Of course, the English teacher may have attended high school when there were fewer APs available (both from the College Board and which the high school was able to offer) and when admission to UCSB was not as competitive.
That could be true, although itās not in this case; sheās a second year teacher and, per my kid, is in her 20s.
All of those majors are perfectly compatible with a dance double major. The problems occur when a kid wants to do engineering or lab science as well, because there isnāt much flexibility in the timing of college dance classes.
Some colleges are good about encouraging double majors, especially those with a BA rather than BFA, others not so much. Itās quite challenging to do a double major with a BFA in four years but not impossible, depending on where you go.
But be aware that there are big differences in the types of dance at different colleges, and what the ambitions of the students are. For example, UCI and UCSB are typically rated as the top UCs for dance, but neither is really geared towards their students dancing professionally. Indiana, Butler, Oklahoma and Utah are some of the best colleges for classical ballet, others specialize more in contemporary or commercial dance.
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Not sure where you are in CA; Iāve known a lot of families who went with the Ocean Grove charter for kids with high-demand ECās. They serve five counties in NorCal. https://ogcs.org/ Iāve also known kids who did a hybrid model at my kidsā regular high school, taking some classes in person and some homeschooled. They definitely donāt advertise that you can do this, but Iāve seen it work out well for those who made it happen.
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Is one of the prep ballet schools in NYC an option for her? Then she would have school for professional kids built into the program.
Itās a tough route to follow. So many get injured, and struggle, and then have to drop out. But itās such a compelling dream for some children, that you just have to do everything to help them.
@Twoin18 , I knew about UCI, but didnāt realize that UCSB was strong in dance. I hedge all conversations about the future, but my sense is that by the time she enrolls in college she will probably be doing dance for enjoyment/because itās part of her identity more than because she expects to take it professionally. With that said, if she doesnāt take a gap year or attends a school that puts more people into the professional world, that could change. Iām hoping she can do a summer program at Indiana/Butler/OK/UT in the next couple of years. (I looked into the UT one for this summer, but she would have been doing all her own cooking in a school apt x weeks, and I wasnāt sure she was up for that this year.)
@aquapt , I actually put her in the lottery for Ocean Grove last night. Would you mind if I reached out to you to ask you more about the hybrid situations youāve seen? That would honestly be my ideal.
@parentologist , I think Iām going to ask her if sheād be interested in a prep school. Weāve never pursued that, and I really would prefer to keep her locally, but want to support her if thatās what it takes.
UCI and UCSB were the two UCs D18 applied to for dance. She didnāt like UCLAās world dance program so applied to that and UCB for non-dance majors as a backup. She was offered Regents at both UCI and UCSB, they appear to award those by school so she was competing against dancers, not engineers. I think for those audition based programs, typical stats are probably a bit lower than average. She ended up at Utah which she loves, especially for the outdoor lifestyle.
She can major in anything and participate in dance as an extracurricular. However, the intense practice of ballet tends to be offered only at certain schools. Dance Magazine has a great college guide to dance issue every year and I recommend getting a copy!
I do think some experience with modern/contemporary might be good for her. Her ballet prepares her for anything. Balletic modern especially. That world is much less hierarchical. There are summer programs that have classes in ballet, modern and jazz, for instance. Again, Dance Magazine is a great resource.
Iām a few years out of date info wise (younger child graduated in '17) but youāre welcome to PM me, and Iāll see what I can find out if it turns out my local experience is relevant for your daughter.
Thank you, @aquapt!
Ok, Iām back. California experts (@Gumbymom , @ucbalumnus , @aquapt ), can you try (again) to explain what it would look like if we choose an accredited online program that does not have a-g classes?
- How do I determine if said classes qualify for the a-g requirements?
- Does the lack of a-g requirements forego any gpa boot for honors AND APs taken? Just honors? If thatās true and the max she could get weighted/capped is a 4.0, that would effectively preclude her for many impacted/more competitive majors at many of the UCs, no?
- If a kid is in CA and doesnāt have the standard transcript with a-g classes, will that make applying to UCs more precarious than it already is for in-state residents? Iām not trying to make this process harder for her than it is, but I like the reviews and rigor of this online schoolāand Iāve looked at a number of them.
If we choose to not use the online school and go the charter school option, the main vendors for AP classes (for next year and beyond) are:
*BYU Independent Learning
*Blue Tent
*FLVS International
*UC Scout
*Apex Learning
*Thinkwell Math (no AP, but weāre considering it for math next year)
I made the mistake of looking up reviews online. With the exception of Blue Tent, the other ones donāt sound amazing. Does anyone have any thoughts about any of these providers? Unless I go fully down the homeschool path and register myself as a school (or whatever it is you have to do in CA), I am limited to the vendors they approve. (So no VHS learning, no Pennsylvania Homeschoolers, etc.)
Thanks in advance, CC!
If they are not on University of California A-G Course List , then you may have to make your best guess based on similar schools and courses listed there.
Just school-designated honors. UC considers AP and college courses to be eligible for honors points even for out-of-state applicants (who generally do not attend schools with a-g listings).
Regarding college versus AP courses, it does depend on which courses. College courses are fine and often preferable to AP courses if the student is more advanced than AP level (e.g. math beyond single variable calculus, foreign language beyond AP level, calculus based physics, calculus based statistics) or for subjects not offered as AP courses (e.g. philosophy, sociology, history other than US, Europe, or world, computer science other than the overview and programming and data structures in Java).
For college and AP courses covering similar material, you can compare what colleges of interest consider. UCs and CSUs often favor California community college courses for transfer credit (see https://www.assist.org ), but private colleges often disfavor college courses. Obviously, if the course is available only as a college course, or only as an AP course, to you, then there is not really a choice.
Some college courses cover lower level material than AP courses (e.g. what are considered remedial or developmental courses in college, such as math below single variable calculus). These should not be viewed as true college level material even if the course is taken at a college.
College courses taken while in high school and their grades will be included as part of college records when applying to graduate or professional school (e.g. law and medical school).
@ucbalumnus pretty much answered your questions. The A-G course requirements are basically core HS courses such as Math, English, History, Foreign Language, Visual/Performing Art, Science etcā¦ The school does not have to be A-G accredited as long as they offer these type of courses.
The link explains the basic courses needed and at least 11 of the 15 minimum courses need to be completed at time of application.
If a kid is in CA and doesnāt have the standard transcript with a-g classes, will that make applying to UCs more precarious than it already is for in-state residents? Iām not trying to make this process harder for her than it is, but I like the reviews and rigor of this online schoolāand Iāve looked at a number of them.
UCās and CSUās accept many students that are home schooled or do not have the āstandardā HS transcript so it should not be an issue as long as the requirements are met.
I only know the FLVS. It does offer AP courses but they are just the basics, nothing outstanding. In Florida, any student can sign up for one, for free, and take it. They are fine, but your student has to be pretty self motivated to do well in the classes. No one is going to nudge her to do the work.
@ucbalumnus , Ok, I think I finally get a-g articulation and its GPA ramifications for honors and AP. Thank you for explaining it! I still think my daughter will focus on AP classes, regardless on where she ends up, and then supplement as needed, for Spanish Literature, for example.
@Gumbymom, thanks for the clarification about not having to be a-g accredited as long as the type of courses is the same. I think thatās where I was confused. It doesnāt look like sheāll have a problem having the minimum done before applying, and I do understand that minimum is not what is actually expected.
@twoinanddone , thanks for the FLVS feedback. Thatās about what Iām seeing elsewhere, so I think weāll stick with Blue Tent and BYU (the latter has mixed feedback, but generally seems ok). The public charter will also accept CTY (Center for Talented Youth) classes, which I forgot about when I last posted, so we may carefully choose a couple of classes there. They are too pricey for us to use them exclusively. This whole year is going to be a test of how self-motivated she is. I suspect sheāll be fine, but we will be setting up clear expectations and talking her through her schedule so she uses her time well.