<p>My son is looking at Brown, Yale, and Columbia. On paper he has the numbers and credentials to be at least in the running for those schools. Here is my question: He needs to decide between taking Latin 4 AP and AP Euro History. He has gotten As in Latin 1,2, and Latin 3 Honors.He can do the Latin and get the A, but he vastly prefers taking the AP Euro class. He is a history fanatic and the teacher is amongst the school's best. Do you think his chances of admission to the Ivies will be compromised if he opts for AP Euro and doesn't take the Latin? (They are each only offered one section, and meet during the same period, so he can't take both.)</p>
<p>hi catherine,</p>
<p>personally, i do not think it will be a very big deal no matter which course you take because they are both good classes. first, you should make sure that the schools that he is interested in offer credit for the exam. see if these schools have any preference in which type of ap classes you take. there is a good side to taking either one. for example if he takes ap latin and gets credit on it, he might be exempt from taking a foreign language requirement in college which can be a very good thing to get out of the way. however, if he is really into history, it wouldn’t be a mistake for him to take ap euro as it may be a good prep for classes he’ll take in college and college would like to see him take classes that he really has an interest for. its really up to whatever he feels is more important to him. that being said, i don’t think he can go wrong either way. good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input tab0987. The college credit angle is one I hadn’t considered, and your advice to take the class he is really interested in makes sense to me. I am thinking of calling a couple of the schools tomorrow and asking one of the admissions officers what they think. I am hoping that with everything else in the application, the matter of one course won’t be a deal breaker. Thanks again for your response.</p>
<p>Both my children had to make some very difficult choices in high school, nonetheless both chose to take the other AP class online and their GC praised and explained the class choices in her LoR. If your son wants to impress admission officers he should look for ways to take or self study the other class.</p>
<p>Thank you, lillymom. Still weighing out the options, but all the input helps.</p>
<p>Hi there, I’m about to be a senior and I’m basically in the same predicament… I’ve taken 3 years of French, and due to a scheduling conflict I have to choose between AP French IV or AP Computer Science. Working with computers is my passion, and any interest that I had in learning French has greatly diminished over the years… I’m convinced that colleges like to see students who take classes that they actually have an interest in; just make sure your son expresses his love for history somewhere in his college application. Or, ask his guidance counselor to make a note of why he didn’t take a fourth year of Latin and opted for AP Euro instead when he/she writes his/her recommendation for your son.</p>
<p>Anyways, I wish you and your son the best of luck. If it isn’t too much of a bother, please let me know what class he ends up choosing. Thanks :P</p>
<p>Thanks for your good response. Talked to GC and she will indeed make note of the scheduling conflicts in her letter. My son decided to follow his passion and take the AP Euro - only to discover that the course was full! So he is trying to get in if someone drops, but meantime is okay with the Latin. </p>
<p>Good luck to you with your applications and thanks again for taking the time to respond.</p>