<p>I took 10 AP classes and 8 honors classes in high school. For my junior and senior years, I took (or am taking this year) a study hall to counteract the amount of practicing I was/am doing on my trombone (which last year paid off b/c I became on the of the top 3 trombonists in the state). I could have taken two more AP or 2 more honors classes (so 12 AP and 8 Honors or 10 AP and 10 Honors) instead of the 2 study halls. Will this affect my course rigor to the admissions people? If it helps you guys to know my GPA, I have a 4.0 unweighted average <a href="4.533%20weighted%20average">all A's</a>, so would these 2 extra classes have boosted my chances higher than what they are now? Also, one of my honors classes I am taking is a thesis class, where we write a 50-60 page paper throughout the year (I plan on sending Yale my 1st chapter to show what I'm doing for that thesis). Will that class in itself pretty much counteract the 2 classes I didn't take? Is this something I really shouldn't worry about? Thanks for any replies.</p>
<p>Breathe </p>
<p>10 char</p>
<p>You don't need to worry. The study halls did help you in your trombone, so it shows your dedication for it, and your GPA/class rigor shows your strength in academics.</p>
<p>I wouldn't send the first chapter of the paper. The admissions office doesn't like supplemental materials and state so on the admissions website. Submitting the first chaper will hurt you (for not following directions and in other wasys if the quality of the paper is not superb) more than it will help (it's unlikely that your scholarly insight and analysis will be so spectacular as to make a difference given the caliber of kids who apply).</p>
<p>Unless you can change your senior year schedule at this point, which I doubt, what's done is done and you shouldn't obsess about it.</p>
<p>I'm well aware that they won't read the paper. I would just be providing it as proof to show that I am doing such a paper. A few years ago, there had someone at my school who had pretty good grades - B's and A's, about a 3.75 GPA unweighted (maybe 4.2 weighted), nothing too extraordinarily spectacular about this person. She sent in the first chapter of her thesis with her application to UPenn, and they stated that because of that, they accepted her into the university. I was under the impression that this would be the same view the other Ivies would have, since the year before that someone got into Princeton for the same reason.</p>
<p>I'm not going to think about the course rigor too hard anymore. It shouldn't make a difference. Thanks for the replies.</p>