Advice on senior year courses

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Well, we're scheduling next week for senior year (I know) and I'd like ask your guys' opinions. </p>

<p>My courses for next years are going to be as follows (I'm 99% sure)
Per. 1 AP Eng. Lit.
Per. 2 AP Calc.
Per. 3 AP Econ/Gov
*<em>Per. 4 ASB OR AP Physics
*</em>Per. 5 French IV OR Newspaper
Per. 6 Athletics (aside: we're winning state this year, i feel it in my bones)</p>

<p>So, I'm having trouble on deciding between Per. 4 & 5. </p>

<p>Per. 4, both ASB and AP Phsyics are locked in. I either take one or the other. I've won the VP election, but in looking over my past science courses, I've discover that they're extremely weak. Freshmen year, I enrolled about 2 weeks late and I was stuck in reg. bio, where I ended up getting an 89.3 (B) first semester all because my teacher gave me two tests consecutively on my second and third day of school before I checked out the book (got Fs on both). Soph year, I took Chem H and got A's both semester. This year, I'm taking AP Env. Sci. because our only Chem AP class was overcrowded (50+) and I got an A first semester. I think w/o the AP Physics, my courses next year would be good enough to skip a science and take ASB (relaxing, fun). But is only taking 3 years of science a no-no?</p>

<p>And for Per. 5, both classes are also locked in for that period. Should I take another year of French or should I take newspaper and build my EC? I should note that I hate my french teacher and I kinda like writing. </p>

<p>I also plan on applying to small, liberal arts colleges (probably the UCs and UofVA and UNC@ChapelHill; no ivy leagues for me, but my dream school [purely superficial reasons] is stanford so i'm applying there for the heck of it). Don't know if that'll help.</p>

<p>Any advice on what to take?</p>

2

<p>How selective are the colleges you will be applying to? If you have an idea of a few you'd like to attend, go to their website and see what the science recommendations are (not the requirements - that's usually the minimum.) If they say four years of lab science is recommended, then you know that your courses will appear weak without another year of science. Not all schools want this, though, so you should check it out.
It's too bad you have to choose between an office and your science course. That seems really unfair.
As for the newspaper question, would this be your first year on the paper, and would you have any kind of leadership position?
You aren't enjoying French - maybe you should take AP physics and newspaper.
Is there any way you could take physics over the summer so you could retain your ASB office? Or take French at a CC over the summer?</p>

3

<p>If you think you can do well in AP physics, and get A's, then take it. If not, take ASB. If you go with ASB, then you should do French IV. That's just my opinion.</p>

4

<p>Only take classes that you are interested. It is stupid to take AP's in classes you hate--you'll be in for hell.</p>