I’m a senior, and I just got my first acceptance letter (Siena college)
But I am also applying EA to several schools, and want to clear a crisis before it becomes bigger.
Because I did not apply myself well in my Sophmore year, and beginning of Junior year, I’m making up for it by taking a heavy senior year courseload ( I actually enjoy it, but it keeps me busy)
I’m taking
AP Computer science
AP Government
AP Economics
College Public Speaking
AP Physics C
AP Statistics
Concert Band
and I will be taking Calc 1 outside of High school second semester,
(how do I report this to colleges?)
I’m looking to go into a few potential fields, that being :
Computer Science (Software Engineering) /
Physics
or
Astronomy (May end up being a minor if I don’t major in it, I love it so much)
or
Aerospace Engineering
or
Mechanical Engineering
I’m still debating a double major vs. Masters degree for these. I guess time will tell once I get myself knee deep in these subjects in college.
Here’s the big problem.
I am in Marching/Concert Band
Robotics club
Signed up for Science Olympiads club
In School TV station club
So my schedule is pretty full.
Nov. 6th starts the winter sports season, and with it, Swimming.
I’ve swam on the team for many years, and I told my coach and family friend I would come back, and I had meant it.
I just don’t know if I can do it.
I get so exhausted after practice from my Asthma that in the past I would skip HW and just sleep when I got home mostly.
My AP courses are tougher and require independent study, I can’t see myself doing well while doing a sport.
I’ve had to pull late nights from anywhere between 11:30 and 1:45 am working on assignments and studying.
How can I possibly manage this?
Any advice??
Will a college look negatively on dropping a sport if the student shifts to a heavy courseload?
Or is doing a sport going to help enough where it would balance out grades dropping?
Unless you are planning to swim in college then dropping the sport will NOT look bad on your Apps. The schools look at sports as just another EC unless you are being recruited. So, do another EC that you enjoy and that will allow you to keep up your grades.
@fleishmo6 ok. Yeah my friends are all dropping it this year, my one friend is going for #1 in his class(soph) and isn’t swimming.
I will replace swim with Science Olympiads then I guess, which starts this week (Exciting!)
@intparent ok, thanks, with the weighted average being something like 8% of your grade for AP classes, and my grades are around 90s, that will work wonders on my final HS gpa.
I’ll also have more time to dedicate to these classes then.
I’ll tell you my story. When I was in high school, I played basketball my first year. The time commitment was intense and I was completely exhausted after practices. I ended up quitting my second year. I was so miserable after quitting because I missed the sport and my teammates. Thankfully, I ran track during a different season for the rest of my high school. I was able to stay in shape and make new great memories. If I hadn’t run track, I would’ve HATED high school.
You do have a really full scheduled. I hate to say it, but you are only young once. If you are really passionate about swim, maybe see if you can stick with it. You might regret it when you aren’t able to be part of a team like that after high school. That being said, trying to force it could make you miserable. It’s ultimately up to you. Maybe one of your other activities is like what track was for me - something to make high school fun to look back on! Just remember, it’s OK to put yourself and your happiness first.
As for your college applications, I can almost guarantee you that it won’t affect your chances. You have so many impressive classes and other extracurriculars to make up for it. I know you’ll make the decision that’s best for you, good luck!!
@sarahhstudies I applied around the beginning of october and got acceptance letter on halloween.
@Hdiflfodj585902 thank you for your insight, I just started my first practice today of the season, I’ll keep that in mind as I make up my mind whether or not to stay.
Its not something I love all that much, in fact even when I was at my best I was pretty relatively slow, and I had taken a year off of swimming so coming back now is a challenge if I commit to this.
Thanks.
When I took my break year for swim I still came in for a few practices, I didn’t really miss it because personally I wasn’t really all that competitive.
Personally I enjoy running (not in a sport, just by myself) far more than swimming.
I find it funny, because way back my sis went to the same HS, and swam too,
She had the highest GPA in the school ever and went to harvard.
Way to set the bar high (ugh) XD
My daughter had to stop climbing on her climbing team when she was taking a lot of AP classes. Another student at her school also took AP classes and still climbed. It really is up to what is right for the individual. It sounds like you would be better off not swimming on the team this year so you can focus on your academics. Good luck!
@mommyrocks I did pick up two clubs this year in addition to other ECs (not for college, just for fun, but I’m sure it would look good anyways) so its not like I’d be doing nothing.