#Transizion

"How Many AP Classes Should I Take: The Best Video Guide" by Jason Patel of Transizion.com
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Planning for college is tough. You don't know what classes to take. On top of that, if you're applying to top schools, you don't know how many Ap classes you should take.
This video answers all of your questions, especially if you're applying to competitive schools. We'll review different planning strategies to put you in the best position for college admissions success.
In this video, we cover:
Beginning of Video- 00:00
1. 1:15 - What are AP classes?
2. 3:04 - Are certain AP classes more important than others?
3. 3:49 - What to consider before enrolling in an AP class?
4. 6:54 - The benefits and challenges of AP classes
5. 9:14 - How many AP classes should you take in high school?
6. 10:50 - How many AP classes do top schools, including the Ivy League, look for?
7. 13:14 - Important Do’s and Don’t of AP classes
8. 13:59 What to do if your school doesn’t provide AP classes?
Once you're done watching and listening, check out these guides that we made. They'll help you plan and apply to college:
1. How to Prepare for and Beat Junior Year: www.transizion.com/junior-year/
2. How Long Is the SAT: www.transizion.com/how-long-i...
3. Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA...Everything You Need to Know: www.transizion.com/weighted-v...
4. Easiest AP Classes: www.transizion.com/easiest-ap...
5. How Many AP Classes Should I Take: www.transizion.com/how-many-a...
6. Hardest AP Classes: www.transizion.com/most-chall...
7. How to Get Into Harvard and the Rest of the Ivy League: www.transizion.com/how-to-get...
8. How to Write a Powerful Common App Essay: www.transizion.com/common-app...
If you have any questions, email [e-mail] or [e-mail].
If you want college guidance & mentorship services, visit Transizion.com or these two pages:
- www.transizion.com/boot-camps...
- www.transizion.com/boot-camps...
Check out these other videos:
IB vs. AP: Which One is Better For College?
• #Transizion IB vs AP: ...
Computer Science vs. Computer Engineering 101
• #Transizion Computer S...
See you in the comments!
#AP #Student #College #CollegeApplications #Transizion

[@jasonpatel13]

Struggling with APs or college planning? Let us know, and we'll get back to you in the comments! Comment below!

[@herrypatel9287]

hey so i wanna major in math or maybe physics so like do i reallg need to give ap psycology and biology and stuff or I can just go for calculus and physics?

[@leelanp]

How can I contact you, need help courses selection for high school

[@sameso8656]

Took 12 ap classes just to get rejected by my dream school and attend a safety 🤠🤠

[@observer698]

???

[@akiyachef_5213]

@@observer698 commenter’s comment is completely self explanatory

[@Trolled-hc6qk]

@@akiyachef_5213 I think he doesn’t understand the last part, I don’t either

[@akiyachef_5213]

@@Trolled-hc6qk a safety school is a school you apply to just in case you don’t get accepted anywhere else

[@Trolled-hc6qk]

@@akiyachef_5213 o ok

[@keenankulpanapat886]

I’ll have taken 8 AP Classes at the end of high school but I’m not applying to any Ivy Leagues or UCs, I’m staying in state

[@jasonpatel13]

Nice! In-state is a great value! Good luck.

[@playeverflame]

Quality advice backed with sourced studies. Doesn't get better than that.

[@gabesmith9171]

How is there not more views?! Required watching for all incoming freshmen--subbed btw

[@jasonpatel13]

Thanks, Gabe! We love you right back!

[@GSJ_Since_2006]

Easy reason thumbnail

[@PieRules7]

I’ll just say this. I took 10 AP tests. I took 6 in my senior year. My senior year was 2020:) Not fun. I took 3 languages and was taking AP chinese for the 3rd time and AP Lang for the 2nd time. I ended up passing 5/6 and finished high school with a 9/10 pass on AP’s. I decided to use my AP credit to stay in state and I am currently on track to graduate in 3 years from college. I wouldn’t call it necessarily worth it but I did learn a lot of key things about my limits and how much I could handle in one year. Biggest factor to your success is simply planning. If you put in the work, you will see results. It is possible to do what seems outlandish and impossible if you do the work. I’ll write my scores below if ur interested. 2018: AP Chinese (3) 2019: AP Lang (3) AP Chinese (3) AP Physics 1 (3) 2020: AP Lang (3) AP Chinese (3) AP Spanish 4 (4) AP Human Geo (4) APES (3) AP Psychology (1) Yes, I got 3 on AP chinese 3 years in a row. Yes, I just wanted a 4. Hoped for a 4 on Lang as well. My 2nd and 3rd attempt at chinese, human geo, psych, and 2nd attempt at lang were all done without a class. I just signed up for the test and did my best with minimal prep compared to a full year of study. Psych was the only test I scored below a 3 in and I am currently essentially retaking psych right now. 6 tests is not impossible but unnecessary. 3 or 4 AP classes with 4/5’s is better than getting 3’s across a variety of subjects. Yes, it was a ton of information to remember for testing weeks. I got about 25 units worth of college credit meaning I can skip one year of college which means 1/4 less tuition, housing, food, and gas. All that for $1000 total? Ehhhhh..I’ll maybe say worth it.

[@Nghi_nguyenn]

which ones is the easiest and hardest in all of your APs? based on your opinion.

[@PieRules7]

@@Nghi_nguyenn Hm... Human Geo is an easy class as it is meant for Freshman. Psych, Environ Science as decently content heavy. These are the “easier” sciences. Doing well on a bio, chem, or physics is more impressive. Bio and chem require a ton of memory and content knowledge. Physics is the odd one out. You need to grasp difficult subjects very quickly as, at least for Physics 1, it builds on previous lessons. Getting a 5 on Physics C is one of the most impressive things. It has an unusally high pass rate as only the students who know they can do well will take it. Physics 1 weeds out the strong from the weak. I didn’t take any math or comp sci as it really wasn’t my thing. If you can grasp the difficult subjects quickly then go for it. Histories and politics require a very good understanding of not only history but also the ability to write about it. If you are confident in history or social science then these classes can look very good on a college app. Lastly, languages depend on your time commitment. Plenty of students are required to take a language for a few years and end up doing at least Spanish 4 for credit. If you know another language and can read, listen, write and speak it than these can be very helpful in fulfilling language requirements. These are not classes you can just practice for only one year and hope to do extremely well in. You have to take 3 years of spanish before you have a chance to take AP 4. I don’t know much on Arts. Never considered them. Hope this helps:)

[@PieRules7]

Adding on.. If you want “easy” AP’s for credit to beef up your application, Human Geo, Psych, APES are simpler than the rest. If you want the most impressive AP’s than Physics C, Calc BC, Tougher Languages( Basically not Spanish), Lit. Chem and Euro are nightmares as mostly sophomores take these. Honestly any AP is impressive as it’s a ton of work to do well on them. If you have at least some interest in them than you will do better. Even if you don’t do well on these classes, AP’s are just one part of your college app. There’s plenty of options out there even if you don’t get into your dream school. Enjoy the high school and AP experience as much as you can. It gets a lot more complicated after high school. But you have more freedom. Good luck.

[@Nghi_nguyenn]

@@PieRules7 thanks for the tips :)

[@TehCrystalDolphin]

@@PieRules7 this just sounds like a nightmare after I snapped out of my mental illness from 6 to 8th grade I’m so behind on my studies now but I’m hoping to catch up. I’m just curious to ask and I’m not expecting you to have an exact answer for this but how many ap classes should students normally take if they aren’t aiming for a university?

[@dumpsterfire3214]

current senior, idk why i’m getting this in my recommended, but anyways. i’ve taken 7 ap classes, some of the hardest and some of the easiest. i don’t think it’s worth taking as many as i did unless you’re going for prestigious or selective schools, you are low income (and can handle the work), or you think the ap course can/will help you in your academic future. don’t sacrifice your childhood in a dream for the future. also taking ap calc and ap physics at the same time is extremely painful, so be prepared to sacrifice many nights and tons of tears to studying and homework. there’s many ways to study for an ap exam, i chose to cram a 5-7 days before, ans then relax the 1-3 days before the exam.

[@jasonpatel13]

If possible, try to spread your AP classes out over your high school years. :)

[@eddierae6121]

Very helpful

[@jasonpatel13]

Glad to be of service!

[@rafifmuhammad5713]

My school is pretty small relative to other schools that are in NYC. Because of the shortage of teachers, the amount of AP classes you can take is really limited. I can’t even choose my AP classes so they just end up putting me in AP history and arts (even though I particularly like science stuff like math and can consider myself decent at it). I was wondering which is more beneficial going into college, should I change schools and get better programs, or should i stay in my current school and get the highest grades in my classes

[@jasonpatel13]

Universities are aware if a school has limited AP offerings and won't hold that against you.

[@cayden5738]

I am entering my senior year and looking to get into exercise science at a school with a 60% acceptance rate. So far I have only taken one AP class, and that’s AP gov from last year because I thought I wanted to major in political science until this summer, so I feel as if that will be useless when colleges view my applications. Do you think I should take AP psych next year to have a better shot at getting in? *On a side note, I am taking classes that could help me in exercise science like anatomy and statistics

[@foil_fencer2315]

YES, take the AP, or two in senior year!!!!! Colleges want to see you challenging yourself, but it should be manageable for you. Be realistic when deciding.

[@pabloarangocorrea877]

My school offers both AICE and AP classes. Should I balance between those two, or which of them should I choose over the other?

[@stuartw969]

Great Jason. One question are there AP classes available on-line?

[@jasonpatel13]

Yes, there are!

[@cashmoney1346]

Awesome video!! Do you think having 15 AP classes total, 7 of which have been taken before senior year, and gotten 5 4s and 2 5s is that bad? Or are 4s and 5s good enough

[@kingbenjai2685]

4 and 5s are accepted by practically every college for some credit. Some require a 5, but usually a 3, so having mainly 4s and 5s is very good

[@jasonpatel13]

This is great. Nice work!

[@achunikeokafor9042]

Lol, i was questioning if you were ever going to make an IB video more specifically

[@jasonpatel13]

We have several!

[@Nghi_nguyenn]

do you know why ap Calc BC have higher passing rate then Calc AB? I heard that Calc BC is harder and have more work but the passing rate is higher. I don't know which one to take next year.

[@jonathantesfaaye5609]

It’s because of testing bias. Those people taking calc bc are the best of the best at math(usually pretty gifted) and are more likely to pass the exam. However many people take the ab exam under prepared and and were forced to take it for graduation requirements.

[@reardelt]

Its because only smart people take BC. If dumb people also take BC , then BC's passing rate will decrease.

[@farisdoughan4599]

Im sorry my reply is late.its also because Bc exam is harder so the minimum score for a three, four or five is lower

[@Nghi_nguyenn]

oh, thank you for the explanations!

[@averyinterestingpineapple6038]

Also because a lot of BC students took AB the year before

[@gerardtyson2274]

I think 10-12 is a good number, average of 2.5 to 3 a year. If you’re applying to the top schools. Maybe 7-8 minimum.

[@MarkSmith-vo1vn]

It depends what classes you take. I took: AP U.S History AP Computer Science AP Physics AP Chemistry AP Computer Science Principles AP Physics C electricity and Magnetism and Mechanics(technically counts as 2) AP statistics. Biggest regret in life was not taking AP Calc BC, I would have smashed it, but did not want to overload with Physics C on my head. I should have in hindsight. That’s only 8, then you have some people taking Both economics, environmental science, art, etc. that gets it to 8. However, top colleges find it very cheap if you take a lot of the easier AP classes, if your majoring in said class it’s more acceptable. If you want a top school, you need to take 4 years of language and should at least end it off with an AP. I didn’t because I disliked learning Spanish.

[@inf1n1typlus1]

IMO it depends what school you want to go to, and what school you are at. At my school, there were very few AP course options for freshmen (and even sophomores), and taking 4+ AP classes a year as a junior or senior may not be a good idea with the amount of work.

[@chikkuchikku5598]

Thanks for the video. How many AP classes required to get in to Selective colleges? If I have 3.8 weighed GPA which colleges I will admissions? Please help

[@jasonpatel13]

You should take as many AP courses as you can, while still performing well in them. This will look a little different for each student. Great job on the 3.8! Keep up the good work.

[@jp-wq4pl]

i have only taken AP world history my freshman year and I am thinking about taking a few AP classes next year (my junior year) and I don’t know what classes i should take. I am thinking about a career in the medical or law field but I have no clue about what to take. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[@o1513]

I know this is late but for law AP Language and Composition focuses on argumentation and AP Government would probably be beneficial as well. I assume AP Biology would be good for the medical field.

[@No-bz9tw]

I am taking AP world history: modern next year. I am wondering how rigorous and demanding is this class? and Is this new modern aspect of world history making it easier than let's say a few years ago when the course was all of world history? My teacher this year recommended this class to me and I got an A this year in history class. Even though I got an A and my teacher recommends it to me, I am not great at reading and interpreting texts, but I am ok. I want to know your opinion or thoughts, should I take this class next year? (taking this sophomore year).

[@undefinedvortex4996]

Took the class from 2018-2019 my sophomore year and I say go for it. One thing I’ll say though is to make sure you’re prepared to take on a solid workload because depending on your teacher, you’re more than likely to be investing a lot of time in understanding. For the ap exam(got a 3), make sure you can make broad connections over the course of different time periods. Study the DBQ format a lot as well, it can seem like a completely foreign style of writing in terms of criteria. MC is really the only thing where studying for specifics will come in handy, which I think was pretty much my downfall. But if you prepare steadily, you should be fine m8.

[@No-bz9tw]

@@undefinedvortex4996 Thank you for your response, I think I could hold up with the workload as long as it isn’t over 2 hours or anything. Just curious what types of assignments did you get during your school year? And did you think the topic you learned was hard? Or was the workload just overwhelming for you personally?(I know we will have different teachers but just want to know a little bit more :) )

[@undefinedvortex4996]

@@No-bz9tw most of my assignments comprised of Cornell notes for each section. It was alot of notetaking, for me at least, since it was around average 2-4 sections every night and they can be long sometimes. Granted, it was my first year taking an ap and I had slacked off after doing pretty well in 9th grade, but with good discipline, I'm sure you can conquer the course.

[@jasonpatel13]

undefined vortex has it right. Go for it, but be prepared for a workload. If you like history, it's a great class!

[@No-bz9tw]

Thank you for your thoughts and responses. I will surely take the class next year now with a mindset of staying focus and being on top of my work. Hopefully I don’t fail 🙏.

[@redkyleb2638]

7-10 seems like a really low number to get into a top school. I am taking 13 and still don't have much of a chance

[@jasonpatel13]

redkyleb yea it’s averaged. Some schools (a lot of private schools) don’t offer as many AP classes but are still challenging. It’s not necessarily about the number in a vacuum; it’s about the number within the context of the school.

[@leelarawat2450]

@@jasonpatel13 and your intended major.

[@spxmma]

If I am interested in Law or Computer Science as my major, what AP’s should I take along the way?

[@glizzyjay7058]

AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A.

[@danathurnell5177]

AP Gov, APUSH, and AP Lang for the law major

[@randommonkey4900]

If you wanna be a stem major make sure to do AP Calc and prob AP Stat

[@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660]

Can you put an online AP class on your transcript?

[@jasonpatel13]

That will depend on whether your high school will let you. You can still get credits for the online AP class.

[@markcruz3860]

If my son gets straight A's in everything and has completed 7 AP courses by his senior year, where does this put him when applying to top colleges? He's also a two sport athlete (cross country and baseball).

[@jasonpatel13]

7 APs is average for top schools. While his GPA is probably okay, I would strongly recommend diversifying his extracurriculars.

[@nanidhf12]

I took 1 ap class freshman year and 2 in sophomore so how many do i take so college chances are good? By the way I cant take ap calculus and ap physics 2 because i moved schools and they didnt count algebra. Will that also affect me? I will be taking ap stats in 12th grade and my grades are good currently in geometry honors.

[@jasonpatel13]

Not taking AP Calc or AP Physics only matters if you're applying to a STEM major. The total number of AP classes you should be aiming for depends on what your new high school offers in terms of APs.

[@aspiringmathmatologer3445]

I think I have a very awkward AP distribution,,, 2 freshman year, 1 sophomore year, 5 junior year, 4 senior year (and 2 of those in one class cuz my school combined micro and macro Econ). Not sure what to do with that, but I think it works?

[@avagrey2157]

Do most schools combine the economics? I have heard of them doing that for gov too

[@dannyquast1011]

@@avagrey2157 I’m only a sophomore rn, but looking at the schedule I’ll have senior year, my school combines AP Econ and AP gov, I think it’s only AP Macro though

[@jasonpatel13]

It's common for AP Macro and Micro to be combined. Don't worry about when you took the AP classes so much; how are your grades and test scores?

[@madhavgullapalli505]

Lol, my high school allows AP classes. This means I don't have to worry about graduation while taking AP classes.

[@bachvu8674]

Should I take AP eng if my major is mathemtics? One thing is that I'm not good at English

[@jasonpatel13]

What are your college goals? Are you applying to top schools? If so, then you'll need to take tough classes. Otherwise, no need to do that. Also, what grade do you think you'll get in AP Eng?

[@bachvu8674]

My college goal is to have chance to explore deeper into mathmetics. My college has the acceptance rate of about 70%, which seem really high. However, I want to have a full-ride scholarship in academic. I don't know if taking other AP classes that I'm not good at would impress other colleges. I think my best score for AP English would be between a C and a B. I'm not really good when it come to essay and writing structure, but I have heard most colleges are likely to invite you when you have a good essay. Currently, I still don't know if I should apply for top school due to my struggle with English.

[@jasonpatel13]

@@bachvu8674 that's a pretty good acceptance rate, so I wouldn't' be too concerned about overloading yourself with APs that you wouldn't do well in. A B is OK. A C is not.

[@mimi6780]

if i failed one ap exam and did not submit this score to colleges but passed the class with a high grade , would it be okay? this was for ap world during the quarantine

[@jasonpatel13]

You won't get college credit for the exam if you don't submit your score. :)

[@sudeshnasamanta7133]

If one student is going for IB DP, can she take AP classes ? When she has to start enrolling for AP classes?

[@jasonpatel13]

Students can take a combination of IB and AP courses. The timeline of AP course offering depends on the high school. Some schools allow students to enroll in AP as early as freshman year, others make them wait until Sophomore year.

[@sharmiramesh]

Can sophomore student aiming for computer science major and have been taking piano since 1st grade interested in AP music theory but not want to take AP exams. Will it hurt the college admission process?

[@jasonpatel13]

Not taking any AP exams is a red flag. Ideally, students would take the AP exam for all AP courses they take, though skipping one isn't a big deal. However, your child is unlikely to get any college credit for taking the course without the exam.

[@jayperry8505]

What aps should I take if I want to major in business and finance

[@ranenshakir6133]

I would recommend AP Macro and/or AP Microeconomics, AP Computer Science, and AP Statistics, and probably Calculus too!

[@raisasiddique7018]

@@ranenshakir6133 thanks!

[@jasonpatel13]

I would definitely add AP Calculus to the list, and AP Precalculus if your school offers it.

[@yrouremom4548]

Im irish how did i get here

[@meetchokshi1325]

Which AP courses should I take to become a doctor? I couldn't take AP Biology because as an 8th grader I was doing Pre-Ap biology and I cant redo it so what other AP courses can I take to help me in a major of biology in college?

[@edward-qg8mq]

you should take physics, environmental science, calculus, and chemistry

[@farisdoughan4599]

If you have the space on your schedule and your school offers it. You should take Ap capstone seminar ( or research) . Its good for almost All majors

[@jalensmith6023]

@@edward-qg8mq Im taking ap stats instead of clac and I plan on doing pre med. Is that good?

[@duckygoesquackquack848]

i’m hoping to take 5 ap classes by the time i graduate ap chem ap lang ap french ap calc ab or ap statistics ap lit i wanna apply to uncle which is 50% acceptance.

[@jasonpatel13]

What do you want to major in? Ideally, you should pick AP classes that will prepare you for that field.

[@winterwolf975]

If I took one AP class in freshman year, how many should I take in sophomore and junior year? I don’t know how I should spread out my AP classes

[@joshpark5200]

It really depends on the major and college you’re going for

[@nightingale1080]

generally, i would suggest that u stack one on as u go, so 1 in freshman then 2 in sophomore and so on. but it does depend on ur major and what else u may be doing outside of school

[@jasonpatel13]

There isn't one right answer to this question. Not only does it depend on major and the colleges you're looking at, it also depends on how many APs your high school offers. :)

[@cheezit2989]

Disagree on the language one. Having college credit for something you master + won't have to do in college is better sounding than anything else. Just my thoughts.

[@jasonpatel13]

Many colleges don't have a language requirement. And programs that do, such as some international relations programs, usually require that you learn a new language. :)

[@user-ph3zl7gf3q]

I am a fully challenged person😀

[@tarsalbutbetter8865]

At him listing all them he really forgot ap euro

[@jasonpatel13]

This video is several years old and the College Board is adding more classes all the time, including AP Precalculus this year! If you want a full list of AP classes, you should check out their website, here: apstudents.collegeboard.org/

[@listorin6314]

I don't even live in US what am i doing here

[@jasonpatel13]

We're happy to have you!

[@laurencollins8088]

Him: Italian Language and culture German language and culture Japanese language and culture Latin: ^^ hALlO