...am I better off taking an AP class and squeaking out a C or taking that same class as mainstream and getting an A?

Scenario A.) Enroll into the AP course. Perform poorly, showing you cannot handle the material and workload. "Earn" a C in the course. GPA points from this course = 2.67. Probably score a 2 or 3 on the AP exam, which will not translate to giving you actual college credit when (if) you get into a university who sees you as a "C" student.
Scenario B.) Enroll in the regular class. "Earn" an A. GPA points from this course = 4.0. Gives you no college credit but shows admissions that you are able to handle the presented material and workload....

make sense?

The problem is...none of the schools I am interested in attending will even accept my application if I haven't taken AP classes.

College.Hunter Wrote:
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> The problem is...none of the schools I am
> interested in attending will even accept my
> application if I haven't taken AP classes.


There should be AP classes that you can do better than a C if it is important to you and spend the time studying. If you cannot dedicate yourself that much to your academics you should go to a school that is less strenuous than your preferred school. In addition, if you can't get anything better than a C in any AP class you probably will not be accepted to that college.

College is a complete waste of your parents money. Get out of high school start your own business build it into a multi million dollar enterprise and sell it after ten or fifteen years and retire.

Sounds like you need an application to UBM (University Behind McDonalds) - formerly referred to as NVCC.

I was not implying that you should not take AP courses in general. Obviously, higher caliber universities expect you to show that you are a diligent and intelligent student. However, the point of AP courses is to show that you can do well in them and then use a high AP exam score to substitute those classes for legitimate college credit. Simply taking AP courses and not doing well in them, in my opinion, shows the admissions board definitively that you cannot handle college level work. Seems like shooting yourself in the foot.

Maybe just take an AP class or two that you think you will do well with.
You might not be what your "chosen" universities want, so you need to explore and focus on more reasonable choices. There are plenty of good schools where you don't need AP credits to be accepted.
Life is going to take you where life is going to take you.
Some kids just aren't ready for AP classes in high school. We didn't even have them when I was growing up. And we produced plenty of doctors, scientists, millionaires, etc. etc.

AP classes are a joke. They don’t transfer for credit like everyone thinks. Most schools are shying away from them because the Colleges know that schools are becoming easier and easier.
You want to know the best way to go to school. Enjoy HS and do as much as you can taking classes you like or things you want to try out and see if you like them. Take four years of every core subject too.
Next go to NVCC for two years. Work hard and get A’s. While you are there get a job. Make some money and save a ton of money while going there instead of some other school everyone thinks you should gotlapDcq