High school courses for college

Applying to College
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Hello all
My son will be HS freshman this fall.I was going through different threads and was unable to understand certain terms like EC ‘s for college application . D applied to colleges for this fall and unaware of certain things we made lots of mistakes . Do not want to repeat or make new mistakes so understanding the procedure again . Can someone make me understand what all to consider courewise while in HS for college app. My son interested in CS. I found college confidential 2 days back i wish i knew this before……

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You should be talking with your son’s guidance counselor at school. Get a copy of the school’s Program of Study. There is usually a progression table for each subject area and all courses offered will be listed. This will help you plan and getting the GCs input early will be helpful.

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In general, you want your child to focus on core courses - 4 years of math, science, history, English and foreign language.

For science - one year each of bio, chem, physics and then science be at an AP level (if your son still leans towards CS or engineering in a few years AP physics C would be most helpful).

For math, reaching AP calc by senior year will be helpful.

Prioritize the core courses before electives.

Work with your student’s guidance counselor to map out all four years.

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Some colleges list their minimum HS course requirements on their websites but I agree with @momofboiler1 and @DadSays that having 4 years of the core subjects and working with the GC at your son’s HS will be the best option. There is no reason for a HS student to specialize in their intended major in HS. Having the core subjects and a solid background in Math/Science courses are important for CS majors.

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EC = Extra-Curricular activity. There’s a lot of lingo on the board, and I’ve been trying to pick it up as I go along. That’s one I figured out! Feel free to ask about other terms, or perhaps there’s a FAQ somewhere with a lingo-deciphering section.

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http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/common-acronyms-and-abbreviations-used-in-the-college-confidential-forums/

Here’s a helpful link!

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FAQ: High School College Prep Base Curriculum may be helpful.

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