I’m extremely passionate about Language Arts and excel in every English class and writing course that I take in school. I’m a sophomore.
Next year, junior year, I am allowed to take AP English Language, and in senior year I can take AP English Literature. However I really wanted to take both of these AP courses next year (junior year).
I wanted to take both of these courses in the same year because I love English and want to learn as much as possible. Right now my English class is a regular class (my school doesn’t offer Honors or anything sophomore year) and I don’t feel like I am being challenged at all, or learning anything new. I know this might sound conceited but English is just one of my talents and I am really good at writing/reading/analyzing (as opposed to math, which I am barely passing), and I am confident that I would do well in these AP English courses.
In senior year I want to focus on college applications and other AP courses and just handle my rigorous schedule. I think if I took both AP English courses junior year, I would a) satisfy my appetite for learning, b) get great grades and boost my GPA-- thus impressing colleges, © be able to focus on other things senior year, and d) maybe I don’t have to take an AP math or science class junior year.?
Could I convince my school to make an exception for me? Both the head of the English department and various english/writing teachers I have had over the years could testify for me, and the principal knows me too. My guidance counselor also knows I love English. Math and science kids in school always double up on hard math/science courses and kids take classes in grade levels above them (ex. a freshman takes a tenth grade Honors Chemistry course; or a sophomore takes honors Chemistry and AP Biology at the same time). I want to take multiple English courses in the same year. This is probably a stupid question but I wanted to ask anyway. If this could happen, who would I talk to? Would I talk to my principal? Who decides these kinds of things? And why don’t they let kids jump grade levels in math/science but not English?
Sorry this is super long and rambly. I just am curious about a lot of stuff and want to know. Thanks for reading if you did
If you love English so much, what English class will you take senior year? It sounds like your argument is really that you are afraid you will do worse in whatever AP class it is that would take the place of AP English Lit in your junior year schedule.
Almost all the time, students double up on classes either as seniors to fulfill requirements, or in order to be eligible to take a next level class. I don’t think your argument will fly much, unless your reasoning is to plan on graduating in 3 years of HS.
I’ve seen people take both AP exams in the same year, but never have seen anyone take both classes in the same year. AP Lit is a very time consuming class by itself.
@galactoc - I just read through your other thread from yesterday: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2122113-should-i-take-ap-calculus.html What about something like AP European History or AP Comp Gov for junior year? Doesn’t your school offer those?
One of my kids was bored with her English class because she wasn’t challenged enough by the offerings allowed in her HS. She was unhappy, but survived, and took a lot of interesting English classes in college. One thing about English is that you can read to your heart’s content outside of class – you don’t need a teacher to do that. I honestly wouldn’t fight it – just get great grades in the classes you can take, and explore literature on your own outside of class.
Or you can find an online class.
If you haven’t yet taken any AP, you have no idea if you can handle it. And what English class in 12th? You’re so eager to “learn as much as possible” in 11th, is that all? You’d be happy with dropping back to some filler class in senior year?
You need to look at the courses your target colleges recommend. You won’t be spending senior year hanging back and working on apps. Colleges like continued rigor.
If you’re barely passing math maybe you should focus on building strength there instead of doubling up on English. What math are you taking?
Does your high school offer AP Seminar or AP Research? Those are basically English electives in DD’s high school.
Short answer: YES, it is possible to talk high schools into making exceptions.
Recommended approach:
- Talk to your academic advisor and/or guidance counselor. (I know advising is done differently at different high schools.) Get him/her on board.
- Next, schedule an appointment with the department head of the relevant department or departments.
Important advice: Frame your plan in terms of your AMBITIONS in that subject area for senior year. In other words, if you said “I want to take both AP ENG classes junior year because senior year, I want to take an ENG elective at a local college,” that is more likely to be compelling than “I want to take both AP ENG classes junior year so that I maybe won’t have to take an AP math or science junior year.” Do not frame it just in terms of GPA. Frame it in terms of “If you let me do X as a junior, I will be able to do Y as a senior!”
My daughter had a situation slightly similar to this. (It’s similar in the sense that she wanted an exception to her school’s policies. The specifics are different.) She wanted to take DIRECTING, which is a fall semester arts elective. If you take Directing, you can direct a play as a senior. Unfortunately, the Directing course is only offered fall semester every other year, so she needed to take it as a junior…which meant something else juniors typically take had to go. (OR she could have dropped out of the musical, which was her other arts class, but the musical is a really big deal to her too, and she was one of the dance captains.)
Many juniors in the same predicament will drop their foreign language, but my daughter did not want to do that. She wants to do four years of HS Spanish.
She sat down with the head of the science department and laid out a persuasive case that she should be allowed to take the full year Biology class as a senior rather than as a junior. The head of science pointed out that EVERYONE at the school does Biology as a junior. My daughter pointed out this was her one and only shot at the directing class. My daughter added that she enjoys science (A in Physics, A- in Chemistry) and would do a science elective in the spring semester (Python programming), but that she is not planning to major in a STEM field. Her advisor pointed out that directing a play as a student shows leadership and creative vision and looks good on college applications.
The head of the science department was skeptical at first, but came around when she saw how this would add value to my daughter’s education. That’s how you have to frame your case: this is going to enhance my high school education and my overall college application package.
I’m concerned about your comment about barely passing math. If I were your GC, I would say no to the request of doubling up on english for that reason alone. At dd’s school, students who were looking to add courses outside the normal progression needed a minimum GPA to argue their point.
Our experience with doubling up with math/science in HS was that, at least in my DD’s school, there were way more course offerings. For english, you would run out of courses before senior year, and it was a requirement to take an english class every year.
- see if your school offers AP Seminar and AP Research. Those would basically be double ups.
- These classes can’t be doubled up BUT you can take an English elective alongside AP English. For instance, AP English Lang + journalism or + creative writing… AND you can take an AP course that reinforces English skills in terms of close reading, writing, analysis… Typically, APUSH and AP Euro do that.
- You need to think it terms of academic progression: even if your school allowed you to do that, taking to English APs junior year and then regular English classes senior year would be considered foolish by colleges (or like you’re slacking off and/or are a poor planner).
So, suggestion:
Junior year → Senior year
AP Lang → AP Lit
AP Seminar-> AP Research (or: English electives, journalism 1-> 2, etc)
APUSH → AP Euro
Math regular → Statistics
Physics regular → APES
Foreign Language 3 or 4-> AP Foreign Language
If you haven’t even taken Honors English, you could be underestimating the expectations of both AP English classes. Worst case scenario is to not do really well in your areas of strength.
Expanding upon what @BookLvr says is by far your best bet, if you’re really insisting on this approach. Taking AP English Lang is more or less like taking English 1 in college and AP English Lit is like taking English 2. I looked at my local community college near my house and saw that most of the advanced classes “only” required English 1. I did see a class in Contemporary Women’s Literature that required English 2. There may be other classes also that required English 2. Pick one of those classes that interests you, and use that argument that you want to take that class as a senior in HS. Any other reasoning is likely to fail.
Do note that I am not recommending this approach at all…just offering a suggestion on your request.
Thanks everyone for the replies!
I would say not to do this.
Take AP Lang this year and AP Lit next year.
it is important that you do well in these classes.
BUT see if there are any english electives you can take like Creative Writing, Journalism either at your HS or at the local CC.