This is my first post so I hope I am doing this right. Ok so I have a couple of questions regarding this years class selection. This summer I took World History at a community college to keep up the rigor on my transcript and open up space in my sophomore schedule. However, my school told me I couldn’t take APUSH during the school year as it is for Juniors only. That leaves me with super hard classes such as AP PHYSICS, and AP CHEM as well as the easy ones like APES and APCS. I was advised to take APES by my college counselor. Will this hurt my “transcript course rigor this year” for “eliter” colleges? How much does this actually matter with stuff such as EC’s and tests? Should I push for a hard AP Class? Trying to stay very science heavy. Thank you for any advice.
My other classes for this year are as follows.
AP Biology
IM3+ (Precalc equivalent?)
Spanish 2
Civitas Program Class
Hon. English 2
Thx.
You’re taking 5 APs as a 10th grader ??
I think you are pushing too fast…personally unless you can handle the rigor.
Do you have time for extracurricular such as a sport, job, or service activities.
And do you have time to …well just be a kid ?
That you have a college counselor headed into the 10th grade is a problem all its own IMHO.
Slow down my friend - there will be many fine colleges out there for you- elite however you define that or otherwise.
If you end up with 10-12 AP and a balance…not just math and science - you will be fine for most any school in the country.
I’m not sure the rigor above will have any incremental value.
If you were my kid, I’d lose the college counselor, obsession on a school, would let the next 3 semesters play out and start thinking about this 2nd semester junior year.
Frankly it’s not healthy (IMHO).
Get involved (work, sport, activity, service…two things where you make an impact).
Enjoy your friends and family.
And come say hello to us again in 18 months.
Haha only 2 Ap’s this year. Those other AP’s were options. Sorry if I worded that wrong. I was just wondering if I should worry about trying to increase this course load this year so I dont leave too much on the table! Thank you for your advice.
Thanks for clarifying, take the two you are most interested in and you should do well.
Only one science at a time. Knock out the APCS if it fits and it is of interest.
Get a solid foundation in math this year.
You should focus on taking the classes that make sense for you, and striving to do well in them. You should also focus on the ECs that make sense for you, that do not over-stress your time commitments, and that you want to do.
If you read the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site, it recommends that you do what is right for you, and do it very well. This is exactly what I did to get accepted to MIT. I think that it is what you should do also.
I will admit that I do not know what IM3+ is. It does look to me as if you might be taking too difficult of a class load. I would not take four AP classes during your sophomore year (if I have read your post correctly). You might want to think about this but you and your advisor would be a better judge of what you can handle than I would.
If you will be a high school sophomore in September, then keep in mind that you really will be a stronger student in a year or two or three than you will be this year. There really are classes that you are not ready for yet, but that you will be ready for as you get older.
Edit: Okay, you will be taking 2 APs as a sophomore. That is still quite a bit, but is a lot better than 4 or 5!
Thank you for your reply. Most of my friends are taking this classload:
AP Biology
IM3+ (Precalc equivalent?)
Spanish 2
Civitas Program Class
Hon. English 2
w/ AP World History
(I took the community college world history)
So I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t wasting this period.
APES sounds fine. You can take chem and physics during Jr and Sr year. Bio is pretty tough and will take a lot of time.
My daughter took honors chem and bio to prepare for AP courses. But she had 8 class periods. That could be an option. I think she ended up taking seven sciences classes in total and wasn’t aiming for top schools.
But really, it depends on the teachers and your ECs. She took APWH sophomore year and it was a living hell. She had 2 hrs of bball practice each day and games also, and had a very hard time keeping up with the class. Scared her off APs her junior year and only took a couple in science and math. She found them easy along with the science and math in senior year, due to the teachers having more reasonable coursework. Ask around to see what the experiences of other students have been with the courses you’re considering.
Thanks. I will ask around.
Nearly as important for school…well if you are considering elite….get to know your teachers. Stay after class for discussions. Build a rapport…especially junior year.
And pick up two ECs of some sort. Get involved. Make an impact. Do things you enjoy or serve a purpose (like a job, making money). Become well rounded.
Good luck.
If you are qualified and approved for AP chem or APhys1 (based on math you are not ready for APphys C yet), it is fine to take those with APBio if you love science and have a high GPA etc. APES or ACPS is also fine. This all varies by school. At the ones I know well, APBio is by far easier than APPhysC (which is somewhat easier than APChem), and APBio can be slightly easier than APPhys1 (which is always taught at a challenging level around here) So ask your teachers and your counselor for their recommendation. Even my non-stem kid took 2 lab sciences (only 1 was AP, and was Chem) in 10th and my STEM kid took 2 AP sciences in 10th (And APCalc) and did well/As/5s etc. But that was a path her teachers recommended for her midway through 9th grade, due to her qualifications and record. My point is context of the school matters a lot, so ask. There is no need to over-challenge yourself this early.
So if my goal was to get into a bsmd. Would this class choice be a make or break (not taking into account ec’s tests and such ? I guess that is my end question.
I’ll let someone more expert answer but from what I’ve read on here I don’t think any bs/md is even remotely realistic for anyone. If you get it, it’s a blessing.
I think no matter the goal it is pointless to over extend oneself. No point in stressing your life or not doing as well as hoped and thinking Omg I’m wrecked.
Good luck.
Best advice. I’m going to put this away for now lol.
I have a daughter who is currently studying for a DVM. It is not quite the same as an MD (her patients mostly have four legs, and do not speak in any intelligible way). The process is however similar. Academic strength is important. However, experience in the field is just as important.
I cannot imagine how anyone would get accepted into a BS/MD program unless the university was quite confident that you really wanted to do it. This suggests that a lot of experience in a medical environment will be very important.
Of course most students who end up with an MD first go to university for four years and get a bachelor’s degree, and then apply to an MD program. If you take this path, then you have quite a lot of time to acquire the experience.
I would be cautious about taking college classes (such as at a community college) unless you are confident that you can get an A.