How to have and show more academic rigor?

Answered

Hello!

I am kinda in the same boat as you. I took AP HuG freshman year and I am currently self-studying APUSH and AP Psych to "make up" for not taking any AP's in my sophomore and junior year. There are so many factors in college admissions, so always try to make yourself seem the best way you can. Take a look at how many AP/IB/Honors classes your school offers. You are judged based off of kids from YOUR school, so if it looks like you've refused to challenge yourself so you can keep a 4.0 you won't be in the spotlight. However, grades and classes are not everything. Really focus on having great extracurriculars. Find extracurriculars that really encompass your personality and life story. I am also taking 2 college courses in the summer, so it looks like we have the same transcript haha! However, I am signing up for 3-4 AP classes and 1-2 IB classes next year. Really take a look on how much free time you have and are willing to give up. UC schools only look at your 10-11 GPA, but they do look at the classes you've chosen to take. This means your GPA will not be damaged (only for UC schools I believe though!) Maybe instead of loading up on all AP if you cannot handle it, take some honors classes. I thoroughly regret choosing to not take AP classes during school because I was scared, so just go for it! Maybe just sign up for the AP class and see how it is until the drop deadline. It never hurts to try, and that is the biggest piece of advice I can give you. Just for reference, here are the AP/IB classes I will be signing up for next year: (AP Calc, AP Gov, AP English IV, IB Enviromental Science, maybe AP Euro, and either IB Psychology or a dual enrollment course)

Sorry this is so lengthy, but I hope it helps!