Course Rigor - Majority in Junior year or split across Junior and Senior year - which is better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid will have 15 APs at graduation and got in ED to a top 5 SLAC. It hasn't been hard for this DC (e.g. they still had plenty of time to mess around on IG and watch TikToks) and I think that's the key -- your kid needs to drive it and make choices that work for them. I do think DC is in for a rude awakening when they get to actual college; in my opinion the AP classes didn't seem that hard and certainly weren't reminiscent of real classes I took in college or even AP classes I took while in HS.

Yup. They've made it much easier to goof off and make things up and retake them over and over.

Not sure if college is going that way but high school seems way easier and forgiving now than it used to be.

What school allows multiple retakes?

[Anonymous]

Your student should ideally have rigor throughout all four years, but definitely no slacking off senior year. Colleges require reporting what classes are being taken senior year as well as what the mid-term grades are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid will have 15 APs at graduation and got in ED to a top 5 SLAC. It hasn't been hard for this DC (e.g. they still had plenty of time to mess around on IG and watch TikToks) and I think that's the key -- your kid needs to drive it and make choices that work for them. I do think DC is in for a rude awakening when they get to actual college; in my opinion the AP classes didn't seem that hard and certainly weren't reminiscent of real classes I took in college or even AP classes I took while in HS.

Yup. They've made it much easier to goof off and make things up and retake them over and over.

Not sure if college is going that way but high school seems way easier and forgiving now than it used to be.

What school allows multiple retakes?

I was wondering the same thing not at my kid’s mcps HS. I think this is very teacher dependent too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC did 4 APs and 1 DE in Junior year (probably could have done 5 APs)
6 APs and 1 DE in 12th Senior year


Thought it was really rigorous Junior year and I was really surprised DC decided to do even more Senior year.
Because DC did really well Junior year, DC was confident about taking more AP classes.

Also put DC in a position to ED (and get accepted) by first choice school. (was not interested in Ivies)

NP
I would add, top grades and test scores locked in from Jr year are more convincing if intellectual horsepower and work ethic than currently in progress classes/grades & test scores TBD.

Both is best but nail it on junior yr.

And yes have some passions; my kid took an obscure language so never had an AP option there. Didn’t matter nor did a 4.0 A.

[Anonymous]

I think the type of AP class matters too. Some are more challenging than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is taking 3 APs junior year and 4 senior year.

Same