<p>I'm a sophmore in high school right now and I've been stressing over my course schedule for next year. Since Princeton is my ideal college, I figured I would ask here. I plan to take to AP's: Computer Science and US History, and the rest honors classes: French, Physics, English and Precalculus. Gym also fits in there. This leaves me with a lunch and one study hall. I could come back to band, which I dropped this year for AP Bio, but the lower factor would hurt my GPA even with a 100 avergage, and without it I could focus more on other classes and have higher grades in them. I'm not a super amazing saxophone player either. My other options include AP chemistry, which would take out lunch every other day and a semester long Princeton Review SAT prep course offered for the first time by my school next year. From what I plan I will graduate with 7 APs, but 8 if I took AP chem. Having a free period or a non-homework SAT prep might be nice especially with all the time consuming extra curriculars I have, but then I wouldn't be taking the hardest course load available. So, I would appreciate advice on which schedule would help me the most in applying to Princeton, assuming that with a free period I would do better in my other classes. Thanks.</p>
<p>I don't know much about Princeton, but schools like P look very favorably upon students who show great committment to their ECs. You don't say what your other activities are, so it's hard to advise. Is band your main EC? Then take it. If it's just one of many more important ones, then I see no problem with a free period. I guess I wouldn't take AP Chem the same year you're taking physics. Seems a bit much. Is physics a lab science at your school? What about APchem this year, and AP physics, or honors, in senior year?</p>
<p>My ECs are math team, computer club, science olympiad, school soccer, jazz band, boy scouts (i'm working on eagle), and my proudest activity, Odyssey of the Mind (part of my name) in which my team and I have placed 2nd and 3rd place at the World finals. I build balsa wood structures for that, having the highest weight one year at worlds with 1330 pounds on an 18 gram structure. I thought the same about physics and AP chem in the same year, but its a growing trend in my school to double up. I'm doing it this year with AP bio and honors chem, with lunch every other day, but other people are doubling up twice and will have 3 AP sciences and 4 honors sciences by the time they graduate. And yes, every science has a lab at my school. I guess i shouldn't concern myself with them, especially since they do much less out of school.</p>
<p>hi greg! I am a sophmore also...yayfor 2007 and 2011!!</p>
<p>That is C R A Z Y. I would tell you not to take two sciences next year. Doing AP Bio and Chem together is not the same as doing AP Chem and Physics together. Pick one or the other, but I think you should take physics at some point in hgh school, next year or senior year. As for band, take it if you really enjoy it. If you're worried about a 100 bringing down your GPA, don't. Colleges will recalculate your GPA, and since you're taking a full courseload, they can't count it against you that you study music. (I have 6 semesters of music)</p>
<p>Well, thanks for your input, I've decided to take the SAT prep course for a semester and have a study hall the other one. I'm also going to take physics, not AP chem or band, so I can take AP physics senior year. And to ilabcurious, go 2007! do you want to go to princeton too?</p>
<p>ahhh little sophomores <em>feels old in her infinite junior wisdom</em> how can you survive without a lunch? I'm always hungry by lunchtime. Ok, that's just me. I think that's a good plan though. AP physics should be very useful.</p>
<p>Princeton is my very frst choice:) At least your school offers APs...mine does not. That is one thing that I am afraid will ruin my chances at addmission.</p>
<p>No APs!?! thats unfortunate, is your high school too small to have them or something? You could take local college courses, I know of some people who have done that at my school. As far as not having lunch, i do get pretty hungry, but i try to sneak in some mouthfuls during chemistry and french. It seems contagious at my school too, even the average students are speacking of skipping lunch and the teachers support them for it!</p>
<p>it's not allowed here at all. I wish it was, than I could take more classes I want</p>
<p>No, my hs just doesn't believe in them or something. We are private and most of the students at our school do not consider schools out of wisconsin. I am already planning to take college courses. Luckily, I can take college credit calc 2 and english at our school. I may apply to the nw or the yale summer program...</p>
<p>In my school, everyone has lunch during the same period, so I wouldn't be able to take classes at lunch even if I wanted to. (Lunch is reserved for clubs, starbucks and studying for bio in the senior lounge!)</p>
<p>Anyway, good choice! Physics!!!</p>
<p>as someone said earlier, i would not take AP chem and physics.</p>
<p>don't overload yourself. you're a sophmore. just do your best.</p>
<p>what do u plan to major anyways?</p>
<p>bloody hell. who cares about GPA?! take the courses that you want to take. haha. i did that and i rock.</p>
<p>I'm not entirely sure, but my major would fall somewhere into the realm of math, physics, programming, and astronomy, something involving lots of math. I considered AP chem mostly because its the common mentality of my high school's top students to overload their schedule as much as possible, so long as they can finish their homework before starting school the next day. well, maybe not quite that far, but its not uncommon to stay up well past midnight doing work.</p>
<p>well, who doesn't stay up past midnight?</p>
<p>take ap bio + ap chem, I did that, they really complement each other</p>