Do all these APs really pay off/matter?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
I don’t understand your point. 13 pct of test takers nationwide get a 5 on AP US History. If the 9th grader gets a 5, that doesn’t mean that the test is invalid-it means the 9th grader is performing at an advanced level. |
Anonymous
Source? Or was this told to you by your admissions officer “friends.” |
Anonymous
Can you name a university that has an honors college for which early class registration is the only benefit? I’ve never heard of such a case. The ones I know of offer smaller classes with a better cohort of honors students. Some offer access to special summer internships, faculty mentorship and research opportunities. |
Anonymous
“On average, people who take harder classes in high school may be better students already, so of course they’d have higher GPAs in college. To control for that, Kretchmar and Wiesen took into account SAT scores and high school grades. They found that students who take more AP or IB courses do better in college—but only up to a certain point. If two students have similar SAT scores and high-school grades, and one takes zero AP courses and the other takes five, the student with five AP courses will probably have a higher first-year undergraduate GPA (3.26 versus 3.07). Above five courses, there’s no significant increase in GPA. “From now on, when Kretchmar and Farmer read applications, they won’t be looking for more than five AP or IB courses. ‘There’s no penalty for taking more than five,’ Farmer explains, “but once you have five, you’ve jumped through the meaningful hoop, as far as we can see.’ Starting with the 2013–2014 admissions season, this is how UNC’s whole staff reading applications should be viewing AP and IB course loads.” https://endeavors.unc.edu/more_ap_classes_may_not_be_better#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20people%20who%20take,to%20repeat%20the%20same%20mistake. But also, isn’t it obvious? Look at all the disappointed parents and students crying about how taking eleventy-hundred AP courses didn’t get them into HYPSM. And look at all the kids from private schools that don’t even offer APs getting in. If overloading on AP courses was always better, that would be flipped. Go ahead and take more APs if that’s the best choice for you at your high school, but in terms of college admissions there really is a point of diminishing returns. |
Anonymous
It’s one study done at one mid tier college, UNC. Not controlled for other factors like type of college, major, high school profile, student background etc. I agree though that there’s a point of diminished returns, in my view 10 of the highest rigor APs. |
Anonymous
I agree even though I don’t have a source to back it up. DC was accepted HYP with 7 APs while a classmate was accepted with 10+. It didn’t matter after a certain point and they’re looking at other factors. Both talented kids. |
Anonymous
| I’ll also add our HS considers 6+ APs the most rigorous.. it’s stated in the school profile and will get the most rigorous box checked |
Anonymous
+1 Just because one study done at one state school in North Carolina found that 5 APs is enough for them doesn't mean that this conclusion applies nationwide. And you're also confused about your interpretation of students crying about taking "eleventy hundred"  APs and not getting into HYPSM. These schools have small undergrad populations and <5% acceptance rates, and most applicants won't get in.
But that doesn't mean that students with more AP coursework aren't more likely to get in (even if acceptance rates are low) than students with less AP coursework. I would bet that in most elite universities, a higher number of APs is correlated with a higher acceptance rate (even if there are diminishing returns at some point). |
Anonymous
Yes, of course kids with more APs don't have a less chance of getting in. But kids who take on a huge number of APs usually (not always) don't have time for much else. I'm always shocked by kids who take 15+ APs... unless their school is very easy. At our public it's very hard to get solid As in AP courses. Plus, does it fit the kids profile to take a bunch of random APs? Do those kids come off as grinders? Sometimes yes. Do those kids get into Ivies. Sometimes yes. The number isn't that important. Take the ones that fit your profile. Beyond a certain number, there aren't that many that are in the core subjects. Better to spend the extra time pursuing interests and building relationships with teachers. A friend told me she once interviewed a candidate for HYPS, and she had taken every single (!) AP available. She was not accepted... probably because she had not much else to show. The number of APs you take shouldn't even come up in the interview! |
Anonymous
Each kid could be majoring in something completely different, so not understanding how they can offer smaller classes with only honors students...I assume you mean there are some additional classes that honors students are required to take? |
Anonymous
The number is important because it determines how many kids have it. To be competitive to top schools for example, you’ll have to be in the top 1% ish of the AP metric, if that’s your strength. It turns out it takes 12 exams to be in the top 1%, 10 exams is 3%, likely acceptable if you have other things, 7 exams is top 10% of students, likely not competitive at the very top colleges, but still solid at many others. 5 exams at UNC sounds about right, it’s top 20% of students. |
Anonymous
Yes, if taking APs is your strength then you should take a lot. But that's not going to move the needle for a top school. There are many students who are accepted to HYPS with less than 12 APs, mine included. The point is, don't stress if you can't squeeze in that last AP to get you to 12 AP classes. |
Anonymous
This is like asking how LACs can offer classes. |
Anonymous
HYPSM heavily selects for private school kids who don't even take AP. |