Everyone’s trying to explain that the totally number isn’t the big factor you think it is. breadth of subjects along with grades are important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

She's a junior, so she has only received 1 AP score so far... it was a 5. She is expecting more 5's this July. She has all As so far except for 1 A- (and might get another A- in AP Lang this year -- she's got a 91.8% right now).

But I'm really just curious about "the number." Would you say 8 APs or 10?

There is no one number. My graduating senior had 14 AP tests (a few were semester-long courses). That was "enough" for college admissions for this one particular kid, with their particular grades/scores/major, for the schools on their list. Would 12 have been enough? 10? 8? Probably, but no one can say, as that's not how admissions works.

So.you would count my daughter as taking 8 AP classes? (I understand that there are lots of factors in admissions. I am truly just curious about what people say in terms of number.) You only count AP tests, not post AP courses, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There needs to be a happy confluence of:

1. Very high GPA
2. In the most advanced courses
3. Demonstration of mastery with 4s and 5s on AP exams (because of grade inflation in schools).

So post-AP courses definitely count. Dual enrollment not so much, except as PP said for rigorous courses. IB not so much, except in the humanities, where they are strongest.

Well it depends on what the HS offers. Our DD took APs when available but the school only offers IB for world languages and for science and certain electives. Pretty sure she won’t be penalized for taking the highest classes available in those subjects. The alternative was not to take advanced language or science.

PP you replied to. Yes, you're right. The student needs to demonstrate that they took the most challenging courses available.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

She's a junior, so she has only received 1 AP score so far... it was a 5. She is expecting more 5's this July. She has all As so far except for 1 A- (and might get another A- in AP Lang this year -- she's got a 91.8% right now).

But I'm really just curious about "the number." Would you say 8 APs or 10?

Most parents and students here who post (who knows, maybe they are making it up) show about 12 to get into the top schools, but as a PP mentioned,there needs to be "As" in these AP courses too.. The 75th percentile entering class at UVA last year had a 4.53 (25 percent had higher) so I read that as 12 AP courses,, almost all As.

Anonymous wrote:There needs to be a happy confluence of:

1. Very high GPA
2. In the most advanced courses
3. Demonstration of mastery with 4s and 5s on AP exams (because of grade inflation in schools).

So post-AP courses definitely count. Dual enrollment not so much, except as PP said for rigorous courses. IB not so much, except in the humanities, where they are strongest.

Well it depends on what the HS offers. Our DD took APs when available but the school only offers IB for world languages and for science and certain electives. Pretty sure she won’t be penalized for taking the highest classes available in those subjects. The alternative was not to take advanced language or science.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

She's a junior, so she has only received 1 AP score so far... it was a 5. She is expecting more 5's this July. She has all As so far except for 1 A- (and might get another A- in AP Lang this year -- she's got a 91.8% right now).

But I'm really just curious about "the number." Would you say 8 APs or 10?

Honestly I would question the counselor who told you about there being a number because I think they made it up. Your DD’s classes are an example of why a hard cut off doesn’t make sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

She's a junior, so she has only received 1 AP score so far... it was a 5. She is expecting more 5's this July. She has all As so far except for 1 A- (and might get another A- in AP Lang this year -- she's got a 91.8% right now).

But I'm really just curious about "the number." Would you say 8 APs or 10?

There is no one number. My graduating senior had 14 AP tests (a few were semester-long courses). That was "enough" for college admissions for this one particular kid, with their particular grades/scores/major, for the schools on their list. Would 12 have been enough? 10? 8? Probably, but no one can say, as that's not how admissions works.

Anonymous wrote:There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

She's a junior, so she has only received 1 AP score so far... it was a 5. She is expecting more 5's this July. She has all As so far except for 1 A- (and might get another A- in AP Lang this year -- she's got a 91.8% right now).

But I'm really just curious about "the number." Would you say 8 APs or 10?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There needs to be a happy confluence of:

1. Very high GPA
2. In the most advanced courses
3. Demonstration of mastery with 4s and 5s on AP exams (because of grade inflation in schools).

So post-AP courses definitely count. Dual enrollment not so much, except as PP said for rigorous courses. IB not so much, except in the humanities, where they are strongest.

Colleges don’t really care about that. A lot of people wish they did. That doesn’t impact the average incoming freshman GPA they submit to USWNR.

This has been fought over so many times on DCUM. We can just agree to disagree.

Anonymous wrote:There needs to be a happy confluence of:

1. Very high GPA
2. In the most advanced courses
3. Demonstration of mastery with 4s and 5s on AP exams (because of grade inflation in schools).

So post-AP courses definitely count. Dual enrollment not so much, except as PP said for rigorous courses. IB not so much, except in the humanities, where they are strongest.

Colleges don’t really care about that. A lot of people wish they did. That doesn’t impact the average incoming freshman GPA they submit to USWNR.

There needs to be a happy confluence of:

1. Very high GPA
2. In the most advanced courses
3. Demonstration of mastery with 4s and 5s on AP exams (because of grade inflation in schools).

So post-AP courses definitely count. Dual enrollment not so much, except as PP said for rigorous courses. IB not so much, except in the humanities, where they are strongest.

There are no grades mentioned in terms of grades for these classes and grades for the exams

the list is fairly pointless without them
also if she got C grades in the honors social sciences then that won't help but if she got A's then obviously that's a bonus

This feels like I'm stating the obvious here.

Anonymous wrote:Do you count post-AP courses in the total number?

My daughter will have taken 8 APs by the time she graduates:
- AP Computer Science
- AP Language
- AP Physics C
- AP Spanish
- AP Calc BC
- AP Literature
- AP Biology
- AP Statistics
(Yep, she only took honors History and Govt... scandalous.)

She will also take 2 post-AP courses:
- CS Data Structures
- Multi-Var Calc and Linear Alg

When the school's college counselor generalizes and says "students need at least 9 APs to apply to X college," would you count post-APs in that number? As in, my daughter will have taken 10 and can (maybe) get into X college?

Yes, yes, I know that she can apply wherever she wants. I'm just curious about opinions on this topic.

Not scandalous, but AOs are going to look at all those APs and wonder why there isn't one in that subject. It might keep her out at some schools.

Yes, count the post-APs.

Don’t count the silly DE classes except for classes after BC Calc.

Do you count post-AP courses in the total number?

My daughter will have taken 8 APs by the time she graduates:
- AP Computer Science
- AP Language
- AP Physics C
- AP Spanish
- AP Calc BC
- AP Literature
- AP Biology
- AP Statistics
(Yep, she only took honors History and Govt... scandalous.)

She will also take 2 post-AP courses:
- CS Data Structures
- Multi-Var Calc and Linear Alg

When the school's college counselor generalizes and says "students need at least 9 APs to apply to X college," would you count post-APs in that number? As in, my daughter will have taken 10 and can (maybe) get into X college?

Yes, yes, I know that she can apply wherever she wants. I'm just curious about opinions on this topic.