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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same post again and again, DCUM. Please watch “The Race to Nowhere”. Is this what you want for your kid? All your kids talk about are grades, colleges, and what course-load is most rigorous. Oh - and try to get my kid to join the weird “super low commitment” club they founded as a resume boost. Please stop!!

Should we just pay the $100k a year for a private college counselor then? Or just donate $100 million to the school? Or enroll the child in an independent private school for $90k a year?

You hire a by-the-hour consultant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of sad that colleges force high school students to take what in essence is two years of college classes before...enrolling in college.

Colleges don’t. Top universities do. What’s the point of paying $90k/yr to get a community college education instead of a university education?

Utterly false

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pump the brakes, people.

https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Number-of-Exams-Per-Student_9.pdf

By 2018,
35,453 students had taken 9 AP Exams
54,063 had 10 exams,
14,802 had 11 exams,
8,895 had 12 exams,
5,409 had 13 exams,
3,100 had 14 exams,
1,793 had 15 exams,
969 had 16 exams,
473 had 17 exams,
269 had 18 exams,
137 had 19 exams,
75 had 20 exams,
32 had 21 exams,
14 had 22 exams,
11 had 23 exams,
6 had 24 exams.

It's a racket.

The College Board loves this.

[Anonymous]

Based on the College Board data, at least from 2018, about 125,000 students took 10 AP's or more.

This lends credence to the thesis that you need that many to be "in the door" to Top 20's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is extremely rigorous. They must be able to get As in these classes, plus 4 or 5 on AP exam. Don’t overdo it. I can’t stress that enough.

DS did 11 APs with all As and one B in AP Bio. Wouldn’t let him take Calc BC (save some calc for college). Took AP Span. The B hurt his gpa a lot (relative to the top 10% of class - still an amazing gpa).

You need time for extracurricular, friends and family time too and test prep for SAT.

YOU NEED TO BE AWARE THAT YOUR DC STILL MAY NOT GET INTO TOP 20. Lots of kids just like this at UMD and other flagships.

Agree with this. Where did your son end up or get into?

[Anonymous]

4 years honors Spanish,
math incl: AB & BC calc (first prereq for second), multivariable calc, linear algebra
Honors Bio & Chem + AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics C, H biotechnology
Honors Social studies 9, 10, 11 + College Seminar in 12th
Honors English 9, 10, 12 + AP Sem (11th)

All 5s on APs except 4 in Physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on the College Board data, at least from 2018, about 125,000 students took 10 AP's or more.

This lends credence to the thesis that you need that many to be "in the door" to Top 20's.

Check the 2018 data again …

1. Barely 90,000 with 10 or more.

2. Posters in this thread have consistently referenced “15 or more” AP tests anyway, which brings the 2018 number below 3,000.

3. Posters have also indicated other conditions like (A) a wall of 5s only on 15 or more AP tests, with no scores below 5, (B) a 4.0 unweighted GPA, and (C) a perfect, one-and-done standardized test score …

Of the 3,000 or fewer who met the “15 or more” APs in 2018, fewer than 300 per year met all three add’l conditions.

Adjusting for 2024 data, that number is 500 or fewer per year.

For the last time:

1550 IS NOT the same as a 1600.

A superscored or multi-attempt 1600 IS NOT the same as a one-and-done 1600.

When taking 15 AP tests, 12x 5, 2x 4, and 1x 3 IS NOT the same as 15x 5.

And a 3.96 IS NOT the same as a 4.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the College Board data, at least from 2018, about 125,000 students took 10 AP's or more.

This lends credence to the thesis that you need that many to be "in the door" to Top 20's.

Check the 2018 data again …

1. Barely 90,000 with 10 or more.

2. Posters in this thread have consistently referenced “15 or more” AP tests anyway, which brings the 2018 number below 3,000.

3. Posters have also indicated other conditions like (A) a wall of 5s only on 15 or more AP tests, with no scores below 5, (B) a 4.0 unweighted GPA, and (C) a perfect, one-and-done standardized test score …

Of the 3,000 or fewer who met the “15 or more” APs in 2018, fewer than 300 per year met all three add’l conditions.

Adjusting for 2024 data, that number is 500 or fewer per year.

For the last time:

1550 IS NOT the same as a 1600.

A superscored or multi-attempt 1600 IS NOT the same as a one-and-done 1600.

When taking 15 AP tests, 12x 5, 2x 4, and 1x 3 IS NOT the same as 15x 5.

And a 3.96 IS NOT the same as a 4.0.

There are many more than 90,000 students who take 10 or more AP classes. The data is right there for you.

[Anonymous]

More up to date numbers:
https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/number-of-ap-exams-per-student-2023.pdf

2023

40,410 students had taken 9 AP Exams, 26,806 had 10 exams,
17,622 had 11 exams,
11,338 had 12 exams,
6,905 had 13 exams,
4,272 had 14 exams,
2,402 had 15 exams,
1,341 had 16 exams,
727 had 17 exams,
419 had 18 exams,
200 had 19 exams,
103 had 20 exams,
58 had 21 exams,
27 had 22 exams,
14 had 23 exams,
9 had 24 exams,
3 had 25 exams,
1 had 26 exams,
2 had 27 exams,
1 had 28 exams,
1 had 29 exams, and
3 students had 30 exams or more

[Anonymous]

Looks like there was a drop-off from 2018, most likely due to AP availabiity/logistics during Covid.

[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.

This seems like a lot. I think anything over 8 is OK anything over 12 starts to look like a lot.
But if you can get As in all of them and there is no other avenue to demonstrate rigor, sure I guess.

[Anonymous]

Since you are compared with other students from your high school, it stands to reason if the top 10% take 10 AP's, then you're expected to take them.

At most middle class/upper class, suburban high schools you better max out the rigor because the person gunning for your spot certainly will have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More up to date numbers:
https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/number-of-ap-exams-per-student-2023.pdf

2023

40,410 students had taken 9 AP Exams, 26,806 had 10 exams,
17,622 had 11 exams,
11,338 had 12 exams,
6,905 had 13 exams,
4,272 had 14 exams,
2,402 had 15 exams,
1,341 had 16 exams,
727 had 17 exams,
419 had 18 exams,
200 had 19 exams,
103 had 20 exams,
58 had 21 exams,
27 had 22 exams,
14 had 23 exams,
9 had 24 exams,
3 had 25 exams,
1 had 26 exams,
2 had 27 exams,
1 had 28 exams,
1 had 29 exams, and
3 students had 30 exams or more

How did you get these? I didn't see them on the link you referenced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More up to date numbers:
https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/number-of-ap-exams-per-student-2023.pdf

2023

40,410 students had taken 9 AP Exams, 26,806 had 10 exams,
17,622 had 11 exams,
11,338 had 12 exams,
6,905 had 13 exams,
4,272 had 14 exams,
2,402 had 15 exams,
1,341 had 16 exams,
727 had 17 exams,
419 had 18 exams,
200 had 19 exams,
103 had 20 exams,
58 had 21 exams,
27 had 22 exams,
14 had 23 exams,
9 had 24 exams,
3 had 25 exams,
1 had 26 exams,
2 had 27 exams,
1 had 28 exams,
1 had 29 exams, and
3 students had 30 exams or more

How did you get these? I didn't see them on the link you referenced.

It is in the written paragraph at the cited link.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the College Board data, at least from 2018, about 125,000 students took 10 AP's or more.

This lends credence to the thesis that you need that many to be "in the door" to Top 20's.

Check the 2018 data again …

1. Barely 90,000 with 10 or more.

2. Posters in this thread have consistently referenced “15 or more” AP tests anyway, which brings the 2018 number below 3,000.

3. Posters have also indicated other conditions like (A) a wall of 5s only on 15 or more AP tests, with no scores below 5, (B) a 4.0 unweighted GPA, and (C) a perfect, one-and-done standardized test score …

Of the 3,000 or fewer who met the “15 or more” APs in 2018, fewer than 300 per year met all three add’l conditions.

Adjusting for 2024 data, that number is 500 or fewer per year.

For the last time:

1550 IS NOT the same as a 1600.

A superscored or multi-attempt 1600 IS NOT the same as a one-and-done 1600.

When taking 15 AP tests, 12x 5, 2x 4, and 1x 3 IS NOT the same as 15x 5.

And a 3.96 IS NOT the same as a 4.0.

There are many more than 90,000 students who take 10 or more AP classes. The data is right there for you.

I’m not arguing that “10 or more” is automatically part of an elite admissions equation.

I’m arguing that 15 or more AP classes, with 15 or more AP test scores of 5 (and none below 5), an unweighted 4.00 (which is, by far, the least meaningful of these conditions as grade inflation has run roughshod on transcripts across the country), AND a one-and-done SAT1600 or ACT36 (with all subparts = 36) yields 500 or fewer seniors each year.

I stand by that. I’m not counting 14 scores of 5 and 1 score of four. I’m not counting a 1590. I’m not counting a 3.98. When you apply all four tests, the filter delivers fewer than 500 kids.

I’m not arguing that landing in that group is a guarantee of anything, but rather pointing out that the clowns who argue that there are enough applicants with “top grades” and “top test scores” to populate the freshman class at every school on the Top 20 are just that … uninformed clowns.