ok, some clarification for you…

going to a tier 1 college/university doesn’t always mean you will be more successful than someone who chose to go to a tier 2 school. if you are determined to go to a private top-rated school, though, keep in mind that there will be more of a financial obligation on your behalf (whether that’s taking out loans or working full-time and going to school… or some combination thereof). the burdens herein lie not only on your academic ability, but your ability to handle other pressures as well. as for the question regarding AP classes – keep in mind that no matter how smart you are or how well you perform in school, once you get to college, it all goes out the window because you will be surrounded by people your age who are smarter and perform better than you. you cannot judge yourself based on how other people handle their AP classes (or, once you get to college, university-level classes). If you are having trouble managing 2 APs, then I say stick them out for the remainder of the year and bust your butt off to do well. Don’t load up on them because you think it might look better on a resume for college. The fact of the matter is, colleges want you to perform well for you; across the board, colleges and universities want to make sure that you will be able to handle the burden you put on yourself. In summation, do what you can do by testing your limits, not breaking them.

OK first of all take a deep breath and relax….Your definetly way to stressed out and your only a junior. You still have plenty of time before you start college. The 2 MOST important thing colleges look at are your SAT scores and your GPA. Take the PSAT as soon as possible and the SAT at the end of your junior year. The scores you get on the SAT is a good indicator of just how intelligent you are and whether your capable of getting into the college of your choice. To get into an ivy league school you need to get at least a 700 verbal and 700 math. If you don’t get that then don’t even worry about yoour GPA because even if you graduate in the top 2% they won’t let you in. 9/10 valedictorians don’t get into MIT beacause while their GPA’s were high, their SAT’s were low by MIT standards.

GPA is equally important, but for sure taking an AP class and getting a B in it looks MUCH better than taking a reg class and getting an A. Colleges give more weight to AP classes than regular ones. My junior year in high school i took 3 APs (history, English, and Art history). my grades were A A C. Senior year. I took 6 Aps (Physics, Bio, Lit, Gov, Economics, Calc) and i got C B B A B C. But when i graduated my weighted GPA was a 4.8 to my surprise.

My advice is take the APs and pass the AP tests at the end of the year because that saves you time and MONEY ( i saved thousands since i passed most.). As for the studying I never studied and did good but i know alot of people that also stayed up studying for hours.

But realistically (sorry for being so blunt) if you can’t pass an AP history course in high school then you shouldnt be aiming so high. But your only a junior so you still have time to improve .

Have you considered taking AP courses online??? their easy and they boost your GPA.

Okay, so there’s a huge difference in difficulty between taking 1 and 3 or 4 AP’s. It gets a lot more difficult. I just finished my junior year and it was very difficult, though I very much did enjoy my classes. That’s one thing I think makes much of a difference when taking AP’s. If you enjoy the subject and enjoy learning, it becomes quite easier. For me, AP Calculus AB was a breeze, in fact I’d say it was one of my favorite AP’s (It was definitely my favorite math class due to an awesome teacher and a relatively simple subject to which I caught onto quickly). I took 4 AP’s and an honors class and it took a lot of my time. I barely had time to do things outside schoolwork, particularly due to the fact my AP US History teacher gave TONS of homework (he was super awesome, though. That thankfully made the workload feel not so bad). AP US itself isn’t horrible, though, but of course there’s plenty of details to get down. If you don’t find history to be something you excel at, the AP US isn’t so much a good idea. I wouldn’t say a 3 on AP World is a preferable score, but if that’s your goal for your AP’s, then it shouldn’t be exceedingly difficult. If you do enjoy science (which I definitely do), then taking one is a great idea. In fact, AP Biology and APES are hands down my two favorite classes (though, if you aren’t particularly good/interested in bio, I’ve heard from many that it can be tough. However, since your taking anatomy and health, it might not be so bad). I have also heard that AP English isn’t too tough, but the test is somewhat tricky. Pretty much though, the choice is down to your own discretion. If you know that you can’t handle it (and don’t expect to get all A’s, taking difficult classes is better in the eyes of colleges), then do what you can. Being dedicated to certain clubs, extracurricular, etc. is also paramount to colleges, so keep that in mind. Don’t expect to have tons of extra time, either. I mean, you’d have some, but perhaps not as much as you might desire. Overall, as long as you work hard and do not procrastinate, you should do well and find extra time.