Dear Nancy,

I’ve noticed that many high-achieving upperclassmen seem to have taken more than 10 AP courses by the time they apply to college. My child is more of an average student, and his current academic workload already feels quite heavy. At this rate, it doesn’t seem realistic for him to take that many APs. Realistically, how many AP courses should a high school student complete before application season? 

Thank you for your help!

A Worried Parent

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Dear Parent,

Thank you for your message!

AP courses are harder than regular or honors high school classes, and yet they’re often still less intense than equivalent introductory courses at top universities. If a student takes a reasonable number of AP courses during high school and earns 5s or 4s on the College Board AP exams, it can demonstrate his academic potential. Some colleges allow students to skip certain introductory classes and receive college credit for their AP scores.

Since AP courses are rigorous, parents and students need to carefully consider the following factors: the student’s interests and academic strengths, his previous preparation, the amount of time required for his extracurricular commitments, and the global score distributions on that particular AP exam.

It is important for parents and students to stay realistic and avoid following trends blindly. The reason is simple: student A has taken 15 AP courses before senior year, but received many 2s and 3s; student B has taken only 7 or 8 AP courses, but earned mostly 5s. If you were an admissions officer at a top university, which student would seem more academically promising?

Top colleges care more about thoughtful course selection and strong performance. Taking too few AP courses may not look good, but putting too many on the plate can backfire if a student becomes overwhelmed.

To sum up, the number of AP exams chosen depends on the high school student. It’s important to work within our limits, and prioritize quality over quantity.

Yours sincerely,

Nancy Xu, J.D.

Nancy老师，你好！

看高年级牛娃们好像都修了十多门AP课程，可我家孩子是普娃，目前的学习压力已经挺大了，看样子修不了那么多AP课程。在大学申请季之前，孩子应该考完几门AP课程合适？

多谢指点！

一位焦虑的家长

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这位家长，你好！

感谢你发来的提问！

AP课程的难度系数，高于高中的普通或荣誉课程，但通常低于知名大学相应的初级课程。如果孩子在高中期间学习适量的AP课程，并在美国大学理事会主办的全球AP统考中，取得5分或4分的好成绩，可以展现孩子的学习潜力，同时也为未来修习大学课程奠定了扎实的基础。有些大学AP课程的5分或4分，甚至可以减免学分。

鉴于AP课程的挑战性，建议在选课之前，家长和学生应充分考虑这几个因素：学生的兴趣、之前的学业基础和预习进度、课外活动占用的时间、以及这门AP课程统考在全世界得5分的学生比例。

建议最好平和心态，量力而行，不攀比跟风。毕竟，我们换位思考，假如在12年级之前，一名学生修了15门AP课程，统考成绩有好多2分3分，而另一名学生只修了7门8门AP课程，统考成绩都是5分。如果我们是名校招生官，你觉得哪个孩子更有学习潜力呢？

名校更看重深思熟虑的选课和优异稳定的学业表现。AP课程的数量，不能过少，也不能贪多嚼不烂。

所以说，高中生在升学季前修读AP课程的门数，因人而异，量力而行，质量重于数量。

Nancy Xu, J.D.