You people need to head on over to the Woodson thread and get some perspective.

These numbers are crazy. Are APs just honors courses now? When I was in high school, everyone who took the course was expected to take the AP exam, so people didn't want to take so many. And an all-honors courseload was plenty rigorous. This was 20 years ago.

Was it like this here back then? Was I just raised in a very culturally different town where things weren't so intense?

Anonymous wrote:2 kids took 10 each, 3rd one took 15.

Are you joking?

We have a child who is a sophomore taking 3, and will take 5 next year as a junior. Presumably 3-5 senior year. Based on this year's experience, I agree with a PP that the workload in AP courses varies tremendously from course to course, teacher to teacher, and probably school to school.

Probably 5. (He's signed up for 2 junior year, will likely take 3 senior year). My kid has no interest in the English/History/Gov/Language APs, so that limits the numbers quite a bit. Of course, he has friends taking four in junior year.

5 APs -- 3 junior year, 2 senior year

11 APs and 8 Post APs over 4 years.

Six. One sophomore year, three junior, two senior

DD took 2 jr year and is taking 2 this year. She applied in state early and got merit scholarships despite going light on AP. Did take all honors otherwise. With a strong EC or two and a decent test score and GPA, it's not necessary to take lots of APs unless you are trying for top tier schools. Plus each kid is different.

Around 12 APs and 6 IBs. (some doubling up with AP and IB in the same subject). Yeah, it is insane. He is prepping from now (7th grade).

My DD took 10 over 3 years and will be attending a top-10 USNWR school. In terms of workload, it was totally fine. She wasn't up all night doing work.

The level of rigor for AP classes varies. Some are geared towards preparing the student to get a 5 on the test...many are not. The colleges don't know the difference...AP looks good to them either way.

Current HS Junior will end up taking 7 or 8. (More if you count the lab sciences as 2 since they take two periods and get separate grades.) With the 3 or 4 he's taking this year, he does not appear to be overworked based on the amount of time spent on homework. I do think his HS has done a fairly good job about getting the message out that you should only take AP's in areas in which you're passionate and that you shouldn't take all AP's. Not that everyone follows that advice...

2 kids took 10 each, 3rd one took 15.

Anonymous wrote:I took 5 AP classes in high school (spread over 3 years), and I thought that was pretty rigorous, although I had plenty of free time. I had one of the harder schedules at my high school and went to a top 10 college. However, I'm reading on these threads that kids are taking as many as 10 APs. Is that what's needed now to go to a top tier school? If so, we will aim for a lower prestige college. There needs to be some time for fun too!

That was rigorous and acceptable, spread out over three years. Ten is ridiculous. It's also ridiculous that emphasis is placed here by colleges. APs are college-level courses. I say use them to give the kids that want to get a head start, and leave it at that. Instead, they've become a measure of 'worth'.

My DD, smartly, has figured out in advance that taking the three APs she did, as well as semester abroad in the UK, will shave 10K off the final tuition bill. Considering we are paying, I think that was pretty darn thoughtful of her That's an appropriate use of APs.

I took 5 AP classes in high school (spread over 3 years), and I thought that was pretty rigorous, although I had plenty of free time. I had one of the harder schedules at my high school and went to a top 10 college. However, I'm reading on these threads that kids are taking as many as 10 APs. Is that what's needed now to go to a top tier school? If so, we will aim for a lower prestige college. There needs to be some time for fun too!