<p>Daughter is trying to decide on high school course selection to be a reasonable candidate at UVA. She will have AP's in english, social studies, math. She's not a science kid and would rather take AP Environmental Science than an AP science in bio, chem or physics but is worried about that not looking "rigorous enough." Any thoughts? Should she push for an AP in a lab science and risk a lower grade than in AP Environmental science or does which science really matter?</p>
<p>Also, she'll have 4 years of foreign language - should she push for an AP in her foreign language. Would appreciate any feedback -</p>
<p>She should study what motivates her. Course selection should not be a game theory decision.</p>
<p>Envsci is not any less "rigourous" a field than chemistry, biology and physics. At some schools I realise that AP EVSC programs have higher admission rates (for schools that cap their AP programs) simply because of supply and demand. This does not make it less rigourous whatsoever. Now granted, if you already have a strong background in physics, chemistry and biology, a lot of the EVSC syllabus covers material that have been mentioned before in other science courses, just that it simply goes into more depth. So science kids find it easy to ace. But then again, it's simply because they do some of the same work in other courses. </p>
<p>Pssst: Envsci is a lab science. Please try telling me that launching a weather balloon to take readings at periodic intervals of height so that polynomial regression may be applied to find the lapse rate partial derivative, measuring the angle of incoming sunlight with respect to the zenith/normal, estimating radiation and heat transmission using blackbody radiation equations and the Boltzmann distribution, using a relevant analogue of Gauss' law, are all not all forms of labwork. </p>
<p>Please please, don't play these games with your daughter's education. If your daughter thinks environmental science is somehow an easier field compared to biology, physics and chemistry, (an amazing feat when EVSC involves biology, physics and chemistry, isn't it?) perhaps she should take EVSC 350 if she gets into UVA. My gf and I are planning to stay up all night this weekend to finish our EVSC lab report. Since your daughter thinks Envsci is an easier field, maybe she'll find it more of a breeze than her, (who by the way is an chemistry 80-series Echols scholar taking 22 credits that are all-science).</p>
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Also, she'll have 4 years of foreign language - should she push for an AP in her foreign language.
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<p>The question is -- if admissions weren't a matter, would she want to?</p>
<p>Dude, once again, you took it too far. Gauss' Law has nothing to do with EnviSci. Again, took an entire course (which if I mention the workload, you'd cry) on that stuff, and no, it does not have anything to do with EnviSci.</p>
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Gauss' Law has nothing to do with EnviSci. Again, took an entire course (which if I mention the workload, you'd cry) on that stuff
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<p>Well I did say analogue. ;)</p>
<p>Definitely no electrical engineering was involved, but the same mathematical concepts are involved, at least at the AP Physics C level. (Closed surfaces, enclosed elements, flux, etc.)</p>
<p>Do you even know what Gauss' Law is? At a fundamental level?</p>
<p>No. (I won't argue with the EE engineer.) </p>
<p>But I do stress that you use a lot of the same math in the EVSC problem sets anyway. (The same math that CLAS PHYS 231-232 students would use is used at the introductory level in EVSC.) So in no way should the OP think that Envsci is any less mathy, at least if you take the introduction to weather and atmosphere course. (I expect it would be the same for the intro to hydrology course too.)</p>
<p>stop making a bad impression by hijacking the thread.</p>
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would rather take AP Environmental Science than an AP science in bio, chem or physics
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<p>I think that answers that question. AP is AP. Credits are credits. Let her take the one she thinks she'll like more.</p>
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Also, she'll have 4 years of foreign language - should she push for an AP in her foreign language.
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<p>Yes, if the workload is okay. High school only happens once, don't ruin it trying to get in somewhere that might end up being not what she wants or not a good fit for her. But AP lang credits at UVA are a GREAT thing to have.</p>