Hello,
I have to select courses that I want to take in my Junior year in 3/4 months, and I already have had courses planned out but I have some conflicts and ‘unsureness’ in which ones to take.
Right now as a Soph I take;
programming 1
adv alg 2
chem hon
LA 2
AS hon
study hall
spanish 4
gym
For my junior year I thought of taking:
Physics hon
LA 3
pre cal
APUSH / AP Comp Sci A < Here Im super unsure if I should take AP Comp Sci directly and then take APUSH next year with AP chem, but I heard that both APUSH and AP chem have lots of memorizing
Engineering < my school offers this class now so I though to take this because other wise i would take both APUSH and AP comp but I dont want to shut down an opportunity and find out that i like engineering too late when applying to colleges
Spanish 5 < Im also not sure if i should just drop Spanish since I already fulfilled the 2 year requirement my school has but most colleges want 3 years so?
Gym
Study Hall
And then for my senior year i would take
Photography (i rly want to take this because I wanted one fun course)
Advanced topics in physics/Advanced Topics in Computer Science Honors <my school doesnt offer AP physics however I could take the Advanced comp sci class if I take AP comp sci
AP chem
Cal honors (its the course that reg pre cal students directly take and the hon pre cal kids take AP cal AB)
LA 4
Gym
Study Hall
AP comp/ APUSH <above with junior year
My state requires all 4 years of LA, and gym which is why i cant do anything about those. The state requirement for a language is 2 and I will be done with that as a sophomore. I just don’t want to throw away opportunities like the engineering class and comp sci, but I want to pursue other things too. I have no idea though on the APUSH and AP chem thing.
Definatley take Spanish all four years. It’s something that’s considered standard for top colleges. I would take APUSH junior as you’re correct in that both APUSH and AP Chem are considered some of the most rigorous APs. Another possibility is that maybe you could take advanced physics and take the AP Physics I test at the end of the year, if you would be intrested in that option for more college credit. As far as AP CS goes, personally I would take it as you can get exposure to engineering elsewhere like taking a summer program, shadowing someone etc, but that’s really up to you.
@Madeline25 My school only offers AP Spanish after Spanish 5 but I’m completely horrible at Spanish and haven’t taken any of the honors courses so would it be fine if I kept it all the way through my junior year and then drop it my senior year?
Ideally, like I said, you would take a foreign language, all the years you are in high school. However, if you think it is going to bring your GPA down, you’ll have to weigh the benefits with the costs.
You’re fine with Spanish 4, although going through Spanish 5 junior year would obviously be better.
I recommend NOT taking both AP Chem and APUSH the same year. Can you take APUSH + Engineering junior year, and AP Chem + AP CS senior year (AP CS is typically a bit easier, but check with current students to see how it’s taught at your school).
Your schedule is greatly lacking in Social Science. You’re expected to have 4 units of it - typically, US History, either European or World History, perhaps Economics, and/or Government, and/or Geography, and/or Psychology, and/or sociology.
Is a study hall required? If not, you should think of taking an elective then. Think about taking an Art class (especially if you intend to go to school in California, where it’s a requirement, and generally to enjoy life better - could be film, intro choir, graphic design…) or something different like Geography or Current Events.
@newjerseygirl98 not sure yet but i’m making a list @MYOS1634
I really need that study hall because i’m deaf with an cochlear implant so I have a study hall in a quiet room and I actually use it.
I took World history freshmen yr and then I have AS this year and then APUSH
My SS is lacking since i don’t like the other courses and I don’t have enough space in my schedule and its really weird because a lot of kids at my school usually have only 3 years of SS or pass one of the courses over the summer, I should mention that I have take finance lit over the summer and passed with an A.
I think the APUSH and engineering and then AP chem and AP CS seems much better right now as you mentioned however other issue then is if i take AP comp my senior year I will not be allowed to take adv comp sci hon.
I actually took choir as a freshmen and then took programming this year because I wanted to see how it is.
(sorry I took forever to respond I had MB practice/hw)
Okay, the study hall makes sense then.
And if you took Personal Finance over the summer, I guess it’d count as a social science - a “light” one but I think you’d be fine.
@newjerseygirl98 im not since my gpa is a 3.1 uw and a 3.2 w so im waiting to see how my soph year goes
I anyways will be happy at a school that isnt an top-tier, i just want a good school/education and some reputation