# of AP courses total?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine did 16 with all 5’s but probably would’ve had good outcomes with just 7-8 with 4s & 5s mixed. It helps more if you are going to state school and trying to graduate in 3 years but not as much if you are going to elite schools and making the most of your 4 years.

Wow! That is a very impressive feat, especially with all 5s! How many each year?

[Anonymous]

Wow 16?!

My daughter will have 8-9 depending on how many she does next year (senior). She's at a small public school that has limited APs (total of 20 including languages she doesn't take, studio art and music theory). Her school also only has honors for math, not any other subject. She'll have an unweighted of 3.95 and a weighted of about 4.2, with an SAT of 1450, working with a tutor to get up to/over 1500. Her reach schools are SLACs, targets are some other SLAC and a state school that's highly regarded, and safeties are another state public in the lower tier, another state's public university, and 1-2 LACs where she's well above the 75%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'd focus on improving her test score. See if she can get her SAT score past 1500. That's something you can "fix" vs. causing year-long stress with additional APs.

FYI-you can't always "fix" test scores.
It was covid yearso we didn't push anymore, but my kid took a practice SAT and scored 1320, then did 4 hours of private tutoring that focused on areas DC needed most and "learned the SAT test taking tricks for how to approach questions". Rest of test prep was taking 4 more SATs, with 1-2 hours of tutoring in between to go over the test and give pointers. Well my kid scored 1490 on 3 of the tests and 1480 on the 4th, with a superstore max of 1500.
DC managed 1450 and 1490 on the actual 2 SATs taken (with math being same missing 1 questions so no superscoring needed). Basically, after 4 hours of review after the first practice test ever, DC had honed in to their final SAT score. Only way to possibly raise it would be to spend 2+ months of intense tutoring and studying. Might have finally managed a "perfect" math score and raised the verbal to 740/750. We decided it wasn't worth it. Sure it could have been done. But why would I put my kid thru that? What's the point? if a T20 school doesn't want my kid because they didn't get a 1550, then maybe my kid is better off at a T30 (or T50) school. There is so much more to HS and life than doing 50+ hours of SAT test prep.

And what if my kid makes themselves miserable studying the summer between junior/senior year for 2-3 hours per day for SAT test prep and manages to get a 1550? great, but what if they don't get into their dreams schools still?

Our private tutor suggested that most kids do focus in on their final score rather quickly after 4-8 hours of tutoring, especially if they are already over 1300/1350 with their first practice test.

Not disagreeing with what you are saying but we don't know how much prep OP's kid has gone through to get the 1400. If none, then the potential exists for a 1500+ score with targeted prep. That's what I meant by "fix". If already prepped out, I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where it gets tricky is the lack of transparency. We’re in FCPS. My DS is signed up for 4 APs jr year next year. He’d prefer to take 2-3, but it’s not that he. Any handle or succeed in the 4, just that he’d prefer not to be overwhelmed with work, which I think is very fair, but he’d really like to know how that impacts his college chances and it’s frustratingly unclear.

My non-motivated DC at an FCPS school is signed up for 3 in Jr. year. He could do 4 but decided not to for the same reasons as your kid.. not to be overwhelmed. He's not even thinking about college yet. Do FCPS counselors provide that kind of advice? College chances for kids based on their course selection? During 10th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where it gets tricky is the lack of transparency. We’re in FCPS. My DS is signed up for 4 APs jr year next year. He’d prefer to take 2-3, but it’s not that he. Any handle or succeed in the 4, just that he’d prefer not to be overwhelmed with work, which I think is very fair, but he’d really like to know how that impacts his college chances and it’s frustratingly unclear.

My non-motivated DC at an FCPS school is signed up for 3 in Jr. year. He could do 4 but decided not to for the same reasons as your kid.. not to be overwhelmed. He's not even thinking about college yet. Do FCPS counselors provide that kind of advice? College chances for kids based on their course selection? During 10th grade?

Our mcps counselor relies on helicopter parents like me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Independent college counselor is right. To apply to high tier schools you will need higher SAT and need to have taken most rigorous classes. 7 AP classes total not nearly enough.

This is everything wrong with our education system and college admissions. They don't want kids with potential or good students. THey want little robots who check the boxes. It's revolting.

And, yes, kids with only a few APs have more than enough rigor and ability to succeed in college.

[Anonymous]

Independent college counselor is right. To apply to high tier schools you will need higher SAT and need to have taken most rigorous classes. 7 AP classes total not nearly enough.

This is completely false as AO's consider kids within the context of their school and class. So a kid at a highly resourced public school where most of the students are taking APs will be expected to have more than a kid at a private school that doesn't allow or limits AP classes for freshman and sophomores. Both students are taking a rigorous schedule, but the number of AP classes will be different. This contextual assessment of rigorous schedules is why no educational consultant or AO can provide a definitive answer regarding the number AP classes students should take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Independent college counselor is right. To apply to high tier schools you will need higher SAT and need to have taken most rigorous classes. 7 AP classes total not nearly enough.

This is completely false as AO's consider kids within the context of their school and class. So a kid at a highly resourced public school where most of the students are taking APs will be expected to have more than a kid at a private school that doesn't allow or limits AP classes for freshman and sophomores. Both students are taking a rigorous schedule, but the number of AP classes will be different. This contextual assessment of rigorous schedules is why no educational consultant or AO can provide a definitive answer regarding the number AP classes students should take.

You are correct, except that OP said her DD is at a “W” school so has numerous APs available and top students take more than 7 over four years. Obviously a student who attends a private school that doesn’t offer APs is not expected to take them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where it gets tricky is the lack of transparency. We’re in FCPS. My DS is signed up for 4 APs jr year next year. He’d prefer to take 2-3, but it’s not that he. Any handle or succeed in the 4, just that he’d prefer not to be overwhelmed with work, which I think is very fair, but he’d really like to know how that impacts his college chances and it’s frustratingly unclear.

My non-motivated DC at an FCPS school is signed up for 3 in Jr. year. He could do 4 but decided not to for the same reasons as your kid.. not to be overwhelmed. He's not even thinking about college yet. Do FCPS counselors provide that kind of advice? College chances for kids based on their course selection? During 10th grade?

Our mcps counselor relies on helicopter parents like me.

LOL +1 FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore is at a top high school in the area and the counselor highly advises kids against taking AP courses. I feel like they are set kids up for failure.

Well counselor is setting kid up for failure because she’s kid’s course rigor is being compared to kids who did take APs.

It is not “failure”.

Let’s normalize teen years without mental breakdowns. F the hyper-competitive high school culture. 2-3 APs late in high school is enough to prove college readiness. Stop the insanity.

What I'm saying is you can draw a line in the sand with your child and buck the trend, but the fact of the matter is they may not get into schools they would have gotten into if they had taken APs. Many top universities explicitly state they want to see an AP in every core subject. If your kid doesn't want to go to UVA, T20, Ivies, then your stand is fine.

I got screwed myself as a straight A very high SAT, athlete/ECs and when we called around they mentioned the 'course rigor thing' and not taking the most rigorous courses offered by the HS. You are compared against your peers and there is nothing you can do about that.

One student won't change the policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore is at a top high school in the area and the counselor highly advises kids against taking AP courses. I feel like they are set kids up for failure.

Well counselor is setting kid up for failure because she’s kid’s course rigor is being compared to kids who did take APs.

It is not “failure”.

Let’s normalize teen years without mental breakdowns. F the hyper-competitive high school culture. 2-3 APs late in high school is enough to prove college readiness. Stop the insanity.

What I'm saying is you can draw a line in the sand with your child and buck the trend, but the fact of the matter is they may not get into schools they would have gotten into if they had taken APs. Many top universities explicitly state they want to see an AP in every core subject. If your kid doesn't want to go to UVA, T20, Ivies, then your stand is fine.

I got screwed myself as a straight A very high SAT, athlete/ECs and when we called around they mentioned the 'course rigor thing' and not taking the most rigorous courses offered by the HS. You are compared against your peers and there is nothing you can do about that.

One student won't change the policy.

You either buck the policy and be content with being non-competitive for certain schools (still LOTS of good ones to choose from) OR complain/moan about how unfair the policy is but then cross your line in the sand because your desire for prestige/status outweighs your principles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a W school?

There is a cluster of high schools in NW DC/Montgomery County, MD that have “W’s” in the name.

Woodrow Wilson
Winston Churchill
Walt Whitman
Walter Johnson
Wootten

I don’t think this includes Wilson in DC. I have always understood the reference to be MoCo only. Also, Wilson’s new name is Jackson-Reed. Nothing against Wilson, I am a DCPS parent.

[Anonymous]

My DC is a junior and took 5 APs this year and 2 last year and is signed up for more next year. Just something to think about; from his experience the amount of work these classes were varied tremendously. One AP is not like another. English was not alot of work; Calculus and Physics ones are more about problem solving at the exam, not memorizing alot to prepare for it. The history ones are more memorizing and take alot of studying for the exams (World History, Art History).

[Anonymous]

Just stop the madness! The amount of pressure on today’s teenagers is absurd.

Society is becoming more stratified as the middle class shrinks, so we all think we need to grab the last remaining seat on the lifeboat to prosperity. There are many different paths to success if you’re willing to think outside the box. Today’s world is not the same as that of your parents or grandparents.

Personally, I hope my kid goes into the trades. As an electrician, or HVAC mechanic, or plumber, he can make more than many college grads. College can happen later in life (or not at all). Those kinds of jobs can’t be outsourced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where it gets tricky is the lack of transparency. We’re in FCPS. My DS is signed up for 4 APs jr year next year. He’d prefer to take 2-3, but it’s not that he. Any handle or succeed in the 4, just that he’d prefer not to be overwhelmed with work, which I think is very fair, but he’d really like to know how that impacts his college chances and it’s frustratingly unclear.

My non-motivated DC at an FCPS school is signed up for 3 in Jr. year. He could do 4 but decided not to for the same reasons as your kid.. not to be overwhelmed. He's not even thinking about college yet. Do FCPS counselors provide that kind of advice? College chances for kids based on their course selection? During 10th grade?

Choosing how many APs to take based on which college you want to go to makes no sense! You should choose how many to take based on your ability to handle the load and your motivation. Otherwise you're very likely to end up really stressed out and getting grades that will keep you from achieving the goals that led you to take all those APs in the first place.