<p>I am a freshmen in an advanced program of studies where I am faced with the choice of either the Humanities Track which would consist of the total 0f 8 AP classes and 4 years of Latin plus I would be taking up to AP spanish. All the classes in this Track really interest me, but My school does not offer Honors Latin which I feel hurts my GPA. I spoke to my Principal & I was given theoppurtunity to switch into Life Science which would only offer me 1 Language but 11 AP classes. Humanities has classes that interest me the most, but I want to be challeneged and impress colleges. I really want to get into Ivy League schools. Which track is a better choice ? I want to go into Medicine or Psychology and Have been told that they Look for the Latin. But would getting straight A's like I do in 8 AP classes and 4 years of 2 Languages be enough to get me into a good college with possible scholarships? I am a 3 sport athlete already fluent in Portuguese with an unweighted GPA of 3.9 at the moment. Or should I just go for the maximum amount of AP classes even if they don't interest me entirely. ?
- This is a set program at A public school & i do not have freedom to make changes to my schedule. I either choose one or the other. I would LOVEE any and all opinions. Thank youu.</p>
<p>You should take the classes that interest you and in which you are most likely to do well. US colleges are not going to care whether you have 8 or 11 APs. I also don’t think there are any that will care whether you have taken Latin, unless you are interested in Classics. It’s not really needed for medicine (or law) these days. Choose the track you like best.</p>
<p>I agree. Ivies want to see that you took a rigorous course load (depending on what’s available at your school,) and did well, not that you won the contest for the most AP’s. Also, I’m a doctor, and I don’t think you need Latin for med school. Your Spanish will give you plenty of Latin roots, and medical lingo is just something you pick up along the way – trust me, it’s the least of what you will be memorizing if you decide to go! Make sure that you have an interest that’s genuine, and a little different from the crowd if you want your application to stand out. Good luck!</p>
<p>AnaAndrade, my advice is to take a deep breath, choose courses and extracurriculars that you either like or are curious about, and forget about trying to “impress colleges.” You sound frankly anxious over this curriculum choice, and you are a freshman!</p>
<p>At your age, very (very) few people know what they want to do professionally in their adult life. That’s because at age 14-15 human beings aren’t finished developing, so we can’t know fully who we are yet. Of the few who think that they “know” what they want to do later in life, many change their mind. That’s perfectly ok; it’s good, even. </p>
<p>So I’d advise you to focus on the process of getting to know better who you are (cool, no?), rather than fixating prematurely on medicine. That’s not until graduate school, anyway, which is <em>way</em> down the pike. Use this time in your life to study things that you like… and to try out a few new ones that may stretch you. Who knows? Some of those may capture your imagination, and you may even discover a passion. Then you won’t mind spending a lot of time pursuing it, and in the process you may develop depth and the beginnings of expertise at something. And you’ll also have fun… which is really important for your health & development. In the end, you’ll have something good to say in your college applications because that interest will be truly <em>yours.</em> </p>
<p>I’m going on at some length here because, to my (relatively experienced) ear, you sound like you may be at risk of becoming one of those over-programmed young people who are trying to build what they imagine is a “perfect” or “impressive” r</p>
<p>beatitudo is exactly right. Any difference in appearance/rigor between the two tracks you listed will be absolutely nonexistent to the admissions officers at the schools you appear to be interested in. Don’t worry too much about crafting a cookie-cutter perfect resume; take what you find interesting and do what you love to do (or explore to find something you may love). If you are taking classes you are more interested in, you will be happier, and that is something that will benefit you as a person and as an applicant. Don’t fret.</p>
<p>RadSquared, thank you for saying it much more succinctly!</p>