Do most take both AP Lang and AP Lit?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
At my kids FCPS base HS, kids who take AP Lang (which is a junior year class) are not allowed to take DE English. It’s considered a repeat of AP Lang and a step down from AP Lit. It’s mean for kids who are community college/ lower half of VA state state schools tracked, because the kids end up with no AP English. I’m a once upon a time English major. AP Lit is probably harder to many kids because literary analysis is a skill and most kids don’t have a lot of experience with it. I though AP Lang was much better in terms of college prep— for my STEM kid and my humanities kid. Non-fiction texts and a huge focus on analytical writing. Multiple drafts of research papers and such. Not fun, but very useful in many different college classes. Expectation out of FCPS is top grads take both, Lang in 11th and Lit in 12th. (Except at TJ which has a different English track and you choose one or the other in 12th. My science major did Lang, which I think was a good call). |
Anonymous
West Potomac? |
Anonymous
By my count, if student took Lang and Lit that would be double digits. |
Anonymous
Thank you doctor. |
Anonymous
Double digits means 10+ |
Anonymous
You’re welcome |
Anonymous
NP here. It's not always that a student "can't" do the work. It's that if a senior is taking, for example, AP MV Calc + another post-AP math + AP Physics C /AP Chem block class + AP in their FL + a sport + an EC or 2, + volunteer work, how much does AP Lit really matter if the kid is not interested? |
Anonymous
Correct...9+2=11 |
Anonymous
10 AP’s after Senior year? My kid’s school limits sophomores to 1 AP. Freshman cannot take any. Juniors and Seniors can take as many as they want, but with other requirements 10 AP’s is challenging to hit. But it can be done as long as Seniors take 5 AP’s |
Anonymous
The last few years it feels like the system is encouraging kids to dial back on the AP count a little. The AP program retired a few awards linked to a high number of AP courses and UVA admissions says they do not expect applying students to have taken all AP courses. From what I can tell a good representation of AP courses across their core subjects gets you there without having to check every box. |
Anonymous
I hope this is true. My kid really loves art and has a talent for it (think drawling/photography) and would like to continue taking it each year as an elective. Maybe doing AP Art and a portfolio as a facet of their application to college, but doesn’t plan to major in art. However, the AP rat race doesn’t really allow for DC to take art in 11th if they want a chance at UVA which is a shame. |
Anonymous
|
Here is what a NOVA student should take, at a minimum, to be competitive when applying to top 50 colleges:
AP Lang AP Lit AP Calc (flavor depends on STEM vs Non-Stem AP Stat AP Chem AP Physics AP Bio AP Comp Gov AP US History AP World History 4 years of the same language Need 3 lab sciences so substitutions can be made there, and obviously more are available at most schools. |
Anonymous
As Taylor Swift would say, “You need to calm down”. This to me seems like overkill for T50, maybe like top 25. |
Anonymous
Disagree. UCLA is in the middle of the T50 and their freshmen have taken an average of 12 AP courses (including those at disadvantaged high schools that don’t even offer that many). |
Anonymous
Math, Science, English, History, and Language are called core subjects for a reason. You don't specialize until college and are expected to be well rounded in the all of the core subjects in high school. |