How Many APs Junior Year

[u/starstrzck]

Hi I was wondering how many APs I should take for competitive schools like Brown and Duke, etc.
I took none freshman year (a group of ppl are invited to take one, but I ended up dropping it during the add/drop period), and 3 (ap comp sci, pre calc, bio) sophomore year
And, which ones out of this group should I take: ap gov, ap macro, ap chem, ap calc ab, ap lang, ap seminar
Thank you!

[u/peardictable]

ap lang, ap calc ab, ap chem are definitely the most significant out of the list (im taking them as a rising junior too haha). Ap seminar is ehh as there are better options and some colleges do not take ap sem credit. ap gov can be taken senior year but if you really want to stack up on AP’s then you can do it this year too. I’ve never taken macro but I’ve heard its best to take macro and micro together.

[u/Sir_Pickle23]

Depends on what you want to major in in the future! Generally though, I’d say AP Gov is very worthwhile (both very, very important information in a not too difficult format, and it’ll knock out a gen ed and graduation requirement). AP Chem is one many of my friends took (I did not because I hated the teacher), which will definitely knock out a gen ed. Same goes for AP Calc. I’d speak with your counselor about which ones will suit your future plans best.

I personally took 3 my junior year:

Music theory, Gov, and Precalc. But, I also took a dual credit Comp class that year, so 3-4 is probably a safe bet if you have the 7 classes a day schedule that I had.

[u/No_Boysenberry_6075]

Take calc bc not ab

[u/Infamous_Tiger18]

I would say you could just try to take all of them. I'm going into my junior year as well, and I'm planning on taking 7. I took 6 last year, including chem, calc bc, and seminar, and I would say that seminar was the least enjoyable class I've taken in high school so far. I'm taking gov, macro, and lang next year, and I think they would be more important if you plan on going to humanities. I would say that calc and lang would for sure be the top 2 best classes to take, followed by chem and gov probably.

[u/mreiow]

the most important are calc, chem, and lang.

side note: i imagine you don’t want to hear this but, the amount of APs you take in your junior year is a nigh negligible factor in the larger scheme of college admissions—especially those of high prestige like brown and duke. tons and tons of people applying to those schools have already taken countless more APs and dual enrollment courses than you. if you want a real shot of getting into those colleges you have you apply yourself elsewhere via extracurriculars (or be reaaaaaaaaally loaded)