I am a current 10th grade student registering for 11th grade classes. I have tried to take the most rigorous classes I can at this point, but my schedule does not seem rigorous enough.
AP Eng.
AP USH
AP Physics 2
AP Calc. BC
Chemistry 1-2 (Required for AP Chemistry, may take during Summer)
Spanish 5-6 (Not allowed to self-study over summer)
Art Class
For an 11th grade definitely going for IVY league schools, is this rigorous enough? If not, what recommendations do you have for me to further challenge myself (in terms of classes/courseload). Or should I focus on ECs and not worry too much about courses?
Also, since I am taking one AP right now (Physics), do you think the lack of AP Exams on my app will look bad compared to other applicants?
Thanks for the help.
Your schedule is absolutely rigorous. Don’t worry about AP exams compared to other applicants- your course rigor is compared to those at your school. Also, note that AP scores carry little to no weight in admissions. The purpose of AP exams is to get college credit and placement, not to gain admission to college.
Should I switch Art with AP Comp Sci? I am planning on applying for a Comp Sci major, so I think that it might help to have the AP Class + score for my college app. It would also reduce the number of APs I’m taking senior year from 7 to 6. I will have to take a basic art class in 12th grade though which may or may not look bad.
What do you all think?
Take whichever one you want to take- don’t worry about how it will look on college apps. If you want to take art, by all means take art.
I definitely don’t want to take art; I’m just doing it to satisfy a-g requirements.
lol your schedule is really rigorous
Why not take AP Physics C instead?
Unfortunately, my school doesn’t offer it. I want to self-study it though. Do I need AP Physics 2 for Physics C? That would be the only issue with taking it on my own next year.
No, you do not need AP Physics 2 to take AP Physics C.
@PSAT2014TAKER: Your schedule is most DEFINITELY rigorous. Adding anything more challenging might start affecting your GPA (straight advice coming from a girl in 6 AP classes right now), and besides, you don’t need it. Focus on maintaining high grades in those rigorous classes, and you’re golden.
I’d also definitely recommend focusing on some ECs junior year. Junior year is critical, as you start putting more effort into some particular ECs- which shows the depth that colleges want. It’s also instrumental for gaining leadership posititions. So definitely get involved heavily in one or two clubs and excel. Especially for Ivy League level schools, it’s important to stand out, and that comes through genuine passion and involvement in ECs, along with everything else that most other kids have (ie, the good grades& hard classes).
Your schedule looks great!! Don’t stress about it.
As the first poster mentioned, you have to compare your schedule in the context of what your school offers. For some schools, like mine, your course schedule is actually atypical for many juniors. I doubt this is the case though. Just make sure you can manage that your course load because you are making a huge, huge jump. You don’t want to end up with any Cs or too many Bs as that will pretty much diminish your chances. I would suggest loading up Senior year (Physics C, AP Chem/Bio, etc.) to compensate for your weak schedules Freshman/Sophomore year.