<p>Taking a similar course-load next (Junior, of course) year:
AP Physics B
AP Biology
AP English 3
AP USH
AP Statistics
AP Spanish 4
Pre-AP Pre-Calc</p>
<p>I’m also going to be doing debate, but since my schedule is already full, I’ll just be writing cases and going to tournaments. Out of curiosity, what debate event are you going to do/what league? Aside from debate, all I’m doing is co-authoring a book, but that does not require any set amount of time, so I can just push it aside if there is other work to be done.</p>
<p>Obviously, I don’t have the ECs that you do, so my free time will be able to absorb the workload with less compromise, and so perhaps I am not be the best person to be giving you advice, but here goes. To tell you to drop any of your ECs at this point, I think, would be a bit premature. I honestly think that you’re going to have to wait and find out exactly how the courses are going to affect you, as there is some serious variance between schools, and even between teachers at the same school. For instance, AP Physics B is notorious at my school for being the hardest course, with AP Chemistry at a close second, and APUSH has quite a ridiculous workload, all of which is, of course, directly attributable to the teacher. All of this may be very different at your school.</p>
<p>You’re going to have to talk to your teachers for next year, inquire about every aspect of the class, and do the same for as many of their students as possible, none of which can be done for you. You’re then going to have to make personal decisions regarding what you really want to do with the time that you have. Where do you want to be at the end of high school career? Taking rigorous courses is a means, not an end, and only you can balance your goals and decide what is really important to you.</p>
<p>Where are you planning on applying, and what career path(s) do you have in mind? Also, PSAT score, if you don’t mind my asking? I assume you took it as a sophomore. 196 here, don’t make fun of me.</p>
<p>To briefly answer your other questions, there’s very little I can tell you that you don’t already know regarding surviving the year, if you’ve been able to maintain that GPA thus far, but one thing to be certain of is that you should not wait to begin studying for the PSAT/SAT/AP tests. Pay close attention and be as close to mastery as possible in your AP courses come testing time, but begin studying outside of your given material as early as you can. One does not simply get a 240/2400/5 for the respective test just from a 5 week flurry of studying, but you already know this. Given your achievements so far, I wouldn’t be worried about the course work itself, but the rigorous schedule may cause you to lose sight of things like the SAT. Just plan ahead and you’ll be fine.</p>
and my parents want me to go to Harvard but the chances of that even slimmer. </p>
any tips on that?</p>