Which ap classes do colleges like

Advanced Placement classes , also referred to as AP classes, are a set of standardized, college-level courses designed and implemented by the College Board , which is the same company that designs the SAT. These classes are taken by high school students over the course of a full school year, and each equals a single-semester college course. Like honors classes, these are typically higher-level courses selected by students who want to enroll in a challenging course load. Most AP classes culminate in an exam that is scored on a scale from Passing scores are considered 3 or higher, and students who pass an AP class are sometimes eligible to receive college credit for them.

When college admissions committees evaluate the strength of your college application, they carefully consider your overall profile as an applicant. This includes both the breadth of your classes and activities and the depth of your coursework and extracurriculars. College admissions officers love to see applicants who are fairly well-rounded, but that's not all they are looking for.

They also want to see applicants with established interests and strengths. This means that you should pursue difficult classes in the areas that you're most interested in. That way, you can prepare for a possible future college major or career. For example, if you're interested in a career in medicine, you might consider taking advanced placement classes like AP Biology and AP Chemistry.

If you're interested in a career in the tech fields, advanced placement courses like AP Calculus, AP computer science, or AP Physics might be a better fit. There are advanced placement classes for the humanities too. Taking AP classes that interest you isn't enough on its own. You also need to be able to succeed in them. Advanced placement classes culminate in an AP exam, a standardized test that measures what you've learned. In most schools, you will also receive a grade in your advanced placement class.

When you enroll in an advanced placement class, you should think carefully about how well you'll do in it. The Advanced Placement experience is not for every student. Before choosing to enroll your child in an AP course, consider these factors:.

Which academic subjects are available as AP courses? A complete list is available at The College Board. Ask your school counselor which AP classes your school offers. How many AP classes should my child take? For success in college admissions, there is no "magic number" of AP courses; it will depend on the individual student.

If your child is highly ambitious and wants to take four AP classes in one semester, advise him or her to slow down! It's important to strike a balance between work and play. Some high schools, in fact, limit the number of AP courses a student can take. As a Washington Post article on AP classes cautions, "I know high school students who literally have no social life and enormous anxiety because they spend practically every waking hour doing school work.

What if my child's school doesn't offer AP courses? Ask your school counselor if your child has the option to enroll in an AP course at a neighboring high school. It's also possible for a student to take an AP exam and receive college credit without taking the AP course in that subject.

Consult your school's school counselor if this is something your child is considering. There is no charge for AP classes; they are available as part of the high school curriculum.

Fee reductions and refunds are available; for more information, click here. What if my child is already enrolled in an AP course? A small number of students take Advanced Placement courses as sophomores.

If your child is already enrolled in one or more AP classes, remember that the AP exams are coming up in May. To access exam prep materials at The College Board, click here. If you are interested in learning about StudyPoint's AP exam tutoring, click here. Our staff also includes expert math, science, foreign language, and writing tutors.

Our newsletter is designed to offer you grade- and season- specific information that will help you navigate and stay on top of the college admissions process. We need high school graduation year to provide you with timely, relevant information. Learning how to study for the exams and pacing yourself is tough. This can be hard with just one or two exams, let alone a handful. Plus, in many subjects you won't be able to acquire the necessary pre-requisites for AP courses until your junior and senior year.

For example, AP English is usually taught junior or senior year, most students won't have the pre-requisites for AP Calculus until junior year at least, and for the sciences—Biology, Chemistry, and Physics—most high schools have a recommended sequence that doesn't have students taking the AP courses until sophomore year at the very earliest.

This is why many students begin with courses like AP Human Geography or Psychology in freshman or sophomore year. The exams are comparatively less difficult, and younger students are more likely to have completed prerequisite courses for them. If you do well on the first exam or exams you take, you can consider taking on more in junior and senior year, but again, be careful about overloading.

How do you know if you've overdone it? Don't give into peer pressure—just because you have a friend who has taken 10 AP exams doesn't mean you have to do the same. Again, one extra AP class won't make or break your admissions chances, but if it causes your GPA to fall or your performance in extracurriculars to suffer, it could be hurting you.

Your score on that will have a huge effect on your admissions chances— as well as scholarship eligibility at other schools. Finally, have back-up plans ready when you sign up for classes. For example, if you start BC Calculus but realize it's too tough, see if it's possible to transfer down to AB Calculus. Also be prepared to switch into an honors or regular classes if an AP class is eating up too much of your life and hurting your GPA.

Talk to your guidance counselor before signing up for AP classes to find out the protocol for changing your schedule mid-year. We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Is it possible to study for an AP exam on your own? Is it worth it? It's actually not uncommon for students to not take an AP class but study on their own and just take the AP exam.

This often happens if a school doesn't offer a more niche AP, like Art History or Latin, or if a certain AP class doesn't fit into your schedule. Here's the thing: self-studying only works if you are very disciplined. Most students who take AP exams have taken a class for the whole year, and all of the assignments and tests that come with it, to prepare.

Replicating that on your own can be tough, especially if you have a full class schedule and other commitments. Be prepared to plan ahead to fit a self-studied AP exam into your schedule. That said, if there is a topic you are really interested in but can't take, and you are committed to self-studying, that kind of initiative and self-discipline is very impressive, especially to colleges—if you pass the exam. I would wait to self-study until you have already taken at least one AP exam through a class.

That way you will have an idea of how much you need to learn and what it takes to study for an AP exam. Also talk to your guidance counselor and ask if they know of any students at the school who have successfully self-studied for an AP exam. At the very least you should have a prep book for the exam you're taking, but if possible, try to find the following:.

You can't self-study for an AP exam in just a few months. Create monthly content goals. You can do this based on units or sections in your prep book. Remember to schedule time for practice exams in the spring! Build your self-study into your schedule like it's a class or extracurricular activity. By doing a steady amount of work each week, you will have time to learn enough content to do well on the exam and won't face a time-crunch in the spring.

For more tips, check out our guides on how to self-study and the best APs to self-study. Also, make sure studying for this AP exam doesn't replace time you would use to study for the ACT or SAT—those tests ultimately carry much more weight in college admissions. The first step to studying is deciding which one to take! Find out how with our exclusive guide.

Use our guide so you can fit in study time alongside your AP courses and other commitments! One of the single most important parts of your college application is what classes you choose to take in high school in conjunction with how well you do in those classes.