My class of 25 kiddo just found out she needs to change her schedule to add AP Bio. It means changing from IB Spanish HL to IB Spanish SL and losing a year of classroom Spanish. She is already very proficient in Spanish (having completed a Spanish immersion K-6 program). She took AP Spanish her freshman year and got a 5 on the AP exam, she didn’t take Spanish her sophomore year, and is taking Spanish SL/HL this year (and will likely score very well on the SL exam).
If she only takes two years of high school Spanish (AP Spanish and IB Spanish) will that satisfy the difficult-to-please schools (she is fluent), or will they ding her not having three+?
Her IB and theater schedule don’t allow her to do both Spanish HL and AP Bio (she is already taking 4 years of science: Chem, and three years of Physics, but we had to add AP Bio because one of the schools on her short list (CalPoly) requires Bio specifically and she didn’t have it in her schedule at all.)
Proficiency level always matters. Number of years taken may matter, depending on the college.
It does look like the student has taken multiple of the same level Spanish courses (AP 5 seems to be like IB 7 to some colleges with respect to Spanish placement), which could look like grade grubbing.
She is required to take IB Spanish for the IB diploma, so she didn’t have any option to not take both AP and IB Spanish. Most kids take 4 years of language, but since she already came in with such a strong second language, she didn’t (the classes would have been really basic for her).
Thank you, that is helpful. Maybe for those that care about years and not fluency, they would take her 8th grade advanced Spanish course? If she does model UN in Spanish next year maybe that will help?
Yeah, she will end up with extra science. It was a fluke of our small IB program. They just added HL Physics as an option while she was already in the middle of her AP physics in sophomore year. She is a physics lover, so she definitely wanted to do her IB HL (2 year progression) in physics and not bio (the other option).
Her little sister (class of 27) will likely do chem, physics, Bio/Bio (HL) or chem, bio, physics/physics (HL).
Wow, that’s a screwy high school schedule! 3 yrs of Physics?
As an aside, just pointing out how wonderful dual language programs are, starting in kindergarten. Look at this kid, who 3 yrs afterwards gets a 5 on the AP Spanish, based largely upon what she had in elementary school. If we weren’t stupid Americans, we’d have ALL elementary schools be dual language immersion.
Her high school counselor can point out that she is not a heritage speaker of Spanish who already scored a 5 on the AP. That should be good enough, no matter where she goes. She definitely should take the AP Bio.
An additional possibility, although she probably doesn’t have time for it, is for her to take a high level Spanish lit class at a nearby college (they’ll probably let her take it for free). My kid did this, even took a master’s degree level course in Spanish (taught in Spanish) the last semester of senior yr, at night.
Yeah, it’s a lot of physics for sure. She wants to major in that though, so hopefully it will give her a chance to decide if she really loves it before jumping into it.
Since you mentioned CalPoly as a school she is considering I’m guessing she is a CA resident. If she decides Physics is what she wants to do then be sure she takes a look at the Physics major offered by the UCSB College of Creative Studies (Physics | UCSB College of Creative Studies) CCS is sometimes called grad school for undergrad since they have small lower-division classes and students can skip intro classes and sign up for literally any class at UCSB, undergrad or grad, that they and their advisor think they are ready to take.
I believe the family is in Utah although other than some money (higher tuition cost), it wouldn’t impact your answer. The family is seeking “value” though - and of course how one defines that is up to themselves.
While the IB diploma program has its fans here, its rigidity seems to make it a poor fit for students who are unusually advanced in one of the required subjects (particularly foreign language and math), since the required courses could mean taking courses and doing work that does not significantly advance the student’s knowledge in the area.
Perhaps so, but that ship has sailed for us. Luckily, we are pleased with the IB options thus far. It is definitely the most rigorous option at my kiddo’s school.
We are not in CA, but yes, UCSB sounds like another great option if we decide to spend the full $76k (we don’t qualify for any aid and are trying to balance value with the quality of the program and the college experience).
The reason that I’m surprised by 3 yrs of Physics in high school is that there is usually only one year of Physics class offered in high school that’s really at the college level - Physics C. Physics 1+2 are without calculus, essentially what used to be high school Physics. At my kids’ public high school, kids go straight into that, while also taking Calc BC. But taking 3 yrs of Physics eats into the opportunity to take other sciences, as you’ve noticed. I understand kid’s having to deal with the course requirements for the IB; If you’re in SLC, the IB program most definitely is the most rigorous high school program available, was a very wise choice.
If you’re in Utah, the U of Utah is perfectly fine for undergrad Physics. They can do grad school in CA or anywhere else. I hope that she will apply there as her safety, since it’s likely to be very affordable for her.
Speak with her school counselor, and make sure that they understand that they need to point out in their letter that she has satisfied the most rigorous foreign language level available, without coming from a home that speaks that language. She doesn’t have to mention the immersion program in elementary school.
Kids at our HS who wind up physics C all take 3 years of physics. They take an intro to physical science class as freshman, honors physics as sophomores or more typically juniors and AP physics as seniors. AP sciences have honors as the prerequisite
IB Physics is a bit odd, since they are writing research papers etc rather than “just” learning the concepts and testing. In her case, AP physics 1 acted as the intro class, but I think they will let kids take it without having AP physics first, now that it is integrated into the school curriculum. https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/new-structure/programmes/dp/pdfs/physicshl2016englishw.pdf
Yes, UofU is a great option for physics, but she really wants to go out of the state.
Does she want it 150-200k worth? Put it in terms of how many years of work it is for you, and dont forget that you probably have to earn 300k to pay 150k, when considering the tax rate on your last dollar earned. Better yet, put it as how many hours SHE would have to work, at her min wage HS job, to pay the difference.
You’re already there!!! 2 years of language.