For top 20 college, what did your AP/rigor look like from typical suburban high school?

[Anonymous]

Do the kids who take all these APs end up graduating college in 3 years? Seems like a smart school would not want kids to have enough credits to do that, they lose out on $80,000 of tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids who take all these APs end up graduating college in 3 years? Seems like a smart school would not want kids to have enough credits to do that, they lose out on $80,000 of tuition.

Top private universities typically do not allow students to graduate early or have strict requirements for doing so. Usually, the exam score simply allows time for the student to take other courses.

[Anonymous]

This is sufficient but need other stuff in addition — strong ECs, great essays, test scores, other classes honors level, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can your kid take just BC? Most kids don’t do AB then BC.

DP.
Every school , public and private, in our area mandates AB then BC and has for over 20 years. The top dozen or so students at a subset of these schools takes multivariable in the high school taught by phD: stem public, 2 of 4 privates, and the engineering magnet.
Math course tracking is evaluated in the context of the high school. AB then BC is not a negative because the curriculum is separate, not repeating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that it is based on high school, but assuming middle to upper middle class large public, what did your rigor look like?

Currently on track to complete:

AP World History (modern), AP Euro History, AP US History, AP Government

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics C (Mechanics), AP Comp Sci Principles

AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Stats

AP Language and Composition, AP Literature

AP Pyschology, AP Macroeconomics


We are approaching it that this is the floor to be competitive, and even if get all A's in the class, and 5's on the AP exams, that it just gets your application looked at.

We are worried that because our high school offers more AP's, including AP Computer Science A, AP Physics C-Electromagnetism, and AP's in 3 languages but because of circumstances like interest and class schedule, child won't be taking an AP language, all the hard physics classes or computer science ones, for major of something pre-med, maybe Chemicstry or Biochemistry that they will be at disadvantage.

Yep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids who take all these APs end up graduating college in 3 years? Seems like a smart school would not want kids to have enough credits to do that, they lose out on $80,000 of tuition.

First, it is not 80k tuition it is 65 then room and board totalling 87-92k at T20s. Some of these top schools allow sub matriculation into masters. All allow double majors, and since they are top universities there are top grad school divisions in most areas. Students who are ahead can take grad level courses as early as sophomore year in many of the ivy/t20 privates. Almost all end up with some grad level courses as seniors in college. Coursework depth and breadth matter for internships: these schools often have sophomores getting internships typically for juniors. For phD and MD starting ahead can be a large boost for accceptance

[Anonymous]

Looks a little weak but maybe reaches

[Anonymous]

OP, don't stress at this point. That schedule is more than enough rigor to get in the door. The school offered the classes, your kid took the classes and apparently did really well -- great! My public school kid had 10 APs (World, APUSH, foreign language, Lit, Lang, Stats, Gov, Micro, Macro, Physics Mechanics IIRC). Got all As, but only a few 5s and actually a 1 in Physics. Did great with admissions and is v happy where they ended up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that it is based on high school, but assuming middle to upper middle class large public, what did your rigor look like?

Currently on track to complete:

AP World History (modern), AP Euro History, AP US History, AP Government

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics C (Mechanics), AP Comp Sci Principles

AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Stats

AP Language and Composition, AP Literature

AP Pyschology, AP Macroeconomics


We are approaching it that this is the floor to be competitive, and even if get all A's in the class, and 5's on the AP exams, that it just gets your application looked at.

We are worried that because our high school offers more AP's, including AP Computer Science A, AP Physics C-Electromagnetism, and AP's in 3 languages but because of circumstances like interest and class schedule, child won't be taking an AP language, all the hard physics classes or computer science ones, for major of something pre-med, maybe Chemicstry or Biochemistry that they will be at disadvantage.

No AP foreign language if your kid is not able to take it is ok. Avoiding it is less so. At most high schools taking AP Bio Chem and Physics is the max possible. If you are saying there is a decent sized group at the high school that somehow fits in PhysEM as well as the three AP sciences you list, then yes your kid is at a disadvantage compared to those kids. Those 4 science APs are not possible to take in the privates and magnets near us: only 3 of 4 will fit, plus they all take honors bio, physics, chem for a full year before they can take AP. I.e. most difficult stem path possible results in 6 years of science in the 4 yrs of high school, and also covering AP in every other core including Foreign language. Less than 3 kids a year accomplish it, some years none. The ones with all A end up at T20/ivy, but so do students who do 2 AP sciences not 3, but have the rest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks a little weak but maybe reaches

What do suggest? Taking online college courses?

[Anonymous]

As others have said, that gets you in the conversation, but even with 1550+ SAT, all T20's are a crapshoot, most likely even with 15 AP's, and A's and 5's in each, there is nothing there that most high school students attain.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that the average high school top 10% student takes 15 AP's, 4.0 UW, and gets a 5 on each AP exam, and scores at or above 1550.

So those stats might not even be good enough to escape the auto-reject pile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids who take all these APs end up graduating college in 3 years? Seems like a smart school would not want kids to have enough credits to do that, they lose out on $80,000 of tuition.

My DS had all these (15) as well and is not graduating early. 🥴 Even with 5s had to repeat some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have said, that gets you in the conversation, but even with 1550+ SAT, all T20's are a crapshoot, most likely even with 15 AP's, and A's and 5's in each, there is nothing there that most high school students attain.

I am not the OP but mine had 15APs. My advice don’t apply RD to T-20. Even with the best academic record and involvement and all the awards titles etc….four years straight As…. Rejections will come. Apply early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that it is based on high school, but assuming middle to upper middle class large public, what did your rigor look like?

Currently on track to complete:

AP World History (modern), AP Euro History, AP US History, AP Government

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics C (Mechanics), AP Comp Sci Principles

AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Stats

AP Language and Composition, AP Literature

AP Pyschology, AP Macroeconomics


We are approaching it that this is the floor to be competitive, and even if get all A's in the class, and 5's on the AP exams, that it just gets your application looked at.

We are worried that because our high school offers more AP's, including AP Computer Science A, AP Physics C-Electromagnetism, and AP's in 3 languages but because of circumstances like interest and class schedule, child won't be taking an AP language, all the hard physics classes or computer science ones, for major of something pre-med, maybe Chemicstry or Biochemistry that they will be at disadvantage.

15 AP classes with a 4.00 unweighted GPA and a perfect wall of 5s on all 15 AP tests immediately puts your kid in a group of maybe 1,000 seniors across the entire country. Add in a perfect ACT or SAT and they’re in a select group of maybe 300 seniors.

Walk that tightrope and they’re going to get a lot more than “looked at” …