Hello! I was hoping to get some guidance on my classes for next year. I am afraid that I will be overwhelmed with some of these classes. Here is my schedule:
Classes:
AP Gov
AP Lit
AP Enviro
AP Music Theory
AP Psych
Trig Honors
Journalism 5 Honors
Band 5 Honors
E.C’s:
Band (both marching band and wind ensemble, I am a section leader and 1st chair)
Spanish Honor Society (I am historian)
Journalism (I’m pretty sure I’m just going to be one of the staff writers next year, that’s it)
Working on service hours
So! Looking at all of this, I do feel a bit concerned. I would like to add that I am planning on taking AP Psych online. I will be brutally honest - I took the class last year in school and it was atrocious. I know people view it as petty to blame the teacher, but I just couldn’t grasp his teaching style in class at all. I didn’t do too well in the class (I got C’s for both semesters) and I did not pass the AP exam (I got a 2), which was a total bummer because I wanted to get that college credit. I want to take it over again because psych really interests me and I wanted to major in it for college, and also because I want to get grade recovery for the class and have another chance at passing the AP exam for the class. Like I said I am going to take it online, but I will get a head start since I am supposed to start taking it over the summer - the class just needs approval from my guidance counselor. I don’t think it will go too badly since I am familiar with the material and because it will be filling my online requirement, but when you add it all together, I can’t help but wonder whether or not I can do it. I took three AP classes last year, and I did well in APUSH and AP Lang aside from Psych - I passed both of those exams with a four in APUSH and a three in AP Lang (which really upset me since I got a 5 on the practice test but whatever I passed). Aside from my classes and extracurriculars, I will also have to study for the ACT and SAT and complete my service hours. Oh man, writing this all out now makes it seem impossible. Was anyone else able to pull this off and can anyone give me tips to continue being motivated to work through with all of these classes?
I would finally like to add that my school will be having a drop schedule next year, so could this work to my advantage? We have seven classes and one study hall for next year, and this is an example of how it will work:
Aside from all that stuff you mentioned, you will have to apply to college. Most students underestimate how much time this will take. And you still need to study for the SAT/ACT? You are planning on taking both these tests as a senior? Why do you need to take both, that seems like making more work for yourself and you have very little time left to get your act together with these admissions tests.
I think you are right to be concerned about what you’re taking on.
Will your school allow grade recovery for a C in the AP Psych? If you want credit, then I would review the material on my own and retake the AP test next May. I agree with @mathyone, that if you have not taken the ACT or SAT by now, focus only on one since you will probably only have 2 chances to take them before applications are due. Also agree that doing college applications can be a full time job, so you need to set aside for this your Senior year. Do not bite off more than you can handle, since Senior can be stressful and you want make sure your academics do not overhelm you or take a backseat to all the other activities going on.
Depends on how fast you can pick up the AP curriculum. Have you taken other AP classes besides psych before? If so, consider how well you grasped the curriculum for those classes before the AP test. Different people learn at different rates, so make sure you’re not overwhelmed before committing yourself. Lots of people have failed every AP class they’ve taken simply because they can;t keep up with the pace, while others handle 6-8 AP classes each year with complete ease.
As a junior last year, I took AP lang, AP chem, AP physics 1, APUSH, and AP stats and ended up doing really well in each one of the classes while getting satisfactory scores on all the AP tests, as well as on my SAT (old and new) and ACT. Like I said, I might be one of those who escapes a hellish schedule unscathed, but if you want a reference here you go.
If you’re concerned (& I might be because of senioritis lol) then you can consider switching 1 or 2 AP classes to regular ones. For example, switch APES with a regular science class, or just some APs that aren’t relevant to your major/you’re not actually that interested in. Another thing is to maybe just take either the ACT or SAT, not both. You can take a practice test to get an idea of which one you’d rather take, but it seems like a hassle to review for both. Good luck!!
I’m just as concerned as you lol - i also plan on taking 5 AP’s. But I think you’ll be fine. I took 5 AP’s my junior year and managed a weighted 4.6 GPA. You really should only be concerned about AP Psych. My teacher wasn’t that good either lol but Barrons for it really helped. As for college admissions and all that, just start on it now with essays and all. My junior year I worked a 40 hr week job and I’m basically replacing it with college admissions and standardized test prepping. Where do you plan on applying too?
That is true. But so is AP Psych and we know how that went. Some students could handle that schedule with no difficulty but we have to look at what the OP is telling us about her history and situation.
Drop APES and AP music theory. Take an easier sience and an easier art/music class.
Have you reached level 3 or 4 in a foreign language?
Have you taken all three of bio, chem, and physics?
@londondad taking calculus in high school is not standard or expected; some high schools don’t even offer it. Trig is like pre-calc, a standard senior class.
