Okay, disclaimer… I go to a very competitive high school, so the pressure to do well is intense and unbelievable.
So, I am a freshman, and I don’t know if I’m putting too much pressure on myself… I mean, will I end up washed out by the middle of the year? I’m taking all honors classes, self studying AP Psych and AP World History, and the bio SAT II subject test. In addition, I joined Junior Statesman of America, the art and lit magazine at our school, Debate club, the Academic Decathalon team, and the homecoming committee. I also have swim practice three days a week (which will increase once the season actually starts), and Latin. I was thinking about doing some research/lab work with a nearby university professor (I live near Princeton, so we have tons of colleges near by) as well, and I’m honestly not sure if all of this will end up becoming too much…
Why do you feel the need to self study AP Psych and AP World? Self studying does nothing to impress colleges so the only point to it is if you are really interested int he subject/want the college credit for it. Seeing as you are only a freshman there should be no reason to be self studying, there should be plenty of time later to take the actual classes for subjects you are interested in. I think doing all those extracurricular for now is ok, but I would prepare to drop a few of them. My freshman year I joined a bunch of things, found a few I really enjoyed and would rather devote more time to, and dropped the rest. Don’t try to do everything because than you won’t be giving your best to anything. It’s ok to expose yourself to different activities and try things out, but just be aware you aren’t superhuman and you can’t do everything.
Well my point is it sounds a little excessive for a freshman. Only you can know what you can handle, but maybe self study one this year and one next year? Two in a year plus all those honors courses may be too much, even if the workload right now is not overbearing, it will likely increase.
The great thing about those are you can easily drop/postpone them. You don’t have to sign up for the tests until January/February, so you have plenty of time to decide if it is too much. Are you taking a biology class this year? If so, maybe focus on the SAT II and one of the APs.
Okay, homecoming is at the end of October at the latest and is nice for the school, so that seems non-stressful (long-term, anyways). I assume you are paying for Latin, so keep that. Swim shows time commitment and is good for your body, so keep that. It is to my understanding Debate and Academic Decathlon can get very intense at some schools, so I would make sure to watch what you are committing to.
I’m not too acquainted with the research world, so I may be wrong, but I doubt many professors want to research with a fourteen year old with introductory classes at maximum. Perhaps you should wait until the laters years of high school to reach out.
@KE3299 Yes, but I heard that AP Psych and AP World are pretty easy to self study for, and I’m genuinely interested in the subjects, so I thought, why not? But no, as @wonderfulreads stated, I’ll probably wait until later in the year to start studying for them. Also, I probably might not get a research position, but my mother is a doctor and she has connections so… . Anyways, it probably won’t even be real research according to my mother, just recording data, and doing other things like that, but even that is experience so I decided to think about doing it…
Not knowing anything about your HS, I can’t comment specifically. However, for many students, even the top MS performers, the transition to HS can be overwhelming. At this point, you’re only a month in. I’d argue that at this point, you just do not realize how much you do not know.
I also can;t speak for AP WH, as I never took it, but I did take both APUSH and AP Euro. The exams are much more than regurgitating dates and facts; you actually have to synthesize essays. It may be fairly easy to self study. However, the facts are that APWH has one of the lowest percentage of 5’s (6.4% last year) due, IMO, to the high percentage of underclassman taking this as one of their first AP courses.
AP Psych is, IMO, ridiculously easy to self study, and I did. However, one needs to remember what AP courses and exams are. They are designed to replicate first year college classes. It is the rare HS freshman who has the intellectual and emotional maturity to handle college work. You may be that exception - I don;t know, but I’m throwing that out there for you.
I would caution that you really need to start thinking long-term and deciding what is important as you think about applying to colleges. For admissions, self studying serves absolutely no purpose. Admissions Officers are unimpressed. I get that you’re interested in the material, but if this impacts your regular school work, you’re only doing harm to yourself.
Just play it by ear and drop what you can afford to that will also save you a substantial amount of time.
Better to be over-scheduled and then ease off than the other way around. Just remember to be a kid still and don’t burn yourself out, which can extend well into college. You still have a LONG way to go before a career
. Anyways, it probably won’t even be real research according to my mother, just recording data, and doing other things like that, but even that is experience so I decided to think about doing it…