Advanced Placement® (AP) courses play a significant role for high school students who aspire to attend competitive colleges and universities. Registering for these classes will show prospective schools that you are willing to participate in rigorous course loads. AP classes move more rapidly than other high school classes, and they offer high school students the opportunity to learn collegiate-level skills during their high school years.
According to the College Board, “Research consistently shows that AP students are better prepared for college than students who don’t take AP, regardless of their exam score. They’re more likely to enroll and stay in college, do well in their classes, and graduate in four years.”
Benefits Of Taking AP Courses
By choosing to take AP courses, students have the chance to earn college credit, save money, stand out on college applications, and even create an opportunity to declare a second major or minor.
To get college credits, AP students will take the AP exams at the end of the school year. These exams will test your knowledge through multiple choice questions and short answer questions. The exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest score possible.
So, which AP courses are right for you?
Options For AP Courses: Which AP Course Is Right For You?
There are many AP courses to choose from, but your school may not offer every single one. Start by seeing what courses are available. Planning ahead is a good idea: we recommend mapping out your course loads for each school year early so you can properly prepare. Overloading your schedule can impact your performance. If you are interested in taking AP Psychology, AP Art History, AP Biology, AP United States History, and AP Chemistry, taking all of them at once puts your success at risk. Instead, consider taking a couple of AP courses each semester. It’s important to consult with your school counselors, teachers, and parents to ensure that your course schedule is manageable. Make sure your plan aligns with your academic strengths, interests, and future goals. Some AP courses may have prerequisites, so be sure to plan accordingly and seek guidance when selecting courses each year.
Students applying to Ivy League schools and competitive universities are interested in using AP courses to boost their GPA over 4.0 and will often take more AP courses. Depending on the high school, AP classes are often weighted on a 5.0 scale. Receiving an A in an AP class gives students the chance to stand out with a GPA of 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9 and even 5.0. Most Ivy League schools expect their applicants to submit GPAs over 4.0.
As you make a plan for each semester, use these strategies to make your decisions.
Strategy 1: What Subjects Are Interesting To You?
AP courses are widely available in a variety of disciplines including English, history, math, science, arts, language, and culture. If you are picking AP classes based on the subjects that are interesting to you, check out this list of current AP courses in 2024. You can find five arts courses, two English courses, six social science courses, three history courses, six math courses, seven science courses, and eight language courses.
- AP 2-D Art and Design
- AP 3-D Art and Design
- AP Drawing
- AP Art History
- AP Music Theory
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP European History
- AP Human Geography
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Psychology
- AP United States Government and Politics
- AP United States History
- AP World History: Modern
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP Precalculus
- AP Statistics
- AP Biology
- AP Chemistry
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Chinese Language and Culture
- AP French Language and Culture
- AP German Language and Culture
- AP Italian Language and Culture
- AP Japanese Language and Culture
- AP Spanish Language and Culture
- AP Spanish Literature and Culture
- AP Latin
To select the right AP courses for you, you need to start by considering the subjects that are most interesting to you.
You don’t need to be at the top of your class to sign up for an AP course. If you are willing to work hard to learn the material and score well, AP courses can be super valuable for college acceptance, college credit, and career goals.
Strategy 2: What Are Your Goals For College?
Another strategy for selecting your AP courses is to consider your goals for your college major and minor.
Let’s talk about some examples to highlight the benefits of scoring well on your AP exams. One key benefit is the opportunity to get college credit. College Board states, “Entering college with credit you’ve already earned through AP can save you time and money—for example, you might be able to skip introductory courses or even graduate early.” Some students are able to skip introductory courses, so they are able to jump right into more advanced work within their major. Other AP students find that their early exposure to college-level work helps their performance in college. For example, if you are interested in a career in engineering, consider how taking the Physics AP exams can help you earn college credit before freshman year.
Considering your academic and career plans makes AP performance a great financial tool as well. Opting to earn college credit classes in high school allows students to graduate early, which can help them save on tuition.
More competitive fields (like pre-medicine, for example) often drive students to take AP exams to skip entry-level courses and dive into more challenging coursework early. Other students will take AP exams to get college credit early so they have time to take on a minor or an additional major while attending college.
If you aren’t sure which AP courses are right for you, consider the career paths you are interested in and research which AP exams are accepted for course credit at the schools you’re applying to attend.
Strategy 3: Do You Want To Impress College Admissions?
Submitting a college application that reflects your ability to succeed in more challenging classes will set you apart from other applicants. Not all AP students take AP exams: instead, they will use the courses to raise their GPA and to show off their academic interests and successes. In most schools, AP classes are weighted on a five-point scale instead of a 4 point scale, so receiving a “B” in an AP class will impact your GPA the same way an “A” would in a standard high school class.
The AP courses that you select can significantly impact your high school GPA, college admissions, and academic opportunities. Choosing the right classes for you is a strategic process. What AP courses interest you based on their subject matter? What are your goals for college? What can you do to impress college admissions? Answering these questions can set you on track for your goals. Whether you decide to pursue AP courses that spark your curiosity, jump-start your college credits, or improve your high school GPA, you will need to be organized and committed in order to keep up with the rigorous course load of a college-level class.
FLEX College Prep offers expert tutoring in small groups or one-on-one sessions to help students understand the unique structure of AP exams and score well. You can also sign up for AP Exam Prep classes to gain experience with real AP exam materials and develop strategies tailored to your success. Maximize the impact of your AP courses with FLEX’s support.
Students need to stand out in the competitive admissions landscape. FLEX College Prep is a team of the best strategists in the industry and takes a holistic approach to ensure students use their pre-college years in intentional, enriching, and personally satisfying ways. Since 2001, we’ve worked with families to help students unlock their potential and find happiness, meaning, and success in college and beyond.