Hey, I’m a sophomore registering for junior year. I’d like to get into an Ivy League school or receive a full ride to a state school. For this to happen, I need to maintain my 4.0 GPA, be involved in clubs and take AP classes.
This is what my planned schedule looks like:
AP Calculus BC
Debate
AP World History
AP Biology
AP Physics C
Chamber Orchestra
AP Lang
Since I’m planning to major in a stem field, I put down AP Calc BC, AP Bio, and AP Physics C. I’m taking AP Physics right now, and it’s pretty manageable for me. I plan to be extremely active on my school’s debate team as well. I also want to get an Ivy League level score on the ACT. I’m afraid the workload might be too much for me, and that I’ll crash and burn. I want to be both successful and not stressed out junior year. What are your suggestions? What do you recommend I do?
Don’t double up on a core subject at the expense of another core subject. If you are not currently in level 4 of a foreign language, you’re lacking that.
I assume that means AP Physics 1. If your AP Physics C covers mech and E&M, it will be twice the pace of AP Physics 1.
4 APs are plenty for junior year. Both of my DC found junior year to be the most difficult with course load, ECs, standardized testing, leadership opportunities, college tours, etc. it is also hard to show continued rigor into senior year with 5 APs junior year. Save something for senior year.
I agree that 4 is plenty. You have debate and ACT prep, both of which will be time consuming. There are only so many hours in a day. I know a couple of very smart kids: one who took 5 and one took 6. Both of them ended up with more than one B because, well, there are only so many hours in a day. If you are going for the 4.0, I say take either Bio or Physics and save the other one for senior year
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The issue is, since I’m going into a stem field, I need to take AP Biology, AP Physics C, and AP Chemistry either junior or senior year. So if I don’t double up in science classes this year, I’ll have to double up next year.
You don’t need to take, you want to take. No college has any expectation that an applicant must take all 3. Pick the 2 that most closely align with you potential major. Or switch out AP history for honors
This. Or just leave off AP Bio. That’s the one AP class that you would most likely regret taking. If you do a site search for “AP Biology”, you will pull up many threads of woe.
Another vote here for taking one science during the year and replacing it with a foreign language.
You mention your goals are “to maintain my 4.0 GPA, be involved in clubs and take AP classes”, but overstretching on the APs could put your chances of the other two in jeopardy.
I doubt that they all have to be AP. Regardless, since you’re in AP Physics 1 now, you have physics covered. I assumed you already had intro bio and chem.If you did not, then all the more reason to split up your science selections since you’ll have a large learning curve with no background.
Then you need to take Chemistry Honors. You’ll take an AP science senior year.
(Ap Chem is a second level class that assumes Honors chem has been completed prior).