I am currently in my junior year of High School, I finished all 3 sciences in my freshman year because of being from a different country. I moved in here in my sophomore year.in New York. I wanted to take AP physics in my sophomore year but was told that they don’t allow sophomores to take that course,so I didn’t have any science last year.
I took algebra 2 as my math,and this year I skipped pre calc and went straight to AP calculus BC,which is double period. I have other two math classes, Math Research and Graph Theory and Number Theory(First semester Graph Theory,second semester Number Theory).
So I have four periods of math,but I don’t have any other room in my schedule,I have 1-10 periods. I wanted to take AP physics badly but I don’t have any room for it. I am also taking AP english and AP US.
Are colleges gonna notice not seeing any science classes for two consecutive years because of these schedule conflicts and rules? I am extremely confused and don’t know what to do.
You still have your senior year to take classes so just make sure you have a schedule that looks like you are really pushing yourself. They will see you took many in the freshman year and as long as you still took challenging classes and pushed yourself, you should be fine.
A weird schedule, but as long as you complete all the degree requirements of your state and high school, I don’t see why colleges would care. I mean you can’t change it now at this point anyway, right?
I’m confused though about the English. Most colleges require four years, and since you spent your freshman year in another country, are you going to be short one year of English?
Please sit down with your guidance counselor to be sure you will meet all the requirements to graduate. My kid goes to high school in NY state. Will you have four years of English? What about gym? Have you taken health? NY state requires it. You need global history and US history. Have you got at least two years of foreign language? Have you taken an art, music, or basic engineering class? Graduating requires one of those. I personally think it was a mistake to take all the extra math classes when you could have teen AP physics as a junior, but it is probably too late to do anything about it. Make an appt asap with your counselor.
I took English as a foreign language in my previous country,so I have that credit. And I have taken health, Gym ,Art and all those and will continue taking the ones necessary. I have the history credits too. It won’t be a problem to graduate hopefully but I am trying to go to one of the higher end colleges. So that’s why I’m concerned.
I might still have time to change something,The other two math classes are mandatory for me,so it’s a choice between either AP Calculus BC or AP physics. I am really on the fence right now and not sure which one to choose or having completely a math driven schedule would hurt my chances or not.
In senior year I still have 5 math classes that I have to take,not leaving a room for much other classes. I chose to go to math major in my school so it’s mandatory. But the main problem I have is not having science classes in my schedule.
(btw thanks for the replies,I highly appreciate the help)
What sort of high school are you in? Your math schedule doesn’t make sense. There’s no such thing as having to take 5 math classes senior year.
What’s your full schedule this year?
I am in a high school where you choose your majors and stick with it during your junior and senior year. I chose the math major so I’ll have more classes in math.
In senior year I’ve to take multivariable calculus,ap macro-econ,ap micro-econ,AP stats, Mathematical computing.
These classes leave no space for any AP science classes that I wish to take in a 10 period schedule.
Switch out AP Stats (which is an elective) to take AP Physics.
What colleges will see is that you took no foreign language and no science classes while in high school plus no English senior year, and while you met basic requirements in these subjects thanks to your foreign high school, it will not be acceptable outside of (perhaps) your State flagship and colleges ranked 50-125+. If you’re aiming for Top 50 it won’t work.
Also you’re taking five classes only (ad AP micro/macro typically count as one together, so strictly speaking you have 4 full unit classes, including two core classes and two electives) - most high schools offer six or seven classes per day, or, if A/B or bloc scheduling, 4+4 classes.
Can you list your classes per subject, including your foreign 9th grade and the level (regular, honors, AP/IB/AICE)?
English:
Math:
Social Science/History:
Science:
Foreign Language:
Art:
Technology:
Others:
MYOS is right and you should do as suggested. I agree that your lack of science and foreign languages is going to be a problem if you are aiming high. You must be in a private high school, because no public high school works like that. You need to show competency in a foreign language if English isn’t your first language so you should take AP foregin language tests next May, or SAT subject tests in foreign languages. Regardless, most, if not all, top colleges want to see three years at least of FL. I suggest you email the admissions office at your schools of interest, explain your situation, and ask what they think.
Will they notice? Yes. But what is more important is that they will notice that it is not a schedule conflict. A schedule conflict, by definition, is out of your control. When the one section of AP Calc meets in the same period as the only section of AP Physics - that’s a schedule conflict. In which case you can move AP Physics to senior year. But when you opt not to take AP Physics as a senior in order to jam in MVC/stats/mathematical computing, that’s a conscious decision on your part, not a scheduling conflict.
From your earlier thread:
So yes, I think you should figure out how to work in another year of science (and agree that AP Stats is the one that can be deleted). Additionally, as @MYOS1634 states, regardless of whether you have completed your HS requirements for English, not taking English each year is problematic.
Most top colleges will have similar expectations. Quite frankly, if you are in a private high school, I am not sure being a math major is going to help you in any way for competitive US college admissions. What kind of guidance are you getting at your school if they aren’t ensuring that you are taking the kinds of courses top colleges expect? This all seems a bit strange.
You need four years of English to apply to American universities. Native speakers take literature classes. Even if you do not need English for foreign speakers you still need English.
Please go talk to the guidance counselor about a broader schedule.
Have you researched college admission requirements where your interested in applying to. They can surpass high school graduation requirements. If your goal is top tier missing even 1 requirement can be all it takes to prevent your acceptance since they reject the vast majority of applicants.
Thank you for all the responses, It really helps out a lot.
I am taking all years of English and foreign language as I said. I am taking spanish 2 right now ,and also AP English Language and composition. By the end of the school I will have three years of foreign language and 4 years of English.So that part will be good I guess.
And I go to a public high school here in New York,they have a system like the colleges where you choose your majors in junior year. This is a high profile school I was able to get in through a test,which was really lucky for me considering I was new to this country. I will not tell the name as it’s not allowed here.
And it is a schedule conflict as I have 10 periods a day,which is the max you can have. So I don’t have any room to squeeze in any other classes at all. And me being in the math major requires me to take the math classes I mentioned,which is why it’s problematic.
I do have one science elective which is a research class.I am not sure how to explain all these situations to colleges and stuff
Is this a magnet school? If so, how many kids go off to highly competitive colleges? What flexibility on the math major? It does no good to focus so much on math and miss other rigor and the right rigorous balance. The US top colleges are holistic and expect this.
Look at what your target colleges recommend. But in general, for a tippy top, 4 years English, 4 years lab sci, including at least one at the highest level, 3-4 years foreign lang, 4 years math (through AP calc,) and 2-4 years history.
Using transfer credits in bio, chem, physics won’t cut it. You need an AP. Especially for a stem major. One year of history isn’t enough.
I think adcoms will look at the transcript and have an omg moment, unless you take control. Unless you were fortunate to go to 9th at a recognized intl school, they’ll have little way to judge that year.
If you’re thinking MIT, read the admissions blogs. Unilateral is risky.
I think an issue is that your school counts 1 year in a subject = 2 credits (one per semester) but colleges consider 1 credit=1 year. That difference led you to miscalculate what you need.
In other words, if you use your school’s way of counting, you need 8 credits in English, 8 credits in science, 8 credits in history or social science, 8 credits in math including precalculus and possibly, 6 credits in the same foreign language (reaching level3 in one language), and 2-4 elective credits (can be math/CS) to apply to a selective college.
You probably need to take classes through Collegenow or online or through the summer.
Is your goal a CUNY? Clarkson? Stony Brook or Bing or Geneseo or Buffalo? RPI, Union? MIT?
You need to go see your guidance counselor to ask “what about English? What about AP science?” As well as “with that schedule and these grades, what colleges can I aim for?”
Since your school is one of the “exam” schools, they must have decent college advising, use it today.
As ski pointed out, OP did say, “I have a dream of getting into mit or other ivy league universities one day.” That changes everything. Assuming the hs math major means stem hopes, he has to elevate the rest of stem prep. Just taking the core lab sci in 9th isn’t enough. It’s 9th level learning, not AP, and abroad. He won’t have a sci LoR. (Of course, he could get one from math, but that teacher wouldn’t even have reference to his sci experience. Nor would the GC.)
And he’ll compete against kids who did more.
Online does make sense, if used wisely. Does online Spanish free up the schedule? He needs to view this from the adcoms’ perspectives, not just what the hs expects.
Even if the dream schools get ratcheted down, he needs to be certain he gets the course balance expected by colleges. And the ECs.
The OP needs to go to his/her GC today. Not only is the OP not understanding/acknowledging that the proposed schedule will not be competitive for top colleges, it doesn’t look like it would even fulfill the requirements needed to graduate HS.
op - keep in mind when applying to college goes by
1 year = 1 credit
1 semester = 1/2 year = 1/2 credit (unless schools are on a block schedule)
and colleges will adjust your 2 credits your school gives to 1 credit for their purposes
It doesn’t help at all to say that you can’t do classes since your limited by 10 periods since 6-8 periods is very typical for the majority of high schools.
Also remember that high school graduation requirements are not the same as college entrance expectations.
High school graduation requirements are a minimum standard that students at all levels regardless of what they want to do after high school need to meet. Top level colleges have their own standards they look for to be accepted that often go above high school graduation requirements
going to a test school should help but you still have to meet high school graduation requirements and college entrance expectations for top level schools