<p>Hey guys! Right now I am in a pretty tight situation schedule wise. Right now I am ranked 10th in my class out of 650 (top 2%) and I would like to maintain that rank. The problem is that at my school most kids who are looking to remain top ten, and are aiming for an ivy league school, are taking five AP courses and two honors courses. Right now in my schedule I have:
AP Calculus (ab)
AP Physics
AP Literature
AP Psychology
Honors Chemistry II.</p>
<p>the last spot for a class comes down to microeconomics (a dual enrollment course that is weighted the same as an AP in my school) or my fifth year of French (an honors course weighted less than AP) since my school could not fit both into my schedule. I would be giving up French V to take Microeconomics to maintain my GPA. Which is more important to Harvard?</p>
<p>p.s. although I have completed four levels of French, the first was taken in middle school. I started out a freshman taking French 2, and finished French four this past year. </p>
<p>You’re mistaken if you think either decision will make a diff. You’ve completed 4 yrs of Fr. Great. If you want a 5th year, go for it. If you want Econ, go for it. You’re also mistaken that you’ve got to go tit-for-tat vs your classmates class for class in order to be admitted to a top school.</p>
<p>It just doesn’t work like that. Someone with a less rigorous schedule than you may be picked while you’re rejected. Or vice versa. At the very selective schools, once applicants reach a certain level of academic achievement, it all boils down to other soft factors.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for the advice so far! Sounds pretty solid. It’s just been tough as both classes interest me and I tried looking at it in a cost vs benefit way.</p>
<p>Anyone else reading the threat may feel free to answer. All advice is well appreciated and accepted!</p>
<p>T26 and gibby are right (and there’s nothing unusual in that): there’s no objective winner between those classes if you’re looking at costs and benefits. Both of them are serious, high-level academic classes. Either one will look appropriately demanding on your transcript.</p>
<p>Your options basically boil down to these two: figure out which one you’d prefer to take, and take it; or to let somebody else tell you which one to take, and take it. You seem to be angling for the latter!</p>
<p>If you are, I say French. For no good reason, except that it appeals to me more.</p>
<p>^^ as you are angling for the latter, here’s my advice:</p>
<p>Every selective college – that includes HYPSM and the little ivies – have a college-level language requirement that can be partially or totally satisfied by taking high school French followed by the appropriate test. If you drop French and DO NOT take either the AP French Test or SAT Subject Test, you will need to take at least one year, maybe two years, of a foreign language at college – no exceptions. On the other hand, if you take Microeconomics and score a 5 on the AP, you need to check each college’s AP requirements to see if they will give you credit. I know Harvard, Yale, MIT and Stanford will not give you AP credit for Micro, but Princeton will. So, my advice: take French and the SAT Subject test or AP French exam.</p>
<p>lol I was actually angling towards microeconomics instead of French. I didn’t want this thread to be about telling me what to take. Rather, I wanted to get new perspectives on the issue at hand because college confidential often has many people with knowledge regarding such selective school. </p>
<p>What I really wanted answered was what would have less of a negative impact: only three years of French or dropping from top ten in my class to top fifteen or even top twenty depending on how others do if I was to take french. In my school senior year gpa and rank is calculated every marking period, not just end of the year. That’s why this is a big deal for me right now…otherwise it wouldn’t really be of issue. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the messages so far! I am happy that you took the time to respond to this thread. If someone could clear that question up that would be better. </p>
<p>I know once you reach a point academically its all the same to them, but where is that point. that’s the question really.</p>
<p>If you’ve taken French IV, that counts as 4 years of French. So if you take economics, that’s not a serious problem. Neither Harvard nor any of its peers will care about a trifling difference in your GPA or class rank if the highest level language is honors but economics counts the same as AP. So that’s not a serious problem if you decide to take French.</p>
<p>Really and truly, the choices are equally good. And any niggling bean-counter who tells you otherwise is talking through his hat.</p>
<p>junioryear14: T26E4 told you something in post#2, which I don’t think you understand, so let me try to explain it another way by giving you a real world example.</p>
<p>At my son and daughter’s high school, every year about 150 students apply to Harvard. Over the last 10 years, Harvard has accepted as few as 8 students and as many as 26 students. But each year, Harvard (and all selective colleges really) pick and choose who they want from the students that have applied. They don’t take the top 8 kids or the top 26 kids. Some years, Harvard has passed over the valedictorian and salutatorian who had 97-98 averages in the most rigorous courses, and instead accepted students who had 94, 95 and 96 averages with a little bit less rigor. Harvard takes who they take and you have absolutely no control over whether they take you or not. And it won’t matter one bit if you take Micro or French. So, you should take the course you are most interested in as neither choice will have an impact – positive or negative – on whether you are accepted or rejected.</p>
<p>And to answer your other question:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It all comes down to your teacher recommendations, essays and EC’s – that is what distinguishes one high performing student from another. Colleges build classes and look for different kinds of people – people with passion and drive who are leaders in the classroom – those things cannot be gleaned by looking at a student’s test scores, GPA or course rigor. It comes down to how an Admissions Director “feels” after getting a glimpse into your soul by reading your teacher recs and essays.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I’ll just think about which class will bring me the most rewarding experience. At my school its similar to the situation gibby mentioned. While it is very rare that we have people from our school attend ivy league schools and the like (many years in a row we have zero out of 700 in a grade), I have seen valedictorians rejected and accepted and people with lower ranks around fifteen, twenty and even one in the thirties accepted. I was fearful out of the fact that the competition is becoming harder and I didn’t want to put myself out of the desired range, especially when my other attributes are good, but not mind-blowing insane like some other people. At this stage I just want to do the best I can that way whether acceptance or rejection comes, I know that I did give my all regardless of that letter. That’s what really matters in the end. </p>
<p>I am an international Chinese student in Canada. I took 2 years of French, and I am going into my 11th year. Can I not continue French and do the AP Chinese test instead (I can ensure I get a 5 on that)? Or do I have to continue French and have 4 years in total? Also do I have to do the AP/SAT French test?</p>
<p>Since you speak/write Chinese, your non-English language requirement is already fulfilled. You have no further college required language requirement once you take a placement exam at your enrolled college. You don’t need to take AP Chinese or AP French.</p>