should I?Answered
hi guys and gals
i know most of you all are older than me, because i'm only a high school freshman, and i see most posts about people who are juniors or seniors or even college students. could you guys give me your high school experience, and tell me if i should take more honors and ap classes? i feel like i need more work or else i procrastinate. i've always maintained a 3.7-4.0 gpa and am currently taking an honors english 9, and ap hugs. should i take ap physics next year or something?
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7 answers
Hi! I wish I would have really considered what classes I was taking in the long run as early as you, but you live and learn lol. Ultimately, schools want to see that you took advantage of the courses offered at your school while managing the courseload and maintaining good grades. I'd suggest you look into what colleges you want to apply to first and see if they take your unweighted or weighted gpa into consideration and how they calculate the unweighted gpa. You don't have to have a set list of schools right now (I definitely didn't), but you probably have an idea if you want Ivy's, SEC schools etc. You should also consider if adding a more rigorous class could hurt the grades you are getting in your other classes. If the schools you want to apply to use weighted, then it would definitely be beneficial to take the higher-level course. However, if you are looking at colleges that take unweighted, I'd take the one that you think you can do the best in with the combination of classes you are taking and what your interests are. I'd review your course catalog and talk to upperclassmen at your school (they'll know which courses/teachers are best) to choose the best combination of AP and Honors courses for you to succeed and showcase your interests. Something that helped me was sitting down and planning out all 4 years on a spreadsheet. I mapped out what classes I needed to graduate versus what classes I wanted to take plus ones required for the colleges I wanted to apply to. Then I looked at the combination of them and chose the level that I wanted to take each class at. If you feel like changing your courseload to stay busy isn't the right fit for you, you could always join or create a club since holding a position of leadership in a club can look good on your college application by showing that you have an interest in participating in your community outside of school. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer for what classes to take, it's really what works best for you and what you can manage with your extra-curriculars and family life.
Not only can you stick to AP and Honors, but as a sophomore this year, I've taken the initiative to take dual enrollment classes. Usually, an SAT, ACT, or some other equivalent is required to start dual, but they can help balance your GPA, too. With dual credits, you can graduate with over a 5.0 GPA if you work your hardest and stay on track, and there's no fancy AP exam at the end of the year, as long as you pass with a C or above, you keep your dual credit. You can take more in a year depending on the way the college's class rotation is set up as well, my community college that offers it offering classes every semester as an example. You might want to talk to your guidance counselor at your HS and see what path is best for you, your future, and your expectations for learning.
Hi, Im an senior in highschool, an di think you should take as many AP and Honor classes as you can. But dont burn yourself out. only take what you KNOW you can handle. You should also do extracurriculars like sports, community service, and school clubs. Even hobbies outside of school are great :)
With all honesty, as a Junior, I now regret not taking as many AP classes as I could back in my Freshman and Sophomore year. As you may already know, colleges are interested more in a student who has AP classes under their belt than the average student who only has standard-level classes. So long story short, I believe you should take AP physics! But be prepared and first understand what will be taught so that you can already have a bit of knowledge of what you will be taught.
yes, take as many aps as you can since your school offers it
I attend an Alaska high school, and we don't have as many AP classes as your school. However, I am currently trying to take as many AP classes as I can. First of all, AP classes help save money in college. But even beyond that, if you take AP classes early, you still have two more years to fix up your GPA if something goes wrong. So yes, I would take AP classes as early as you can.
Yes!! if you feel like it will be a good challenge, do it! colleges really like seeing APs and if you do well on the exams, they will make you look even better! I strongly suggest they go on your applications. I'm currently a Junior who took 1 AP last year, 3 this year, and plan to take 3 next year. I wish I took more APs freshmen and sophmore year :')
But don't stress yourself out with too many. Challenge yourself, but don't make yourself burn out :)
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Getting your AA in general education in HS is recommended if you are in Dual Enrollment since the credits can transfer anywhere. Still, if you have a specific career path in mind already you can start that with Dual. Here's a list of online dual-offering colleges, but you might have a college that does dual locally, or even on your HS campus. onlineassociatesdegrees.net/features/online-dual-enrollment/