How many AP courses should a high school student take?
Most students are told by high school advisors to take the most rigorous course load possible, especially if they are interested in applying to the Ivy League. So, they sign up for the most AP courses they can take. Then, when it comes time to apply to college, sometimes these students either have a lower GPA than you would have expected because they were over-loaded with difficult courses and extracurriculars or they still have a high GPA, but a very short list of accomplishments outside the classroom.
Best Tip 1.
Balance your course load! You definitely want to take rigorous courses, but not so many AP’s that you don’t have time for other activities and interests. My daughter took 1 AP sophomore year, 3 junior year, and 2 senior year. She took 3 AP exams, got a 5 on all 3 and was named an AP Scholar! Yes, she didn’t take the exam for all her AP classes. She took one exam sophomore year and 2 junior year. She knew that if she studied for all 3 junior year, she might not ace any so she picked the 2 she was strongest in, studied like crazy for those 2 and aced them. She didn’t take any exams senior year because she was already into Harvard! It did look good on her transcript that she took 2 AP’s senior year and she did get A’s in both classes.
Many Ivy League schools publish how many perfect 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT score applicants they turn down every year. It is a MUST for all students to develop a passion they have, outside the classroom, to help their application stand out. First piece of advice my daughter received when picking classes at Harvard was to make sure she balanced her course load.
Best Tip 2.
You want 5’s on your AP exams so make sure you make time to take 3 or 4 practice exams before the exam. Make sure your school will finish the syllabus in time for review and prep for the exam. If not, start to prepare on your own. Do not leave it up to your teacher. Get practice exams, take them, correct them, and take notes on what you get wrong before taking the next exam. Home school students especially need to make sure they finish at least 2 weeks before the exams to prepare.
Best Tip 3:
You can get past exams free-response questions on collegeboard.com for all the AP exams. Ask your teacher if he or she has any past exams so you could practice the multiple-choice questions.
Best Tip 4:
Practice with a Princeton Review book first; those exams are usually the same difficulty level as the AP exam. When you feel that you’ve practiced those well enough, then try the Barron’s practice exams. Barron’s are usually the more difficult exams and should be tried when you are well prepared and are going for that perfect score.
Why take AP courses? First, you’ll show the colleges you’re applying to that you can handle college-level course work. Second, it will help your GPA tremendously! It’s called the AP “bump.” The grade you get in an AP class will be bumped up one level on your transcript. Ever wonder how those students get a 4.3 grade point average, on a 4.0 scale; the AP bump certainly helps!
If your high school doesn’t offer many AP courses, still make sure you don’t over-load with too many difficult, more advanced courses. Several students who took the most rigorous course load possible often end up with lower GPA’s and not as successful in the college application process as students who balanced their course load better.
Click here for more tips on getting into the Ivy League.
