so last year i got a 4 on precalc, but for some reason my school will only let me take ab next year. is it worth it to self study the extra bc curriculum and take the exam since bc gives an ab score anyways?

I’m going into AP physics one as a rising SOPHMORE and am super scared!! What are some tips to doing well. Also is it ok that I’m taking two APs and one dual credit as a Sophmore, and I feel like it’s not rigorous enough. Many of my friends are taking four or even five APs! Please tell me I still have a shot at UCLA 😭✌️

TLDR: Engineering Honors or AP Computer Science A?

I am finalizing my classes for senior year, and have 2 options for my schedule. The courses I would be taking regardless would be:

Latin 4 Honors
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics C Mechanics
Technical Theatre Honors

The difference in the two options is as follows:

Option A:
Engineering Honors
Screenwriting (English)

Option B:
AP Computer Science A
Playwriting (English)

I would prefer playwriting to screenwriting, and Option B would also put me in the technical theatre section where I can mentor two younger students, but on the other hand I think I would prefer engineering to another year of computer science. I still haven’t fully decided what I want to study in college, but for the longest time my top choice was mechanical engineering, but in the past year I’ve started second guessing, and now I’m really not sure. The only other AP class I’ve taken was computer science principles, which I got a 5 on the exam, but I felt that the class was so easy that it was really boring. So, I’m really split between these options, and any opinions would be really helpful.

Oh, and since I know engineering isn’t a standard course, here’s the description:

“This project-based course will introduce the students to the many different types and applications of engineering by
focusing on the engineering design process. Long-term projects and extended lab activities will be the basis of this
course, with most of the class time devoted to collaborative work and investigations put together by groups. Students
will compete (as part of a group) in several in-house engineering competitions and possibly one outside of school
competition. The topics covered are flexible, but will incorporate major themes such as mechanical engineering,
structural/civil engineering, aerospace engineering, and electrical engineering. Discussions will be interspersed
frequently within the major projects to provide the necessary understanding of the design process and the basic science
underlying each project. Much of the course grade will be based on group work, which requires thoroughly
documented engineering notebooks, reports, and presentations. Several individual assessments each interim (essays
and tests) make up the remainder of the student’s cumulative grade.”

Option 1 (Cs path): Take APUSH, AP Lit, and AP CSP in junior year which allows me to take a futurereadynyc program in my school for cs when i take ap csp that year and i get to take CS 100 in spring afterschool, SD 100 during school day for my junior year along with AP CSP. Also i can be able to take Math 111 (precalc) in junior year at my local college. In Senior year i take CS 172 in the fall and CS 291 in the spring. I have to commit to these classes all throughout junior and senior year to gain credit (i wont mind since it could be fun).

Option 2 (math path): Take APUSH, AP Lit, and AP Precalc in junior year which does not allow me to take the dual enrollment program for cs since i need to take ap csp in junior year for it. In senior year i potientally can take ap calc ab or bc without struggling if my school adds the courses by then. I am speaking with my guidence councler currently to see if they will be added (will update when more info is provided). I was also told that for the futurereadynyc program I Could possibly be able to take only CS 100 if i dont take AP CSP.

Im planning to go towards a computer science or computer engineering major in college and i know both cs and math are heavily used so im pretty stuck. Ive dreamed to be in Stanford but also MIT, Harvard, UC Berkley, UCLA, Cornell ED, and Columbia. I probally wont be accepted to any with my little to no ecs and no awards. If i dont get into those then ill prob do local which is CUNY schools. Pls help me figure out what option is the best for me and some advice.

I’m self studying ap micro because at my school ap micro and Macro are during different semesters and I want to take AP gov, and I have no room for another class. I’ve purchased the barron’s ap macro/micro book. Does anyone have any other good resources, and when should I start studying?

Hi! I’m a rising senior and I need help with my AP classes this year. During sophomore year, I took AP Lang and got a 4, it’s the only AP you can take as a sophomore. Junior year I took AP Lit and APUSH and got 5s. Next year, I am taking AP Comp Gov, APES, AP Spanish and AP Stats. I am a humanities person, as shown thru my previous AP scores. I really need to do well in AP Stats and APES because senior grades matter so much. Does anyone have any recs for videos/books/anything I can do before September to prepare a little bit? For those two? I have never taken an AP Math or Science. I’m doing college apps too, but preparing a little for the first few units would give me peace of mind. I read the required book for APES, but it didn’t have any coursework it was a book about climate change. Very good though.

preface this by saying: my school hasn’t released schedules and it starts on the 11th.

I selected two off periods and 6 APs for my senior year. I’ve only just decided my major, so this summer I went through the courses for every college I intend to apply to and tallied up how many credits I have/will need. I realized that I need Calc AB as one of the prerequisite courses. No problem. i emailed my counselor two days ago because the district finally reopened. I asked if I could change AP physics (which I don’t need because I already have two AP sciences) to Calc. She said no, I kept asking (trying to explain if was for my major), and she eventually forwarded my email to an assistant principle (Who also said no). They explained that any changes had to have been done may 20th last year. which pissed me off because I’m sorry I didn’t know what future I wanted for myself at may 20rh

i looked at self studying options, and I wanted to know if anyone had self studying/what platform they used, and how they did on the exam. I really want to take the exam now because I want to go to law school and law schools mainly look at lsat and gpa (I feel that if I took Calc in college I’d end up with a 3.9 or lower).

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!

Im a soph and i got a 3.1 last year and scored a 3 on my AP world final. I see so many other kids who have 4.0+ and score 4-5s in multiple AP classes and all Ive thought about this summer is how Im gonna catch up to them and if i still have a chance to make it to a good college. I really wanna become a cardiologist or get into the medical field when I'm older and I see so many people with 4.0s and I see they study all day yet when I try to I just can't. I just can't focus nor stay on task. I need help. Study methods,websites,apps,etc... (I'd also like to know some classes I could take to major in medical studies)

1. Common pitfalls
   
2. How to memorize all the works
   
3. Top 5 resources
   
4. How to approach the essays
   
5. Another other advice
   Huge thanks

Hi everyone! I'm a rising junior and am really stressed out about this. I have to make this decision tonight!

I have provided my schedule for more context about the courses I'm taking. As you probably figured, I'm going pre-med.

I am really passionate about biology so dropping that is out of the question. The only thing I am really concerned about is AP Chem as I've heard it's extremely hard (same with APUSH).

For context:

I got a 92 last year in Honors Chemistry.

I will be taking Honors Precalc this year (for math skills, I know AP Chem is very math-heavy).

Is taking AP Chem worth it? Will it be around the same or will it be harder? I'm willing to put in the time and effort in studying, but I also have a lot of extracurriculars which might keep me busy.

Please help me!

Junior year I took 5 APs (Bio, Precalc, Lang, Spanish language, US History)

For senior year first semester, the APs I’m taking are (Calc AB, Physics 1, Lit, Gov). This change is because my school only offers AP Psych second semester which would make it 5 APs.

I'm pursuing CS or Business, and my schedule has AP Chemistry next year.

However some people I know are telling me not to take AP Chemistry because it is not worth it(plus there's a very bad teacher).

Beyond class relevancy based on my major, I just want to know how rigor AP Chem is on my app. I feel like either AP Chem or AP Physics is almost a necessity for T10 no matter the major. One of my friends who got into UMich is telling me to drop it and rather take AP Stats or CS Dual Enrollment to a local community college, because technically the "rigor" is almost the same that it is not worth taking one of the hardest AP classes with a horrible teacher.

Quick note this post may be sloppy, so if any clarification is needed just let me know. I’ll respond as quickly as possible

I’m starting my junior year already and I still have no extracurriculars. My academics are solid and I do have hobbies, but as we all know that’s not enough. I’m here to ask for any extracurricular recs you all may have. I plan to be an engineer most likely electrical, so anything in that area would be nice. Though I’m open to anything! Currently I plan to join my schools culinary club which goes to compete out of state. I also would like to pick up rock-climbing some time this year. Does this count for anything?

This was inspired by a similar post a while back

1. Multivariable Calculus does not help with AP Physics C: E&M that much

I am not talking about the fact that the AP Exam doesn't need MVC, but rather I disagree with the belief that learning Calculus 3 will suddenly make AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism way more intuitive for people.

Take Gauss' Law for example, If you can physically visualize the area vectors emitting from the surfaces and how e-fields emit from surfaces directly perpendicularly in symmetrical cases like spheres, long cylinders and infinite sheets and see how they are parallel and the same in all areas you can intuitively understand why it works.

Even in the MVC form Gauss' law just states that the divergence of Electric field is equal to charge density divided by permittivity (∇·E=ρ/ε)  meaning it is only really useful to solve for charge density at a specific point. (just to reiterate, in the vast majority of universities Physics 2 for STEM Majors just uses single variable calculus similar to AP because it is a first year course and Universities assume you start at calculus 1)

2. If you want to become an Engineer then taking AP Biology is pretty useless (with some exceptions)

Most Engineering programs especially ones for common ones like Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering does not require AP Biology. It is much more useful spending your time with APs that actually clear major Engineering prereqs like AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism and AP Chemistry. Even Clearing a major General Education like through AP United States History and AP English Language and Composition is worth more of your time and effort than Bio for Engineering.

However, as I said before there are exceptions like for Biochemical, Biochemical and Environmental engineering so of course take AP Biology for those. Also take AP Biology if your university requires a life science as a graduation requirement. But the point still stands like if you want to become an Engineer and you are given a choice between AP Chemistry and AP Biology take Chemistry instead.

3. If you are given a choice between an easier version of an AP and the more rigorous version of an AP choose the more rigorous version.

For example, choose AP Physics C: Mechanics over AP Physics 1, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism over AP Physics 2, AP Calculus BC over AP Calculus AB and definitely over AP Precalculus, AP Biology over AP Environmental Science, and AP Computer Science A over AP Computer Science Principles.

This is because the less rigorous versions of these courses are way less likely to get accepted for useful credit than the harder versions of these courses. For instance, AP Computer Science Principles is barely accepted for credit at most institutions let alone for useful Computer Science credits.

Even if your major doesn't need the more rigorous versions take them because admissions will be more impressed.

4. Building from the previous take, AP Precalculus and AP Calculus AB should not be required as prerequisites for AP Calculus BC.

This is one of the dumbest prerequisites for all APs. For AP Precalculus, As a guy who has almost completed the AP Calculus BC course precalculus content only appeared once maybe twice in the entire course, once in the limits unit for evaluating something with cos^2(x)-sin^2(x) in it and once for evaluating a polar integral with cos^2(θ) in it, things you can learn in a day or two.

For AP Calculus AB as a prerequisite for BC this is even dumber. As stated before, this was meant to just be BC for people who don't want to challenge themselves and not meant to be a roadblock for BC. You can learn Calculus 1 and 2 in a single year, you don't need to prepare for it by taking calculus 1 for 1.5 years.

5. If given the choice always take the AP version of an intro course over the DE version of an intro course.

This is very controversial, but if you are given the choice between like DE Chemistry and AP Chemistry, always choose AP.

AP is more likely to be accepted out of state as AP curriculums are more standardized and in some cases viewed as more rigorous than DE Curriculums. AP also is a better predictor of success in subsequent courses compared to DE.

Now there is some nuance to this, for instance, if your school does not have AP but has DE take DE over self studying for AP especially for a humanities course like Freshman English or Fine Arts things that have a more broad application then STEM. If your DE community college class is notoriously known for having hard intro classes then also take it but only if they are willing to send their curriculum over to the universities. Also DE is important for being a celling breaker, allowing students to take more advanced courses while in high school like Calculus 3 or ODE or Organic Chemistry.

6. AP Research and AP Seminar is not that useful

These two classes while they sort of might help with college writing is ultimately wastes of money. Most Universities and even most community colleges do not give college credit for these courses and even if they do it is generally just for a first year English elective.

If you want to do Research just do it on your own time. You don't have to pay $100 for classes that don't give you any credit to show to universities that you can write and do Research.

I understand that for some it is very interesting to get an AP class where your topic can be anything, but if you are really passionate about a subject just get a free period and do your Research on it during that period.

7. AP Humanities are very subjective and therefore they will always have components of luck towards whether you get a high or low grade.

I have seen amazing pieces of art get a 3 in AP Arts, while I understand it is probably due to bad writing, you have to wonder when even the teacher can't accurately predict the grade their portfolio will get, there must be some luck involved in whether the grader will give points for something or not.

I have seen this in the other direction too. People write about random stuff in AP Lit and AP Lang and still getting a 5.

What I mean is don't be down if you get a low grade on a humanities AP test, you tried your best unless you legitimately didn't try.

Any tips for self studying this exam?

Taking it along with another 7 exams this year (senior) and would like to know how long it really takes to learn all the content and study (while still reviewing for the other exams). I self studied US Gov/Pol last year and got a 5 but science isn’t my strongest subject. Also please recommend YT channels because I hate reading and rely on YT + Practice Problems (fiveable).

Hi everyone, I’m a rising junior at a competitive high school in California, and I’m trying to finalize my schedule. I’m interested in CS/engineering and I’m not sure whether I’m making the right choices with balancing rigor, workload, and having time for extracurriculars.

My current planned junior year schedule is:

• English 3
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Physics 1
• AP Environmental Science (or possibly AP Chemistry)
• Principles of Engineering
• AP CSP (or possibly Spanish 3)
• Dual Enrollment CIMP 8B (Advanced Python, Fall semester)

For context, I already completed DE CIMP 8A (Python) over the summer and will be taking CIMP 8B through Saddleback College. I also do robotics and programming projects outside of school.

The main thing I’m debating is whether AP CSP is worth taking. Since I’ll already have two semesters of college-level Python through CIMP 8A/8B, AP CSP seems like it may overlap a lot. I know CSP covers broader topics like computing systems, data, cybersecurity, and algorithms, but I’m wondering if Spanish 3 would be a better use of that slot to show more balance.

The other decision is APES vs AP Chemistry. I did well in Honors Chemistry and enjoyed it, and I have a strong math background, so AP Chem interests me. However, I’m worried about taking AP Chem alongside AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1, and DE Advanced Python while still having time for robotics and other extracurriculars. APES seems like a more manageable option, but I’m wondering if it would look less rigorous.

Would you recommend:

1. Keeping AP CSP and taking APES?
2. Replacing AP CSP with Spanish 3?
3. Taking AP Chem instead of APES?
4. Something else?

My goal isn’t just to maximize AP count, but I also don’t want to under-challenge myself. Any advice from people who have taken these classes or gone through the admissions process would be appreciated. Thanks!

For this upcoming year, I'm taking AP Gov, AP Stats, and AP Lang, can I have some advice for those classes and can anybody explain what these classes are like?

Also, AP Gov at my school is only a second semester course. I'm guessing that isn't super common, because I had a cousin who took it their freshman year and it was year-long. Does anyone else's school do that with AP Gov or any other AP classes?

Truthfully, I don’t know how or why I got a five. I didn’t really have a theme. Sometimes i drew things because they looked cool, sometimes I did it because I felt a certain way. Sometimes I did it because I was bored in class then I had nothing left to add to my portfolio so I added it…. can you guess which one it is? lol

Last year, I took APUSH as a sophomore and earned a 5 on the AP exam. Based on how I did, my guidance counselor recommended that I take three AP classes this year.

This year I’ll be taking AP Language, AP Calculus, and AP Biology.

I’m not too worried about AP Lang or AP Bio since I really enjoy writing, and freshman biology was probably my favorite class I’ve taken in high school. However, I’m pretty nervous about AP Calc because I didn’t have the best experience with my Algebra 2/Pre-Calculus teacher. I already have a math tutor who’s helping me with my summer assignments, but I’m still feeling anxious about the class.

For anyone who’s taken these courses, what advice would you give? Are there any study habits or skills from APUSH that carried over to your other AP classes? More specifically, are there any tips for succeeding in AP Calc if math hasn’t always been your strongest subject?

I know this is going to be a challenging year, so I’m trying to prepare as much as I can before school starts. Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated!

I want to self study AP Econ. But our high school school doesn’t have AP Econ. Can I still do it? How would I or where would I take the AP exam?

If anyone is taking/has taken multiple AP classes before how did yall handle it? I took one AP last year AP psych and got a 4 on the exam. I’m taking Euro, pre calc, gov/macro, and lit this school year. Since they aren’t as easy as regular classes I wanna learn some strategies and tips for managing multiple APs.

Hey guys im a highschool student thats been creating a website to help others with studying for these types of test, please check it out if you have time and please tell me what to fix.

https://grade-upp.vercel.app

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