Hi guys. I hope this isn’t a redundant topic but I just found out that I am forced to take gym and health next year due to graduation requirements. My school offers the option to take these courses over the summer but I was selected to be an ambassador for my city to Skopje, Macedonia (which I am really excited for!) all throughout the summer so that is out of the option. I was not able to take these classes during previous summers and school years because I had gone to a different school for my freshman and sophomore years and that school did not require health and gym to be taken as graduation requirements. The three things I can see to maybe tell admissions officers that I am not taking those classes because I am a slacker are to have my guidance counselor write that I am taking them because of a graduation requirement, writing about it in the ‘Additional Information’ section in the Common App, or not saying anything about it so that I won’t come across as whiny.
What should I do?
Thank you for your time.
-TheTennisNinja
I’dsuggest to the guidence counselor to explain it . Spend the few words you get to focus on strengths.
RELAX!
Dont worry about it. College admissions officers KNOW there are required classes at some HS’s.
You AREN’T going to be penalized because of having to take them…
Have a great time this summer!
It’s way better to talk about an amazing summer experience than nitpick on class scheduling in your application. Besides, not having those requirements at your old school probably meant you got to take more interesting or academic classes instead, that many students have to put off while they do weight lifting and volleyball. So you can highlight that as an opportunity instead.
So two slots are filled with required PE and health? Wouldn’t you be taking rigorous academic courses in your remaining schedule slots?
@ucbalumnus Yes I will be but taking PE and health in the same year would be outliers compared to the types of courses that I had taken in previous years. I just don’t want admissions officers to think that I am taking an easier course load as a senior.
"I just don’t want admissions officers to think that I am taking an easier course load as a senior. "
ALL you need to to is ask your GC to mention that you took 2 classes that were required by the school in your SR year in his LOR to colleges.
He no doubt will also send a copy of the school profile along with his LOR, which details classes that are required to be taken.
I’m sure he has done this hundreds of times before.
It wont matter to colleges when you took them.
So once again-- relax.
Don’t worry, just follow menloparkmom’s advice.
Don’t overload with hard classes. As Akali says, the balance is importnat XD
You’re overthinking this. If both health and PE are required courses, there are probably other students who have done what you’re doing - taking them senior year. This is not unusual for students who want to put off these classes as long as possible. It is also not unusual for seniors to take a slightly lighter load than junior year.
Enjoy your summer.
Ask your GC to mention it.
But ask at the same time whether the school would consider granting you credit for HOPE, a program in Health&Gym from Florida Virtual High School. Would they consider giving you the two missing credits for that? You have to exercise for 30mn a day (monitored electronically) for a certain number of days, but you don’t have to be physically at school to do it. It may work from Macedonia?
On the other hand, if you have 4 rigorous classes + Health and Gym, adcoms won’t penalize you for this (since they’ll know it’s a requirement and anyway the rest of your schedule would be rigorous)… and it may actually help you do better in your other classes, get more sleep, spend more time on your college apps… it could be a good thing in the end!
Congratulations on being selected for being selected as your city’s youth ambassador 
If TennisNinja is more than just a name - then play varsity tennis - this should get you out of gym class - at least it does in my HS district! BTW - agree with the posters above that said to RELAX.
I seriously doubt it will even matter in college apps. Your GC should know if it does for your school and mention it if needed.
In my state, you have to take PE all 4 years and there are no sports waivers or summer classes instead. I bet it’s like that in lots of places. Health is required here as well, and while some students take it in the summer or earlier in high school, I’m sure not everyone can due to other commitments.
Other students in your high school will have PE and health somewhere in their schedules due to them being graduation requirements. Other high schools commonly have similar requirements. So it is not like you in particular will be the only one in the applicant pool with those courses in the schedule.
Is there any chance that you could complete an on-line course to fulfill your Health class requirement? That might be worth checking into.
@nugraddad I did play varsity tennis but my school district doesn’t count playing a varsity sport as fulfilling a gym credit. @menloparkmom thanks for the advice. I was worried at first because the kids who apply to schools like Duke from my high school have practically all honors/AP classes on their transcripts and take PE/Health over the summer. I should just suck it up cause there isn’t much I can do about it.
You might want to look into taking those classes online.
I am not kidding-there are actually online PE classes.
Just make sure you take them through your school with the approval of your guidance counselor. We almost did this because of a scheduling conflict a few years ago.
@MotherOfDragons I sent an email to the head of academics regarding the online courses but I doubt she will say that I can get credit from them as my school district seems to enjoy screwing over GPAs…
The HOPE program I mentioned is public school accredited. It’s online and covers both gym and health. There’s a monitor you have to buy to make sure you exercise everyday
My daughter took health through Florida Virtual high school. Almost everyone does! Because Virtual school classes are self paced, she finished it in about 8 weeks. Very easy to do even if you are away for the summer.