<p>Do admission officers consider the actual courses taken during high school in relation to the student's major, as opposed to just the rigor? For example, I was planning on going into computer science, but I didn't really think about taking high school courses to prep me, I just took ones that I thought would be fun... This year I probably made the biggest mistake and took Psych AP (joke class at my school, everyone gets an A) and physiology, when I could've taken Physics AP or Chemistry AP. I'm so stressed up because I've really hindered my chances by taken not only weak courses but ones that don't relate to my major. </p>
<p>If it helps, I'm in Calculus AB this year, taking BC next year, and taking Statistics and a community college this semester.</p>
<p>The only explanation/excuse I have for this is that my very own teachers encouraged me to not take the AP's because it would result in "a lot of homework and stress". However, some of my classmates took the classes anyway and they're doing fine and now I really regret listening to my teachers lol.</p>
<p>My understanding is that admissions officers consider the rigor of your course progression in both absolute terms (to see how intensely you challenged yourself in context of what was available) and relative to your interests (to see if you pursued academic areas of interest). </p>
<p>In your case specifically, the fact that you took AP Psych and Physiology (I assume a regular class, rather than an honors one, but the point remains either way), rather than AP Chem or AP Physics, will imply for admissions officers that you did not fully challenge yourself. That being said, 1) the fact that you’re going out of your way to take stats at a community college will help to offset that and 2) if you excel in your selected coursework, and continue to challenge yourself next semester (perhaps that includes one of the aforementioned AP sciences), you can further help with the concern.</p>
<p>I’d try to replace the Stats class (which I don’t believe is a pre-req for CS at Cal) you plan on taking with another class that is? These could include any type of CS classes you have available to you (ideally equivalent to CS 61A, 61B, or 61C) or a higher-level math class assuming you are/will be done with the pre-reqs for it (ideally equivalent to Math 54). You can confirm that the community college classes would articulate to Berkeley at assist.org. That way, the class will have more use for you if you do come to Berkeley and will help convey your interest in CS (especially if you take a CS class).</p>
<p>thanks for the info! I would try to take a pre CS or programming class but basketball and other priorities gets in the way of the classes. Stats is the only option I have at this point and though I realize it doesn’t show interest towards my field, I’m hoping to show my math skills. if I take 4 AP classes next year (most rigorous possible at my school is 5), will that make up for my lack of rigor in grades 9-11?</p>
<p>Of course! Hope it’s helpful. Regarding your question about your classes next year, it’s hard to definitively say whether your senior year will balance out your first three years. While admissions officers love upward trajectory, the CS program at Cal is extremely competitive, so it will also largely depend on your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. In terms of the community college classes, have you looked into differential equations and/or linear algebra (the equivalent of Math 54 at Cal), options at any other local community colleges, or online classes in these subjects at farther but reachable schools? Just a few thoughts. In my opinion, taking Stats will be helpful for applying to college to some degree, but Stats is generally considered less rigorous than Calculus, so it may not have the complete intended effect of demonstrating your math skills.</p>
<p>If you’re unable to take classes (i.e. CS classes) that demonstrate your interest in CS, I’d at least make sure to do things that do convey that interest. This can include an internship, extracurricular activity (perhaps a school club), something you’ve done independently online (start a website, run some type of online business), etc.</p>
<p>There are no community college classes that articulate to Cal’s 61 series. I believe it’s possible to skip 61B if you know Java, but I’m not sure if that’s done by taking an exam or if cc classes articulate. When I called, I was told they prefer all students take the entire series at Cal.</p>
<p>Oops, apparently I was wrong. There ARE cc classes that articulate, but just not at my cc.</p>
<p>I just checked assist.org and it’s pretty easy to find a class that articulates to 61B. I’m just taking AP Comp Sci now, and based on what I was told by the CS department, I was going to take 61B again (if I get into Cal). </p>
<p>Does anyone recommend skipping 61B if I’ve taken AP Comp Sci?</p>
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<p>Not me. My D had 2 years in programming, and knew C, C++, and Java before taking 61B. She told me there was a lot to learn.</p>
<p>Don’t skip the basic.</p>
<p>While the College of Engineering allowed students who did well enough on the discontinued AP computer science AB test to fulfill CS 61B (not CS 61A), it does not give anything for AP computer science A.</p>
<p>@Pentaprism … Wow. If I were her, I would have thought I knew enough. Thanks for sharing that–I’ll just plan to take them all when/if I get there. Do you think it’s worthwhile taking the comparable classes at cc and getting exposed early, or should I spend my time doing other things (taking other classes, doing more ec’s, or just having more fun and less stress!)?</p>