Hello all,
I am having quite a dilemma on which courses to take for next year in 11th grade, AP Spanish Lang or AP Chemistry. I’m taking online school to skip Spanish 3 to go to AP Spanish Lang, however I do not think I can finish that in time. Also, I fear that AP Spanish Language would ruin my GPA. I’m taking about 5 other AP courses in 11th grade next year (Why not?). I’m more interested in the sciences and maths, so AP Chemistry definitely interests me. I’m a non-native speaker of Spanish by the way. Which one of these courses would look best for the ivies, MIT, Stanford, elite colleges?
So my possible plan is to take the AP Spanish Language Exam in 11th grade, and take AP Chemistry at the same time. I would have to study the Spanish language from reliable resources to achieve a 5 on the exam. So, please answer the question above because I am so lost on what to do for the elite colleges.
You only posted this 2 hours ago- relax, people don’t live on College Confidential. Being rude will get you nowhere.
I think you are trying to take on way too many APs in junior year. You really should not have more than 5 (which is still too many for most students, IMO). Since you are more interested in maths and science, I would recommend choosing AP Chemistry over Spanish lang, and maybe taking AP Spanish in senior year.
It’s not so much which looks better, it’s that these schools request 4 years of a foreighn language, so in this case, AP Spanish is a better option.
Why not? Because 6 AP’s plus taking the PSAT/SAT plus doing EC’s may impact your GPA.
I disagree. Foreign languages are a use-it-or-lose-it skill. It will be harder taking AP Spanish after a year off. I’d push AP Chem to senior year.
On another note, the bumps are unwarranted and annoying. People will get around to answering your question, but they are not just waiting here for new questions to come in. Bumps deleted.
“I disagree. Foreign languages are a use-it-or-lose-it skill. It will be harder taking AP Spanish after a year off. I’d push AP Chem to senior year.”
What if I keep studying Spanish intensively during the year in which I do not take AP Spanish? I could take online school Spanish 3 over next year, and then take AP Spanish Language in my senior year. I would take AP chem then next year. Would that count as four years of a foreign language for the elite colleges? It may not be, but I am not so sure.
Why would you skip Spanish 3 if you think you would get a bad grade in Spanish 4/AP?
Because I thought that Spanish 3 PAP would be easy so I thought that I should skip it. However now, I feel as though AP Spanish 4 would be extremely challenging due to the hard work and grading in my Spanish 3 online course. I’m probably leaning towards AP Chemistry for now. I still have plenty of time to decide.
My kid found that Spanish 3 was much harder than 1 and 2, and that 4/AP was even harder. The 1, 2, 3, 4 sequence is there for a reason and unless you are a language prodigy or a native speaker, skipping is likely disasterous.