I was wondering if you guys could tell me if my high school plan was competitive enough for selective colleges.
10th:
English language and composition AP
Us History - Online
AP Chem
Calc BC AP
Engineering program year 2
Accounting 1 -0.5
Personal Project - required - 0.5
AP Stats
11th:
Film DP
Micro and Macro AP both 0.5
DP Physics
Dual Enrollment for math
Business internship
Engineering
DP Business and Management
12th:
DP Business and management
Film DP
DP Physics
Dual Enrollment
Engineering
business internship
Entrepreneurship-0.5
Marketing Education IB-0.5
I was looking to go into either engineering or business. If you guys could help I greatly appreciate it.
Most selective schools want 4 years each of science, math, English, social studies and foreign language. I see no foreign language and only one year of history and English. Can you even graduate from your high school with only one year of English? I think you need to take fewer business electives and more core courses.
For English, many colleges expect to see four years in high school… will you complete both AP English courses at least?
Looks like you have only two years of history and social science (US history and economics). Some colleges may prefer more.
What level of foreign language have you completed?
For sciences, have you completed biology (in addition to chemistry and physics listed)?
High school level engineering and business courses are most useful for determining your interest in the subjects, but taking so many of them that they crowd out expected high school academic courses may not be so good.
Agree. HS is (and is considered by admissions officers)a time to get a well rounded base education. The most selective colleges often want to see:
–four years of math (including calculus)
–four years of lab science (to include bio, chem, and physics)
–four years of English
–four years of social studies and
–four years of foreign language
Along, of course, with any classes needed to graduate (ex. an arts class, a health class, gym etc.). Selective college admission officers will also look for you to take a schedule that your guidance counselor deems to be the most rigorous offered at your HS.
Have you spoken to your guidance counselor about this schedule? Your proposed schedule appears to: 1) lack all of the classes above and 2) be a bit of a hodgepodge of business and engineering coursework.
You can look at the common data set of any college (google “common data set XYZ university”) and look at section C to see the HS coursework that is required and/or recommended at that college.
Are you at a vo-tech high school? This isn’t at all the kind of schedule that colleges want to see, so I am wondering if you are constrained in some way from taking what you need. Even if you were hoping to go into some sort of vocational training, you will need more core coursework than what you have.
As others have mentioned, the goal is to take all 5 cores (English, math, science, foreign language, and social studies) all 4 years. Electives are secondary to that plan.
Have you spoken with your high school guidance counselor about course planning? In many states, such a proposed schedule would not meet high school graduation requirements. Of course, I have no idea where you live and what kind of high school you attend (if there is some special program), but please do double check graduation requirements to make you meet them.
it’s not. Are you attending a vo-tech school? What kind of college do most students attend?
Is DP the IB Vocational Diploma ?
10th:
English language and composition AP
Us History - Online - preferably APUSH or US History Honors, preferably in class
AP Chem
Calc BC AP
Engineering program year 2
Personal Project - required - 0.5
Foreign Language 2 or 3
11th:
Film DP
English Honors (unless Film DP fulfills the “English” requirement)
Foreign Language 3 or 4
Micro and Macro Econ AP
DP Physics
Dual Enrollment math: Discrete Math OR Linear Algebra OR MVC or Calculus-based Stats
DP Business and Management
12th:
DP Business and management
Film DP
DP Physics
Dual Enrollment Math: MVC, Linear Algebra, or Calculus-based Stats
Engineering
business internship
Entrepreneurship-0.5
Marketing Education IB-0.5
You do not need to be studying marketing, entrepreneurship, management as a HS kid. Go back to basics- foreign language, history, bio/chem/physics with lab. And why online history?
honestly to get a diploma at our public high school you would need at minimum no matter what academic level
4 years of math (no matter how advanced you are and taken yearly)
4 years of English (yearly)
3 years of history including US History 1 and 2, World History
3 years of lab science which must including biology and chemistry
2 years of a foreign language - starting in ap would not be enough