Is My Course Rigor Really That Bad?Answered
Hi, I am NOT looking for advice on chancing or how to improve my chances to get into schools, I am simply trying to see whether or not ColleveVine's predictions are actually accurate. I am a current Junior, but when I graduate I will have taken:
-10 AP Classes: AP World, APUSH, AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Psych, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Physics, AP Lang, and AP Lit
-6 Honors classes
-10ish Classes also with Dual Enrollment through a local community college
According to CollegeVine, my coursework does not meet threshold requirements to most top 20 schools, which I am interested in applying to. When I look on other sites or talk to others, my coursework seems to be right around average (or so).
I know there is a lot more to getting into top 20 schools than just coursework, but it's concerning when this website tells me I don't even meet minimum requirements.
If this is true, should I not even bother applying to Ivy Leagues?
Again, not asking for ways to improve chances, just clarifying that I really don't meet the minimum requirements from real people instead of an algorithm.
Thank you!
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2 answers
Hello!
I also came across this issue and had many concerns. My stats are very similar to yours and experienced weird chancing for highly selective schools. I don't believe that, in this section of the calculator, it is very accurate. For Ivy Leagues or other highly selective schools, the general "safe" zone is anywhere between 7-12 AP classes. I have also talked to so many applicants who got accepted to these types of schools with, on average, around 9 or 10 AP classes.
To put it plainly, do not worry at all about taking more AP classes. You have a great amount, 10 is more than enough.
I hope this helped. Have a nice day! :)
Hi there! A couple things that may help:
1. The Ivies are extremely selective and evaluate course rigor in the context of the opportunities available to you. Could you double-check that you entered total number of APs offered at your school? That may help recalibrate the chancing.
2. While course rigor is very important, you should consider this alongside other factors as well. For example, if your GPA, test scores, and EC profile are all solid, then you should consider applying to these schools even if your course rigor still shows up as "needs improvement."
Let us know if you have more questions!
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