College Admissions Consulting [Video] How Many AP Classes to Take Written by Ian Brook Fisheron May 5th, 2020 I began my career in admissions by walking backwards as a student intern, giving guided tours, interviewing students, and reading applications for my alma mater, Reed College. After graduating, I began full-time work in admissions, reading thousands of applications primarily from the Western United States, especially Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. (I got to eat the best food on my travel!) In my last three years at Reed, I directed admissions for the entire continent of Asia and served as the director of marketing and communications for the admission office, honing our official voice for web, print, and social media. This helped me to develop a sharp eye for what works (and what doesn’t) in college essays. While Reed is not known (at all!) for sports, I was able to find my competitive outlet with the ultimate Frisbee team as a player and, when I graduated, a coach. After nine wonderful years at Reed, I left Portland to pursue a M.A. at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. When I graduated and joined College Coach, I was living in Palo Alto, California, an experience that helped me learn so much about the UC and CSU system and high school programs all around the Bay Area. In the end, I missed the rain too much, and moved back to Portland in the summer of 2016. Learn More About Ian ap courses, ap exams, college admissions advice, How many AP classes should you take? The answer, like many in the college admissions world is, “It depends.” In this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert, former Reed College admissions officer, Ian Fisher, guides students and parents through how to answer this question for themselves. Ian discusses how a student can draw the line between a challenging and an overwhelming curriculum, and delves into the real role AP courses play in a college admission decision. After checking out this video, don’t forget to subscribe to the College Coach YouTube Channel to keep up to date on all the latest college planning tips from our college admissions and finance experts. Related Resources Read | Posted on June 4th, 2025 Legal Documents Your Child Needs to Sign Before Heading to College Read | Posted on May 20th, 2025 What is Demonstrated Interest? Read | Posted on April 29th, 2025 Navigating the Ethical Use of AI Tools in College Admissions