Ideal number of APs?

[neur0goddess]

So my school is SUPER tiny (~150 students) and I was only offered two AP classes for my Junior year (Euro and English) and for senior year there is a max. number of 4 APs you can take.

Are 6 AP classes total in HS enough or too little for a competitive uni? Ideally I'd like to major in Neuroscience at schools like USC, Johns Hopkins, Umich, etc.

Also, how exactly does independent studying for APs work? Is it hard to self study?

thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[akram_laiq]

Taking 6 AP classes is good to have on your transcript because it shows schools your work ethic/rigor. I would reccomend taking all those AP courses because they will give you an insight as to how college classes will be like. I took a total of 7, and self study was needed in some of my classes, like Biology/Psych. You just have to read every night and take your own notes, so it's best to develop some note taking strategy ASAP! Self study isn't that difficult as long as you have good teachers, I didn't for some of my classes so I had to teach myself...
Keep in mind that those aren't the only factors that competive schools look at, your Act/Sat scores are also a factor as well as your gpa, your essays, etc.

 

[neur0goddess]

Taking 6 AP classes is good to have on your transcript because it shows schools your work ethic/rigor. I would reccomend taking all those AP courses because they will give you an insight as to how college classes will be like. I took a total of 7, and self study was needed in some of my classes, like Biology/Psych. You just have to read every night and take your own notes, so it's best to develop some note taking strategy ASAP! Self study isn't that difficult as long as you have good teachers, I didn't for some of my classes so I had to teach myself...
Keep in mind that those aren't the only factors that competive schools look at, your Act/Sat scores are also a factor as well as your gpa, your essays, etc.

helpful advice, thank you!

 

[moisne]

What school are you aiming for? 6 is ok for mediocre school. Ideally you should take as many as you can handle.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I think having 6 AP classes is plenty. I did neuro at one of the schools you listed, and only had 2 AP classes on my transcript.

As the above poster noted, standardized scores and GPA are major (and, IMO, more important) factors. Do the best you can with what you have!

 

[neur0goddess]

What school are you aiming for? 6 is ok for mediocre school. Ideally you should take as many as you can handle.

what do you mean by "mediocre"?

 

[neur0goddess]

I think having 6 AP classes is plenty. I did neuro at one of the schools you listed, and only had 2 AP classes on my transcript.

As the above poster noted, standardized scores and GPA are major (and, IMO, more important) factors. Do the best you can with what you have!

wow hahah thanks so much! btw did you enjoy majoring in neuro? would you recommend it?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

wow hahah thanks so much! btw did you enjoy majoring in neuro? would you recommend it?

I thought it was fascinating. I did behavioral neuro research in undergrad (i.e., lots of rat brains and surgery!) and a few years of social/cognitive neuro research (i.e., lots of neuroimaging!) between undergrad and the start of medical school. I may be a bit biased, but I think neuro research is some of the most interesting and relevant work going on.

Overall, though... major in something you find fascinating and love to learn about. Medical schools accept people with all kinds of majors, and how well you did is much more important than what you did outside of the BCPM coursework.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Had BC Calc (4), AP Bio (3), AP Euro (2), AP US History (3), AP Gov (4) and AP Lang (3)... went to a great UG and studied Neuro. I don't think quantity matters, since many of the top schools won't accept your credits anyway. =P If you're not an interesting candidate, there's no reason for those schools to take you.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Had BC Calc (4), AP Bio (3), AP Euro (2), AP US History (3), AP Gov (4) and AP Lang (3)... went to a great UG and studied Neuro. I don't think quantity matters, since many of the top schools won't accept your credits anyway. =P If you're not an interesting candidate, there's no reason for those schools to take you.

And/or they only accept scores of 4/5! Still bitter that my 3 in Lang/Lit counted for nothing ... at least psych (5)/bio (4) counted a bit more for my degree.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

And/or they only accept scores of 4/5! Still bitter that my 3 in Lang/Lit counted for nothing ... at least psych (5)/bio (4) counted a bit more for my degree.

Columbia would have only accepted a 4+ in AP Bio and AP Calc, of the ones that I took... =P