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- I help high schoolers get into Ivy League colleges. My advice to parents is that your teens are taking too many AP classes. (businessinsider.com)
Ditch the AP Overload: Harvard Expert Says Less is More for College Admissions
Forget the frantic race to pile on Advanced Placement (AP) courses – a Harvard instructor and college admissions guru is advising students to pump the brakes on the academic rat race, suggesting that a lighter load might actually be the ticket to their dream school.
Steve Gardner, who teaches Leadership and Impact at Harvard Summer School, is challenging the long-held belief that maxing out on AP classes is the golden ticket to top-tier colleges. Instead, he’s urging students to strategically trim their schedules, even if it means dropping that “scariest” advanced class for a more manageable option.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about how to get into a top college is that students need to take as many Advanced Placement (AP) classes as possible in high school,” Gardner explains. He argues that this intense focus on APs leaves little room for what truly makes an applicant shine: a compelling story of how they intend to make a positive impact on the world.
Gardner, who has guided students from 20 countries into their dream US institutions, emphasizes that colleges are looking for more than just academic rigor. They want to see genuine engagement, passion, and a demonstrated ability to contribute meaningfully. And for that, students need time – time that’s often swallowed up by an overwhelming AP schedule.
He points to his own success stories, including four recent Yale admits who all took fewer than the maximum AP courses offered by their high schools. “When you max out your course load, you’re scheduling yourself for survival,” Gardner warns.
“You can handle it, but only as long as you never get sick, if teachers don’t pile up exams, and as long as nothing unexpected happens.” This “survival mode,” he says, leaves no margin for the inevitable curveballs life throws, potentially derailing everything.
Beyond the Transcript: The Power of Real-World Impact
Gardner highlights the story of one student who developed a wildfire prediction app using satellite data. Instead of taking every available AP to prove his intellect, the student focused on maintaining a strong academic standing while dedicating his extra time to interviewing families affected by wildfires and collaborating with the local fire department. This real-world application, community impact, and human element, Gardner asserts, were the true differentiators in his Yale application, not a packed AP transcript.
He also recounts a conversation with a mother whose son was offered a semester-long Senate page position. The dilemma?
Accepting the opportunity would mean sacrificing his valedictorian status. “He’s worked so hard to be No. 1,” she fretted, questioning the perceived difference between being first and twelfth in the class.
Gardner’s candid advice: the advantage of being valedictorian over being in the top 10% is minimal. Both demonstrate college-level readiness.
The son took the page position, lost his valedictorian title, and is now thriving at Yale, while his school’s actual valedictorian faced rejection.
Practical Advice for Parents: Create Margin, Foster Impact
Gardner’s advice for parents is straightforward: empower your teen to build a schedule they genuinely feel they can handle. Then, identify the most daunting class and consider replacing it with an easier version or even a study hall.
If AP Biology is a source of stress, opt for regular biology if the credit is needed. If the intimidating class is an elective, swap it for the easiest available alternative.
This deliberate creation of “margin,” Gardner argues, allows students the crucial space to explore their interests, discover their passions, and make tangible contributions to their local communities. These experiences, he emphasizes, are what will truly set them apart from the crowd of high-achieving students.
Ultimately, Gardner concludes that “the healthiest, happiest high school students are more competitive for selective colleges than their stressed-out, overscheduled peers. Not despite taking fewer AP classes, but because of it.” It seems that in the competitive world of college admissions, sometimes, less truly is more.