Not enough AP’sAnswered
Hi, I am a junior and I only have 2 AP’s as of right now. Will taking college courses at my local community college cover for this and will doing 3 or 4 AP’s my senior year help too?
Thank you
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2 answers
What colleges like to see is you challenging yourself academically. This means taking as many difficult classes as you can handle (and that your school offers). One way a college will determine your academic rigor is by looking at how many honor/AP classes are available at your school and compare what's available to what you decided to take. Does your high school offer a lot of honors/AP classes? The best thing you can do is take as many of the honor/AP classes available to you with your remaining time in high school.
Taking community college classes can look good but won't "make up" for not having a lot of APs. While it might seem like CC classes should "count" as more when applying to college that's actually not the case and colleges prefer to see the AP classes on your transcript instead. The reason colleges prefer to see APs on a transcript compared to CC classes is because they know what they can expect from a student who has taken an AP class. AP classes have a standardized curriculum so colleges know what you are learning and can base decisions on that accordingly. With community college classes there is just way too much variety in the quality of instruction that can take place which makes it hard for admissions officers to evaluate. Some CC classes might be really well thought out, taught well, academically challenging, and a place where you can learn a lot while others can be the exact opposite. Admissions officers know what to expect with APs, less so with CC classes, so they are weighed slightly less for your chances. Basically, take those 3-4 APs your senior year, more if possible, and if you still are interested in some CC classes maybe look into taking them over the summer instead of replacing one of your high school classes with them.
Hope this helps and let me know if I can clarify anything or answer any follow-ups!
To be honest, APs do not factor in much at all as far as admissions is concerned. They will not affect your chances much. However, they do look good on your transcript, especially if you do well on the exams. I am a senior: I did four APs in my junior year and am doing two this year. I have already applied for college and have been told I was accepted to at least one already. I think what you listed should be just fine. Don't sweat it too much, just work hard and focus on passing the tests. Hope this helps!
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Thank you for the great answer. Just to clarify, the AP’s I take senior year can be used when I show colleges correct?