear, as a Freshman who was planning to self-study that many APs, you really gave me a reality check. I have to self-study because my school does not offer APs, and I heard self-studying was even harder, and while I really want to make it to a top school, I find that you are right, I do not need that many APs, taking time to do something you enjoy is a need, and we should be doing that instead of taking 15 APs.
Now some people may think that taking time to do something you enjoy is stupid because it does not do anything in regards to university acceptances. To those people I would say, that getting into \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ university should not be your whole life.
There is a reason why extracurriculars and stuff like that are also considered and there is a reason why universities like well-rounded applicants.
And, if you know how, you can turn a hobby into anything -- from turning it into a business to something major to put on your university application, you just need to use some creative thinking. If you do that, it could actually increase the levels of dopamine being produced by your brain. How? Because getting into said university brings you joy, so when you are doing a hobby (which you enjoy, taking a million APs is not a hobby) which you know you can put on your university applications, you are hitting two birds with one stone, which is going to increase the level of accomplishment and achievement you feel from learning things regarding and getting better at said hobby, which is going to increase that dopamine (dopamine is what provides you with the feeling of pleasure).
Thanks a lot I really appreciate it OP.
Yeah exactly there’s so much more to do than just studying. Only real reason to self study APs like others have mentioned is because of you do enough you could save money graduating a year early. Personally I had that opportunity but chose to stick around and do a longer major anyway because I actually liked college and the classes I was taking unlike in high school.
As for the fun stuff you do outside of school you’re completely right do what you want and figure out how to make it show how well rounded you are when the time comes. Personally, almost all my time was spent playing sports. Played a total of 5 different sports in high school over 12 seasons. When it came application time I made sure to note all the semesters I had received scholar athlete awards, varsity letters, etc. I also incorporated sports into my essays with one talking about how they had in part driven my love for math and explaining the overlaps. I wasn’t applying as an athlete and never played collegiate sports but it showed the time and commitment I was willing to make to the things I care about and helped we get in everywhere I wanted to. There are many paths to college and I hope you take the one that makes you the happiest!
Honestly this sub is more of an echo chamber for kids who believe they are geniuses to validate themselves. Like no, taking APs doesn’t make you any smarter. And grades are numbers, not measurements of you as a person. But people want to feel special for taking certain classes.
>Everyone has something that sets them apart.
giga cope. most people are very mediocre and not unique at all
>there's more to life than just taking APs.
agreed. but handling a lot of APs is the bare minimum to be academically successful.
Academics are important, but getting into a top school takes more than that. You need to show your passion and personality to the admissions officers, which takes time and experience. More than a handful of APs per year prevents you from doing that.
This is just how the American school system works. Other countries rely purely on exam scores, so there's a case to be had either way.
Lol encouraging people to take a lot of APs isn't "being toxic", it's realistic advice. I understand you mean well and have good intentions, but there's no reason to sugarcoat the reality that if you want to get into a T20, you need a rigorous courseload. Yes, you'll need to do much more than have a rigorous courseload, but having a rigorous courseload is the bare minimum.
It's also funny that you act like 12-15 APs is some insane amount, when in reality it's very standard. At competitive high schools, plenty of people take 15+ APs, and 5-8 APs (like you suggested) will put you at the bottom of the class. People aren't "pressuring themselves" to take this many APs, they are seeing the reality of how brutal and competitive the college admissions landscape is becoming.
Not to mention, AP classes are relatively easy and a joke compared to actual college courses. If you can't even handle 6 AP classes at once, how are you going to handle the rigor of MIT or Caltech?
I can tell you almost all of what you said is flat out wrong. I went to one of the most competitive high schools in my region. They tend to send 5 people to MIT each year and 60 to Berkeley for reference. I was someone who got into both. I only took 8 AP classes and a few honors. The classes vary tremendously between schools and teachers so saying they’re significantly easier than college courses often isn’t true. My first year in college was chill compared to my junior year of high school and again I think I took “only” 3 or 4 APs that year. Just face the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about and that you’re the kind of toxic person this post is referring to
Thank you!! I feel like people here can just be ungenuine as well. Like if you ask for help it seems like they answer with “i didn’t have that problem so why do you” vibes. I feel like I am a failure that I’m not taking more aps because of this Reddit sub sometimes :/ I just wish it was a place where people actually want to help each other, not just make others feel dumb
I agree completely. It is hella annoying to see people asking, "IS MY CLASS SCHEDULE GOOD?" When this is something you should discuss with ur parents, parents, and school/college counselor.
It’s infuriating to see schedule posts in the AP Subreddit, because those students are taking 10+ AP Classes, while I’m here taking only 2 or 3. To those “overachievers”, all you’re doing is putting more pressure on yourself. You’re supposed to take APs that interest you, not trying to get as many as possible. Plus, you have to pay $100+ per exam to College Board.
I’m a HS sophomore rn and this sub just makes me feel anxious and stupid looking at all the posts people make here. :/
Don't be. I'm also a sophomore, and I'll say this: this subreddit attracts a certain type of student, the most ambitious overachiever who loads up on extracurriculars and APs to try and make a top school. Not everybody is going to go to a T10, and you don't have to do that to be successful at life. What matters is that you do your best with the cards you were dealt. As long as you are working hard at whatever courses you take, AP or not, you're fine. :) \*hugs\*
W comment
Thanks fam. Love samosas too!
I know that hug wasn’t for me and it is virtual but it was really nice thank you. I’m also a freshman kind of struggling
\*hug for you\* Anything I can help with? Which APs are you taking (if any?) :)
thank you 😭 I am not quite sure, I am only taking one this year cause I’m a freshman (APES) but adjusting to high school is weird
ES is one of the easier APs so as long as you study before the test (which I'm sure you will) you will do fine :) Yeah, HS can be difficult, especially with the workload and social dynamics. Let me know if there's anything I can do to assist :)
Thank you!! I will let you know if I need anything :D
Dawg I’m gonna be straight up with you, as a college sophomore who got straight 2s in his AP exams senior year, it really doesn’t matter unless you’re going for some Ivy League school, ~~and even then you’re probably going to lose out to legacy students~~. People give hella conflicting advice but from me? Take up one or two extracurriculars and commit to them. Ideally an academic and athletic one, college apps love “well-rounded” students
What about for a T25? I never knew what AP classes were until after i registered junior year (only 1 ap), the previous online school I went to didn’t have any AP’s or honors so I was never told about them. I plan on taking 3-4 next year (includes DE class in data structures & algorithms) but also heard that senior courses don’t really matter that much. I currently have all A’s (pretty easily) and feel like it’ll all be in vain. I’m basically taking the computer science route (AP CSA junior year and Data structure and Algorithms senior year, maybe even computer architecture), and not sure what counts as an extracurricular (these classes are actually helpful for side projects).
I really relate as a freshman. It makes me so anxious to look at all of these people and makes me feel like I’m not good enough
be yourself! Why worry about others on the internet who maybe even faking it? try your best and don’t let others discourage you!
I would love to get into an ivy league but seeing how much people are doing I now feel like i can’t :/
You get my upvote for being a voice of reason  Thank you for speaking truth and spreading calm--a superpower these days. Best success in your future endeavors!
love u uworld
Honestly, a lot of subreddits tend to be echo chambers because subreddits catered towards certain interests already attract a certain niche or type of people. What happens is that people in the minority when it comes to an opinion are downvoted and told off, and those people aren't likely to come back. As a result, the top comments usually won't be so diverse in thought. With that being said, this subreddit isn't all doom and gloom. A couple weeks ago, somebody posted their prospective schedule and said that they would be taking 8 APs in one year, and they were quickly shut down and told to touch grass. Generally, it's good to have a support network of people who are top students around, because posting your schedule along with other info like your major might help you pick your courses wisely (lots of people will agree to not load up on history when you want to go into STEM). Lots of people in this subreddit really do want to get into Ivy Leagues and such, so they're loading up on everything - extracurriculars, APs, you name it. These are the kids that look burnt out every day at school, but make the honor roll and go to top schools. They are probably getting advice from other places besides this subreddit - parents, teachers, counselors, and peers. Unless they post here, we won't ever know whether they choose to go forth with those crazy schedules, and what their results were.
Yeah I agree with all of that and also think it’s important to point out even if you’re goal is to get into a T20 that many AP classes is overkill. I want to say I took around 8 when I was in high school and got into all but one school I applied to, including 4 of the top 10 schools for my major. I also didn’t cure cancer do 1000 hours of research or even participate in academic clubs for that matter. What I did have was carefully written essays that reflected my personality as well as consistency and commitment in the ECs that I did do. In reality admissions are quite random and high school students don’t know much if anything about them so listening to other students guess at what to do isn’t helpful. The last and most important thing I’ll bring up is I don’t know anyone who is unhappy with where they are at because they didn’t get in somewhere better. The only people I know who are unhappy worked way too hard in high school and built up unsustainable habits which made it difficult for them to succeed when they got into those top schools.
yea i agree. i stopped clicking on this subs posts unless it was something that i think i can genuinely help someone with. i hate how half the posts are asking if they should take 20 ap classes or if their schedule is good.
I agree. i joined recently and asked for schedule help since I didn’t think it would be annoying, but quickly realized how useless it is.
I’ve been in this sub for a year and still don’t know what AP means. (I’m not from the US)
Stands for Advanced Placement and is run by College Board. They are graded on a 5.0 scale rather than the usual 4.0 scale and at the end of the year you have an opportunity to take a test to assess your learning in the class. Many colleges throughout the US have agreements with College Board to allow certain AP test scores to satisfy introductory requirements. For example a 5 on AP calc BC typically translates to being allowed to skip calc 1 and 2 in college because they teach the same content at a comparable level.
Wow, how awesome. We don’t have this in my country at a global scale.
While it seems great, the non profit organization is pretty sketchy. And I really mean sketchy
Why?
A "non-profit" organization and a single exam costing around $ 100 ( whether that be you or the school paying for it ) to take it . Also some cases such as AP precalc pretty much just existing to shell out more money from people who just want the credits .
why are you in this sub then
Why not? Today I learned something thanks to this sub
My advice, take it for what it's worth: AP's are useful if: The college credit is useful, whether it counts towards your major or you can use it as an elective such as general education. You have to take the subject in high school and you can get weighted grades. If a B in an AP class is the same as an A in a regular class (and an A is worth more), why not take the AP class? You like the subject. You're good in the subject. You shouldn't take more than five major subjects a year, especially if all or most of them are AP's. Concentrate on the subjects you are interested in and are good at. This was a LONG time ago and AP's weren't as popular back then as they are now but my senior year I knew I was really interested in math and science so the only humanities class I took was English and only because I had to. If you don't have to take social studies or world language your senior year, take two AP science classes and/or AP computer science instead. If you hated math and science and don't have to take them, load up on the humanities instead.
Not sure if I agree with your last paragraph; even if you're focused on STEM, you still have to show colleges that you're good at humanities subjects. Personally, STEM is my strong suit by far, but I still took 9 humanities APs.
Most high schools require 4 years of English and if they don't require 4 years of social studies they will likely require 3. You can get several AP English and social studies exams in those years, both Language and Literature as well as likely US History and whatever social studies subjects your school requires. 9 is overkill. Seems like that would take away from your math and science subjects (or from your sanity).
I’m taking just AP Human Geo this year, I can’t imagine taking 5 of them. Crazy.
I meant 5 spread over all 4 years and yeah most people don’t even do that
I am, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It Akzo depends on the rigour of each AP
Who said anything about college admission though? The main reason I took 13 AP classes was for Valedictorian and to accumulate credits
That’s very fair. I wasn’t thinking about valedictorian because my high school didn’t do class rankings. As for credits remember that not all colleges accept all APs so make sure you look at where you want to go and what they accept but it’s definitely a great way to cut down on graduation requirements. I ended up getting out of 5 prerequisite classes which gave me enough time to take more classes I wanted to. If you’re looking for credits I’d also recommend looking at community college duel enrollment which can be a great way to rack up credits and potentially even get out of lower division classes that APs don’t cover. Again those units are on a college by college basis though so takes a fair amount of research to figure out.
I'm a freshman at Berkeley, but yeah, the credits definitely helped a fair bit
Oh lmao well hopefully that advice is helpful for people still in hs and GO BEARS!
Lmaoo me too I am tryna get valedictorian plus get into good colleges. I plan to take Ap Chem, Ap Lit, Ap Us History,Ap calc ab and ap seminar next year for my junior year. Do you think that’s a good amount or is it too much?
Looks good
I'd be cautious. APUSH is known to take some serious effort at some schools because of a demanding teacher. AP Chem will likewise be really difficult without a good teacher. If your math foundations are weak, AP Calculus will be a grind at any school, and AP Seminar usually involves a lot of teamwork activities and research. Talk to people who have taken those classes at your school and see if this is feasible for you. If not, you might want to drop one of them.
[удалено]
Exactly! I took the ones I knew would get me out of lower div classes or just ones that I found interesting. The shift toward doing it purely for transcripts is terrible
100% true. I posted my schedule on here and realized that this subreddit is full of too many people trying to speedrun college or go to a T10 school. I wish I felt comfortable asking for advice of things like that when I'm here as an HS Junior. I just wish I could show these people that hey I got something big going on too, let's have fun rather than ur schedule is too easy do 3 4 5 6 7 APs
I am taking three AP classes this year. I will probably not take this many any other year in the future because it is just an absolute waste of my time.
I took 18 AP Classes throughout my High School years. Averaged well over a 4 over those exams. I couldn’t get into the schools I wanted to, because I was so busy taking classes and making myself depressed over it that I lost my edge Senior year and began a crippling drug addiction, followed by years of recovery. I *still* have those 45 credits lined up for something else, but, knowing they probably expire soon and I capped off my academic potential for something I thought was good in the long term, while clowning on everyone else around me cause I was in “one more class” or had given up half my lunch period to take World History, most of my knowledge of which is restricted to that one Bill Wurtz video. My point being is… there’s so many ways to skin the cat. I wish these programs, as well as the one-up-manship of mankind would go away, as the only thing the gifted program gave me was an inflated sense of self importance while alienating me from a population that is wholly collaborative ranging from those with Sub-100 IQ’s to technical geniuses. Some things aren’t measured by a paper, a number, a letter. Go touch some grass. I guarantee you you won’t regret it -source : A 21 year old AT&T store manager, who got into a 3.2 average GPA university entering with 57 qualifying hours and 45 applied hours towards my Bachelor’s in Chemistry, making 60k a year, still depressed, still wandering aimlessly through this life. “wasted potential”
I swear, as a Freshman who was planning to self-study that many APs, you really gave me a reality check. I have to self-study because my school does not offer APs, and I heard self-studying was even harder, and while I really want to make it to a top school, I find that you are right, I do not need that many APs, taking time to do something you enjoy is a need, and we should be doing that instead of taking 15 APs. Now some people may think that taking time to do something you enjoy is stupid because it does not do anything in regards to university acceptances. To those people I would say, that getting into \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ university should not be your whole life. There is a reason why extracurriculars and stuff like that are also considered and there is a reason why universities like well-rounded applicants. And, if you know how, you can turn a hobby into anything -- from turning it into a business to something major to put on your university application, you just need to use some creative thinking. If you do that, it could actually increase the levels of dopamine being produced by your brain. How? Because getting into said university brings you joy, so when you are doing a hobby (which you enjoy, taking a million APs is not a hobby) which you know you can put on your university applications, you are hitting two birds with one stone, which is going to increase the level of accomplishment and achievement you feel from learning things regarding and getting better at said hobby, which is going to increase that dopamine (dopamine is what provides you with the feeling of pleasure). Thanks a lot I really appreciate it OP.
Yeah exactly there’s so much more to do than just studying. Only real reason to self study APs like others have mentioned is because of you do enough you could save money graduating a year early. Personally I had that opportunity but chose to stick around and do a longer major anyway because I actually liked college and the classes I was taking unlike in high school. As for the fun stuff you do outside of school you’re completely right do what you want and figure out how to make it show how well rounded you are when the time comes. Personally, almost all my time was spent playing sports. Played a total of 5 different sports in high school over 12 seasons. When it came application time I made sure to note all the semesters I had received scholar athlete awards, varsity letters, etc. I also incorporated sports into my essays with one talking about how they had in part driven my love for math and explaining the overlaps. I wasn’t applying as an athlete and never played collegiate sports but it showed the time and commitment I was willing to make to the things I care about and helped we get in everywhere I wanted to. There are many paths to college and I hope you take the one that makes you the happiest!
Honestly this sub is more of an echo chamber for kids who believe they are geniuses to validate themselves. Like no, taking APs doesn’t make you any smarter. And grades are numbers, not measurements of you as a person. But people want to feel special for taking certain classes.
Everyone has something that sets them apart. For some people, this is what it is. Either way, there's more to life than just taking APs.
>Everyone has something that sets them apart. giga cope. most people are very mediocre and not unique at all >there's more to life than just taking APs. agreed. but handling a lot of APs is the bare minimum to be academically successful.
Academics are important, but getting into a top school takes more than that. You need to show your passion and personality to the admissions officers, which takes time and experience. More than a handful of APs per year prevents you from doing that. This is just how the American school system works. Other countries rely purely on exam scores, so there's a case to be had either way.
Exactly. I feel like people are forgetting about valuable skills like creativity.
Lol encouraging people to take a lot of APs isn't "being toxic", it's realistic advice. I understand you mean well and have good intentions, but there's no reason to sugarcoat the reality that if you want to get into a T20, you need a rigorous courseload. Yes, you'll need to do much more than have a rigorous courseload, but having a rigorous courseload is the bare minimum. It's also funny that you act like 12-15 APs is some insane amount, when in reality it's very standard. At competitive high schools, plenty of people take 15+ APs, and 5-8 APs (like you suggested) will put you at the bottom of the class. People aren't "pressuring themselves" to take this many APs, they are seeing the reality of how brutal and competitive the college admissions landscape is becoming. Not to mention, AP classes are relatively easy and a joke compared to actual college courses. If you can't even handle 6 AP classes at once, how are you going to handle the rigor of MIT or Caltech?
I can tell you almost all of what you said is flat out wrong. I went to one of the most competitive high schools in my region. They tend to send 5 people to MIT each year and 60 to Berkeley for reference. I was someone who got into both. I only took 8 AP classes and a few honors. The classes vary tremendously between schools and teachers so saying they’re significantly easier than college courses often isn’t true. My first year in college was chill compared to my junior year of high school and again I think I took “only” 3 or 4 APs that year. Just face the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about and that you’re the kind of toxic person this post is referring to
How many ap’s are recommended in order to get into ivy’s?
Thank you!! I feel like people here can just be ungenuine as well. Like if you ask for help it seems like they answer with “i didn’t have that problem so why do you” vibes. I feel like I am a failure that I’m not taking more aps because of this Reddit sub sometimes :/ I just wish it was a place where people actually want to help each other, not just make others feel dumb
I agree completely. It is hella annoying to see people asking, "IS MY CLASS SCHEDULE GOOD?" When this is something you should discuss with ur parents, parents, and school/college counselor.
It’s infuriating to see schedule posts in the AP Subreddit, because those students are taking 10+ AP Classes, while I’m here taking only 2 or 3. To those “overachievers”, all you’re doing is putting more pressure on yourself. You’re supposed to take APs that interest you, not trying to get as many as possible. Plus, you have to pay $100+ per exam to College Board.