Which AP classes should I avoid for elite college admissions?

If you're aiming for T20 college admissions, not all AP classes are created equal. While loading up on Advanced Placement courses is generally sound advice, certain AP classes can actually hurt your application by wasting precious schedule space, delaying your academic progression, or failing to deliver on their promises. Here are the AP courses you should avoid, and what to do instead.

Avoid AP Precalculus at all costs. There is no distinct branch of mathematics called "Precalculus," it's merely a collection of miscellaneous math topics, such as the rational root theorem, that, contrary to the course name, aren't necessary for understanding calculus. These topics are essentially leftover concepts that teachers don't have time to cover in Algebra II.

Precalculus can be utterly ruinous for an applicant wanting to attend an elite college, no matter what they want to major in, because it literally puts them a year behind in math compared to applicants who know better. The majority of Algebra II classes cover sufficient algebra and trigonometry to adequately prepare students for AP Calculus BC (a year-long Calculus I and II course) the following year.

Course rigor is one of the major factors colleges use to evaluate applicants. Taking Precalculus, which delays mathematical progression by a year, can significantly impact how admission officers evaluate academic rigor, placing students behind peers who proceed directly to calculus. Given the surge in college applications since the COVID-19 pandemic, even students pursuing humanities should seek every possible advantage in the admission process, which necessitates taking the most rigorous courses they can excel in.

What to do instead: Go directly from Algebra II to AP Calculus BC. If your school has a policy requiring everyone to take precalculus, that is a signal for parents to step in and advocate for their child. Contact the head of the math department, or even the principal if necessary. If the school refuses, enroll your child in an accredited calculus class at a local community college while they are forced to take precalculus at their high school, so they don't fall behind other applicants in terms of course rigor.

If your school offers both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC, there is almost no reason to take AB. AP Calculus AB covers only the first semester of college calculus (Calculus I), while AP Calculus BC covers both semesters (Calculus I and II) in a single year. Both courses are designed to be completed in one academic year.

Taking AB instead of BC when you have the choice signals to admissions officers that you opted for the less rigorous path. Worse, it delays your mathematical progression by an entire year, if you take AB junior year and then BC senior year, you've spent two years covering material that could have been completed in one.

What to do instead: Take AP Calculus BC directly. The common misconception is that BC is significantly harder than AB, it's not. BC simply covers more material at the same depth. If you're prepared for AB, you're prepared for BC. The only exception is if you're genuinely struggling with mathematics and your teacher/counselor strongly advises against BC.

AP Statistics is a perfectly legitimate course, the problem is when students typically take it. Most students take AP Statistics during their junior or senior year, which is a strategic mistake for T20 admissions.

Here's why: Your junior and senior years are when you should be taking the most rigorous courses in your strongest subjects. For STEM-inclined students, this means courses like AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, or Differential Equations. For humanities students, this means advanced coursework in your area of focus. AP Statistics, while useful, doesn't demonstrate the same level of mathematical sophistication as calculus-based courses.

Additionally, by junior and senior year, you're competing for limited schedule space. Every slot you give to AP Statistics is a slot that could go to a more impactful course in your primary academic area.

What to do instead: If you want to take AP Statistics (and it can be valuable, particularly for students interested in social sciences, economics, or data-heavy fields), take it freshman or sophomore year. At that stage, it's a perfectly appropriate challenge that demonstrates early academic initiative. Then use your junior and senior years for more advanced coursework. If your school won't allow freshmen or sophomores to take AP courses, consider taking statistics at a community college or through an accredited online program.

Don't take AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are on our wall of shame. Given the recognition that conducting research is a critical part of the college admissions process, many students seek to take these classes to check that box off the list of requirements they must fulfill to be competitive applicants for top colleges. Unfortunately, AP Seminar and AP Research fall miserably short of substituting for supervised research under a research professional, such as a professor, postdoc, or even a PhD student.

Lack of Authentic Research Experience: AP Seminar and AP Research are classroom-based approximations of research, not the real thing. In these courses, you're working with high school teachers who, while well-meaning, typically lack the specialized knowledge and current involvement in academic research that university professors and researchers possess. This means you're missing out on exposure to cutting-edge methodologies, access to sophisticated research tools, and the guidance of someone actively contributing to their field.

Superficial Depth: The curriculum for these AP courses is designed to be accessible to high school students with no prior research experience. As a result, the depth of inquiry is necessarily limited. You might learn the basic structure of research papers and how to cite sources, but you won't engage with complex disciplinary debates or sophisticated methodological questions that characterize genuine academic research.

No Network Building: One of the most valuable aspects of working with professional researchers is the network you build. Professors can write meaningful recommendation letters that speak to your research abilities, introduce you to colleagues in the field, and potentially help you publish your work. AP teachers simply cannot offer these crucial connections that actually move the needle in competitive college admissions.

Colleges Know the Difference: Admissions officers at selective universities aren't fooled. They can easily distinguish between students who have taken a standardized AP course versus those who have engaged in substantive research with experts. The former checks a box; the latter demonstrates genuine intellectual curiosity and initiative.

What to do instead: If research experience is what you're after, seek opportunities beyond the classroom. Reach out to local university professors whose work interests you, apply to summer research programs specifically designed for high school students, look for internships at research institutions or companies in your field of interest, and substitute the space left in your high school course load with respected AP classes like AP Calculus, Physics, Biology, or Chemistry that have a long history of being taught and recognized by top universities.

AP Art History, AP Music Theory, AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing should generally be avoided unless specific conditions apply.

To be clear: there's nothing wrong with these courses academically. The issue is opportunity cost. Every AP slot in your schedule is valuable real estate. For T20 admissions, you need to demonstrate rigor across the core academic disciplines: mathematics, science, English, foreign language, and social studies/history.

The arts and music APs become problematic when they prevent you from taking an AP in one of these core areas. If taking AP Music Theory means you can't fit AP Physics into your schedule, you've made a trade that won't serve your college applications well, unless you're specifically applying as a music major to a conservatory program.

When it's acceptable to take AP Arts/Music:

The course is a graduation requirement at your school
Taking the course does NOT prevent you from taking APs in math, science, English, foreign language, or social studies/history
You are specifically planning to major in art or music and are applying to programs where these courses are directly relevant

What to do instead: If you're passionate about art or music but also aiming for T20 admissions, pursue these interests outside of your core academic schedule. Take private lessons, join ensembles or art collectives, compete in competitions, or build a portfolio. These extracurricular pursuits can actually be more impressive than an AP course because they demonstrate initiative and genuine passion rather than simply checking a box.

The goal isn't to take the most AP classes, it's to take the right AP classes. Focus on courses that demonstrate genuine rigor in core academic areas, maintain upward trajectory in your math and science progression, and don't waste valuable schedule space on courses that admissions officers view as less meaningful.