Is it possible for a student to take too many AP courses? How many is too many?

AP classes are a good thing, especially for high school students bound for college. They provide a touch academic challenge, show colleges the student is willing to be challenged and provide college credit. But how many AP classes does a high school need to take?

Let’s say you are considering applying to a highly selective college and that college admits less than 15 percent of the applicants. There is a possibility that the alumni and athletes and those who would bring diversity to the college might have an edge. You take a three-dimensional look at what you have done so far in school, and you wonder if you can “up the ante” by adding more to your already full schedule. Would more AP courses make you look like a better prospect?

Say you are already registered to take 5 AP courses during senior year and are worried that you might be penalized by not taking the a sixth. Plus you hear about other students who are taking six AP classes and then another one online just for fun.

First, take a deep breath and stand back to take an assessment of the bigger scene. Sheer number of AP courses is never the key to successful college admission Remember there are more than 25,000 high schools in the country. This mean there are 25,000 students who are No. 1 in their class. Certainly many of them have taken all the right courses. However, if you asked any officer of admission, including those from the Ivy League colleges, you will be told emphatically that admission is never based on counting courses.

As a matter of fact, it is probably more true that taking too many AP courses and not balancing your school life with other immensely important activities, such as leadership roles, volunteer work and a life outside of academics, that you would most likely seem fairly bland in comparison to others who have multiple venues for showing their skills.

So the advice for those going through the college search who are filling their curriculum with AP courses: Smell the roses, show passion, challenge yourself but staying healthy, allow yourself enough hours to get a good night’s sleep, get involved, do random acts of kindness and take those AP courses if they are right for you.