High School Course Advice

It’s good, except you need to find a way to accelerate in French and reach level 3. A good y is to take two or three semesters through dual enrollment.

Please see a thread on foreign language requirements, I am afraid you might be falling short there. Enjoy your vacation!

Try to complete the base curriculum listed at http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2055289-faq-high-school-college-prep-base-curriculum.html .

Note that calculus while in high school is only required or recommended by a very small number of colleges and universities in the US: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2015601-what-us-universities-explicitly-state-that-calculus-is-required-or-expected-for-frosh-applicants-p2.html

Also, out-of-state public universities tend not to give financial aid. So be sure to talk to your parents about what they will contribute to find out if out-of-state public universities are financially realistic at list price.

For the schools you are gunning for, yes you need to double up on math so you can get to calculus before you graduate. I also agree with the above poster that you are going to run into trouble having only 2 years of a foreign language. Some of the schools on your list expect 4 years. Also the highly selective schools want to see a very rigorous course load. The regular chem may raise some eyebrows. Do you have an honors option if you don’t want to do AP?

It may not be realistic to double up math the usual way other then geometry and algebra 2 (where the opportunity has passed), since precalculus has algebra 2 as a prerequisite.

If the courses are online self-paced courses, it may be possible to sequentially double up by going through algebra 2 more quickly to finish in a semester, then go through precalculus more quickly to finish it the following semester. But that depends on the online courses being self-paced, and the student willing to take them at faster pace.

In any case, calculus while in high school is not required by most colleges and universities, who presumably understand that some students are not able to take it due to math placement decisions made in middle school (but students who are on track to take calculus but opt not to may be more at a disadvantage).

Thank you all for the replies!

Regarding Calculus: I was told that calculus (specifically AP calc) would make me a competitive applicant for computer science major. People on this forum previously told me that it is crucial I take calculus in order to be competitive at these schools. Could someone please clarify?

Regarding Foreign Language: I am quite disappointed in this as I assumed that meeting the language requirements of most of these schools was sufficient. Online foreign language is a very tedious and frustrating course. With that said, I will attempt to fast-track it and complete three years; I don’t think it’s a hard course.

Regarding Math Fast-tracking: if I can avoid taking calculus I would be thrilled because I would be able to take AP Stats in grade 12 in place of Calculus (while still taking algebra and precalc) and wouldn’t have to work my ass off just to complete these classes.

Regarding Computer Science: since I am a future computer science major, does anyone have advice for my CS classes in grade 11? I can not take AP CS as algebra is a prerequisite but I could take AP CS Principle, Game Design, or a college computer science class(?).

Regarding Chemistry: chemistry and history are my kryptonite. I hate these classes with such a passion. I would like to manipulate my schedule so that taking the regular version of these courses would be acceptable; if not, I would be willing to take honors. I’ve never taken an honors class. Can someone inform me about how much more difficult this class is? More coursework, more in-depth analysis, harder rubrics, etc.

Regarding Tuition Costs: I am blessed with the majority of my tuition being paid for. Please do not take this into consideration when figuring out my classes!

Thank you so much, everyone! I am from a small town in Canada and never learned about this stuff and my counselor isn’t reliable. I can’t express how much this all means to me!

Update:

After reading a lot of the threads linked, it appears that I won’t be able to get into schools like CalTech, MIT, Stanford without calculus. This is fine with me. I would also be far less competitive if I chose to do an engineering major (which is my backup in case I don’t do well in AP Computer Science) which is a concern but may be alright. Worst case scenario, I could take a “gap” year and finish AP Calc and a foreign language then, correct? (not ideal)

Hi,

I’ll cut right to the chase here-

I’m an online high school student that just graduated grade 10 and am looking for any advice regarding my courses. I have a 4.0 GPA and want to challenge myself more, yet I do not want to take any advanced class for chemistry/history. With that said, here’s the information:

Schools I’m Aiming For:

Dream: MIT/Harvard/CalTech/Stanford (not a priority)

Reach: UCLA, Vanderbilt, UWashington,

Likely: UCI, UCSD, UCSB, CU Boulder, Pepperdine

Saftey: UOregon

Major: Computer Science (very slim chance that I will choose engineering over computer science)
Minor: Business

Test Scores: N/A
GPA: 4.0

Courses:

Grade 9: (FINISHED)
Simple pass or fail math, social studies, ELA, science, and health

Grade 10: (FINISHED)
Geometry
World Literature
World History
Biology
Entrepreneurship
Business
Computer Science A
PE

Grade 11: (LOOKING FOR ADVICE)
AP Language and Composition
AP Psychology
Honors Algebra 2 + Honors Precalc
Chemistry
French 1
Media Arts

Grade 12: (LOOKING FOR ADVICE)
AP Literature and Composition
American History
AP Calculus
AP Physics (have to take in grade 12 because of Alg. PreReq.)
French 2
AP Computer Science (have to take in grade 12 because of Alg. PreReq.)

I am making this post to get some advice on my planner for grade 11 and grade 12. I originally planned to take AP Physics this year, but I realized that I needed to finish algebra before I can do that. This shakes my entire schedule up because I think my grade 11 schedule is way too soft my target schools and my grade 12 is too intense for me. The reason I am not planning on taking honors/ap chemistry and history is that those are my two least favorite and worst subjects that I simply will not take (I will end up with a poor grade if I do this).

Regarding Calculus:
I understand that I must take calculus, but to do that I need to take 3 math courses in 3 years. The problem I have is I was just informed that I can not start Algebra early, meaning that I have to finish 3 math courses in 3 years during the 10 month school period. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

My high school counselor is absolutely terrible. They have excluded crucial details that may have derailed my goals permanently. They didn’t mention my need for calculus in a CS major, and they didn’t account for the vast majority of my classes that require(d) Algebra 2. They are unwilling to give me certain information that is pertinent to my success which is why I’ve come here for some help.

With that said, I am looking for any help here regarding my hopes for elite college admission. Anything from classes to tests to ECs to anything. Thank you very much!

Sorry for any errors… I was in a rush to finish this before I leave on vacation tonight! Thank you.

During a gap year, you would not be able to take college courses after high school graduation, because then many college will require you to apply as a transfer instead of frosh.

Since your dream schools are “not a priority”, does it really matter if you do not apply to them because you do not have calculus?

Take AP CS principles to get an overview of what CS is about to determine your interest.

@ucbalumnusnus thank you for the reply.

Since my school is an online private accredited high school, I was thinking of just doing one or two courses during a gap year. These courses would not be college level. Again, this is just my “worst case scenario” as I am already a year behind everyone else my age and would prefer to go to college before I am 20 years old.

Correct, my dream schools are essentially just markers of what caliber I would like to apply to. Regardless of how I finish my grade 12, I would like to apply to many ivy league schools and MIT/Stanford in attempts of a miracle. You never know what they are looking for! I am willing to spend the money on applications for a chance to get into a top tier school!

I will be sure to take AP CS principles this year. To be honest with you, I forgot about this course until I made this thread!

For a CS major, you definitely need to bump up UCSD, UCSB, and probably UCI into the reach category.

Can you take dual enrollment classes at a local college? If so taking Algebra2H over one semester, then college algebra (=Precalculus) would allow you to accelerate. Same thing with French - college foreign language is much more intense than high school level, so that completing 2 semesters in college typically corresponds to 3 years worth of high school content. You could then either take HS level 4 online, or level 3 through dual enrollment, and meet that requirement for all universities.

AP CS Principles for grade 11 is a good idea to introduce you to the field. Cs A is programming.

My nephew just graduated Brown with a CS degree. He only did AP Calculus AB in high school and thought he would be behind. He quickly found out that there were some students who had only gone through precalculus in high school, some the same math as him, some had done BC Calculus and some higher.

@belmom Really? That is great information. If you or anyone else could help me make a better college list, that would be appreciated. I do not have test scores, but I plan to continue my 4.0 GPA through the next few years and take many AP courses including 2 AP CS, 1 CS, and 2-3 business courses. I made this list assuming my starter business will reach over 10,000 annual dollars in revenue without parental help and I will make a mobile application for my school (free of cost).

UCSB CDS directly caters to my talents, so I think that would be a good probable school. Do you suggest me bumping UWashington and others up to dream and then making the UC schools as reach? Are there any suggestions for more probable schools that are similar to the ones I have listed?

@momtogirls2 Thank you very much! I can not express how big of a relief this is!

@MYOS1634 Unfortunetly, that would be nearly impossible. I am constantly traveling, so going to a local school is not ideal. Is this possible through an online college?

Also, may I ask why everyone is so concerned with foreign language credits? I understand it is recommended that I take 4 years of a language but I think it has gotten to the point where that is impossible. My first year of schooling was a simple pass or fail, flexible, weak school. From this, I think they can determine that 3 years is the suggested for me. 2/3 (ergo 18/19 for recomendations along with an arts credit and many electives) isn’t bad, correct?

My updated schedule will be all the same except for adding honors Chemistry (still looking for an answer regarding honors classes in my post above), AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Statistics.

@belmom could you please expand on your concerns of UC schools on my list? I would greatly appreciate it as your comment has left me questioning my entire college list!

Thank you.

If your going to apply to top schools they will have a vast majority of students applying who have had 4 years of a language or the equivalent level. Since your 9th grade isn’t that strong it probably won’t help you if you just take 2 years of a core subject. When so many candidates are applying it could be used as a weed out factor. Honestly as much as you don’t seem to want to take more than 2 years, it really is to your benefit. It is more important than say AP Psych which is an elective.

@momtogirls2

To elaborate on what I said earlier:

I am in a unique situation. It took me two years to finish Grade 9 and another year to do a few Grade 10 courses. These were all pass or fail and I was in a really bad place in life. Last summer, I made a transformation (not sexually… I feel that needs to be said) and started in a private, accredited online high schools. For Grade 10 (this past years grade), I was given my courses and didn’t have much say in the matter as my family and I were uninformed. After doing excellent in my courses, I’ve done more research and posting on this forum to find out I need to take more languages, history, calculus, and more. Since doing that, I’ve added the most language classes I could do. To clarify, I don’t mind taking language classes, I just do not want to fast-track my language classes while doing all my AP courses. I just don’t see the benefit to fast-tracking considering my circumstances and the fact that most of my colleges have 2 years required. It’s not like I will miss requirements.

You say AP Psychology is an elective? In my school, it is under social studies which have a four-year requirement for most of my college lists.

Another potential major issue that I need help with:
My science labs are NOT UC approved. What can I do? Will this change my list drastically?

You need to find 2 UC approved science classes to meet a-g requirements.

@FakeName1332 from what I can tell California Schools are strict with requirements. I know when I spoke to a rep at a local national college fair we were talking about the art/music requirement. He said that several people had already told him that it was a waste to take info from him because they had never taken art/music in high school. It is not a requirement in my city or state thus it isn’t something people who have no interest take. He also mentioned they can tell who takes AP Art History to fulfill a requirement vs who enjoys art so he wishes they would eliminate AP Art History as an acceptable art class. He also said it didn’t matter what state a person lived in without meeting the art/music requirement even if they were perfect in all other ways they wouldn’t get accepted. My guess is that wit science being a core subject there is no way they would exempt you from the UC approved science class/lab requirements. However this is just my take.

As to FL you can call admissions and ask what they think. I’m just saying that for top schools It can definitely put you at a disadvantage.

Here AP Psych is a history elective - we need US History 1, 2 and World History but social studies classes like economics, psych, soc are electives. Same here for Stats as a math elective. Your right in taking another is needed for many schools. Harvard does mention 3 years of history but 4 years of FL. Personally I would take focus on getting your core requirements done then fit in CS.