Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is a freshman and I'm glad I didn't have to consider it this year. Next year he has selected to take AP Pre Calc and AP World History and I told him he's going to have to work hard and he says he's up for the challenge so I am going to allow it.

I think there are too many APs offered and I recently wondered where to draw the line in 11/12th grade. I don't want him to feel like he has to take them all. I recently had an epiphany from my time working as a college admissions counselor (a long time ago) (and I haven't yet hired a college counselor but may in the future) - that I think the 4 core classes - math, history, science, and social studies would be the ones to focus on. If you can't take it all 4 of those, I would suggest to him to prioritize the classes he is more interested in pursuing in college.

Elite college admissions are a total crapshoot even for the best of the best so nothing is worth making yourself totally miserable for IMO - since at best you only get a crapshoot even if you made yourself completely miserable.

5 core subjects, add foreign language to that list.

I am the person you're quoting and FWIW - a friend with a kid applying to college right now told me colleges ideally say they want to see 4 years of language, regardless of whether they take a language in MS, and I told my older two kids that recently.

I am the worst with typos - I need to leave this thread LOL. That was supposed to say colleges ideally say they want to see 4 years of language in high school - regardless of whether they take a language in MS, and I told my older two kids that recently.

I will see myself out now due to repeated typos.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is a freshman and I'm glad I didn't have to consider it this year. Next year he has selected to take AP Pre Calc and AP World History and I told him he's going to have to work hard and he says he's up for the challenge so I am going to allow it.

I think there are too many APs offered and I recently wondered where to draw the line in 11/12th grade. I don't want him to feel like he has to take them all. I recently had an epiphany from my time working as a college admissions counselor (a long time ago) (and I haven't yet hired a college counselor but may in the future) - that I think the 4 core classes - math, history, science, and social studies would be the ones to focus on. If you can't take it all 4 of those, I would suggest to him to prioritize the classes he is more interested in pursuing in college.

Elite college admissions are a total crapshoot even for the best of the best so nothing is worth making yourself totally miserable for IMO - since at best you only get a crapshoot even if you made yourself completely miserable.

5 core subjects, add foreign language to that list.

I am the person you're quoting and FWIW - a friend with a kid applying to college right now told me colleges ideally say they want to see 4 years of language, regardless of whether they take a language in MS, and I told my older two kids that recently.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.

It’s the mid-level choice. AP Cal is not rigorous. But it’s also not what struggling math students take.

*AP Pre Cal, I meant!

NP. How is it the mid-level choice? Most high schools aren't offering a precalc course that is more rigorous than AP. AP merely replaces honors precalc. And no one knows what the exam is going to look like yet, though no student should be hoping for college credit from it.

I agree with the PP that, while it's a CB money grab, we are paying for the extra GPA weight.

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies/course/44


300 colleges have already posted policies for Precalc (vs 2000 for Calc).

Some people are salty that AP Precal exists, and they won't let facts get in the way of their feelings about the flexible AP curriculum that acknowledges that different districts have different order of math curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at a competitive public HS where her peers are taking large number of AP courses "to look good for college". How much is too much. My daughter is an A- student, prefers humanities for college.

Her school has 6 courses per year. Currently she is considering 3 APs, 3 regular for next year.

This is kid and school dependent. If your child is aiming for top 40 school, they need at least what everyone else at their school is taking, if not more, to show rigor.

Both of our kids took 4 APs in 11th and 4 APs in 12th (one took a 5th AP, but didn't take the AP exam in 12th, so I don't count it).

This is obviously not true. So much parental superstition.

My DD will graduate with 12 APs, my DS with 10

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.

It’s the mid-level choice. AP Cal is not rigorous. But it’s also not what struggling math students take.

*AP Pre Cal, I meant!

NP. How is it the mid-level choice? Most high schools aren't offering a precalc course that is more rigorous than AP. AP merely replaces honors precalc. And no one knows what the exam is going to look like yet, though no student should be hoping for college credit from it.

I agree with the PP that, while it's a CB money grab, we are paying for the extra GPA weight.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at a competitive public HS where her peers are taking large number of AP courses "to look good for college". How much is too much. My daughter is an A- student, prefers humanities for college.

Her school has 6 courses per year. Currently she is considering 3 APs, 3 regular for next year.

This is kid and school dependent. If your child is aiming for top 40 school, they need at least what everyone else at their school is taking, if not more, to show rigor.

Both of our kids took 4 APs in 11th and 4 APs in 12th (one took a 5th AP, but didn't take the AP exam in 12th, so I don't count it).

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the student, what they want to do and what they think they can handle. DD likes to do it all. She is taking APUSH in 10th and plans to take:

11th grade: AP World, AP Lang, AP Chem, AP Calc BC
12th grade: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Stats, AP Latin, probably an AP social science (Micro/Macro, Euro History, US Gov, Human Geo.

So that's 10 or 11?

DS, who's graduating this year and going to a LAC ranked in the top 50, will have taken 6 (Micro/Macro, Env Sci, Calc AB, European History, Stats). He doesn't take honors everything; he doesn't want to kill himself and plans his courseload accordingly.

My DD is similar to yours with an almost identical course selection. But getting B’s in Cal BC. A’s in everything else.

It depends on the student, what they want to do and what they think they can handle. DD likes to do it all. She is taking APUSH in 10th and plans to take:

11th grade: AP World, AP Lang, AP Chem, AP Calc BC
12th grade: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Stats, AP Latin, probably an AP social science (Micro/Macro, Euro History, US Gov, Human Geo.

So that's 10 or 11?

DS, who's graduating this year and going to a LAC ranked in the top 50, will have taken 6 (Micro/Macro, Env Sci, Calc AB, European History, Stats). He doesn't take honors everything; he doesn't want to kill himself and plans his courseload accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.

It’s the mid-level choice. AP Cal is not rigorous. But it’s also not what struggling math students take.

Disagree. It is not an easy course. Perhaps it depends upon the teacher.

My DD attends a private school which does not offer APs. DD wants to take one AP for each core course. What would be most rigorous in this case, if she only takes 5 AP exams :
AP US History
AP French
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C? what if it is a chemistry one ?
AP Lit?

Thanks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.

It’s the mid-level choice. AP Cal is not rigorous. But it’s also not what struggling math students take.

*AP Pre Cal, I meant!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.

It’s the mid-level choice. AP Cal is not rigorous. But it’s also not what struggling math students take.

Too much" depends on your kid.
I thought my kid was doing too much with this this schedule.
10th - 1 AP (and regretted not taking 2)
11th- 4 AP + 1 DE (and regretted not taking one more AP)
12th- 6 AP + 1 DE ( and was finally happy with their choices). I did talk with the HS counselor and said I was concerned about this heavy courseload but counselor said she has confident that my kid can handle it.

This kid wasn't aiming for a T20. Wanted AP more for rigor. Already knew the T50 college they EDimg to. Was very focused on doing well on AP exams.
Gor college credit for all, except for one 4, since the college required a 5 for credit.

First semester of college, took 16 credits that included upper level courses since AP credits let them skip intros
Told them grades are a lot different in college, but then ended up with a 4.0. Said their AP courses were very good prep, especially AP Capstone

The lesson for me has been- look beyond "looking good for college" when determining what is "too much or too little." This kid wanted the intellectual challenge. I really learned a lot about them in this process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I get Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics etc are seen as rigorous. What are APs that are considered not rigorous? seminar? Research? Psych etc?

Not sure if the non-core APs are not considered rigorous but they are really elective APs and many schools don’t offer them.

AP Psych, AP Human Geography,etc. anything outside of math, science, English, social studies and language.

I think there are actually like 35 AP classes in total, but there are plenty of HSs that only offer 12-15 (and some that offer 30+).

AP precalc is a joke and not worth anyone’s time.

What's the alternative?

Regular. So, it's not a joke to kids who want to take the advanced version of the class. Sure, it's a money-grab, but your kid has to take it if they are pushing for rigor.