Hi there. I am a sophomore and so far I want to get into UCSD, UCLA, or UCDavis. I plan to major in biology and follow a pre dental route. Can you tell me if the AP courses I plan to take will stand out or if they are good enough?
- AP Human Geography (got a 3)
- AP Lang
- APUSH
- AP Lit
- AP Gov
- AP Biology (i am trying to take this)
Those schools are all very competitive, making them hard to get into. With your classes, I don't know, especially since you got a three on the AP Human Geography exam. Many students take the classes that you've listed, so no, they don't make you stand out. If you are trying to follow a pre-dental path but don't want to take a bunch of APs, why not see if your school offers a program like New Horizons? Where I live, this a governor's school program where students can learn about topics that are actually needed in their dream careers. They have programs for cosmetology, biology, culinary, and pretty much any STEM job you can think of. If your school doesn't have a program like that, then definitely look into summer residential programs. These look really good on college applications, and they aren't as much work as you think. I don't know what kind of student you are, but if you are a good one - like an A/B honor one - then I'd suggest loading up on science and math courses, like AP Biology, Anatomy (non-AP), and especially AP Calc or AP Statistics.
I think these will work just fine if you do well enough (shoot for 3 or above). I personally have taken AP Human Geo, AP US Gov, AP World History, and AP Latin, and am studying for AP Microeconomics and AP English Lit. at the moment.
These will be very useful when you apply for college. If you're majoring in biology, then AP Biology is probably the most important of these, so work really hard on that one! I would also recommend doing AP Chemistry in your junior year.
As a side note, if you find AP Biology really difficult, you could look into CLEP Biology. I am not as strong in the sciences, so I did CLEP Biology since it is a little easier and it was not too bad.
Hope this helps, and good luck in your studies!
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