<p>Hi everyone,
I have a question about my daughter's schedule, which she is trying to finalize for next year. She's going to be a senior. Her high school has block scheduling and students can take up to 8 credits each year. She is planning to take: AP Lit, AP Calc, AP French, Honors Physics (You can't take AP physics unless you have already had a year of physics), Graphic Arts (required vocational credit), Advanced Creative Writing (Hopefully honors weight), and a half year of psychology (College weighted, which is the highest weight it comes in.) She signed up for Advanced Acting (Honors) , but we think it will be cancelled. If it doesn't make, that gives her 6 1/2 credits so far. My daughter has been planning to take an Independent study with her English teacher for another credit, but when she was about to sign up she was told by her guidance counsellor that Independent Studies in her school are only college weighted, and that adding a college-weighted class, even if she got a 100 in it, would probably move her down in class rank. : 0(She is now ranked #3, which is barely in the top 1%.) She is going to do the planned work with her English teacher even if she doesn't get credit for it, so whether or not to do the work is not in question. Here's my question: Would it look better to colleges if she has the Independent Study on the transcript but a lower class rank, or if she doesn't take the Independent Study officially and has a higher class rank? Will putting only 6 1/2 credits on her transcript (when 8 are theoretically possible) look bad? (By the way, in case anyone is wondering, there really are no viable high-weighted classes she can take in addition.) Thanks for any tips you can give!</p>
<p>Is there way you could get credit for taking the course, but not getting graded? Sort of like a computer course of how your school recognizes you took the course, but won't add it into GPA? I would discuss with school, if possible.</p>
<p>When you say her school has block scheduling -- does she take 4 classes per semester, or 8 classes every semester?</p>
<p>Thanks, Anon<em>Person</em>1. That's a good idea. It's definitely something to ask about. Hsmomstef, she can take up to 8 classes every semester. There are 4 blocks per day, so each class meets every other day for 80 minutes at a time. Does anybody have an opinion about what the best option would be if the pass/fail route doesn't work out?</p>
<p>By the time the GPA with the English course will be calculated, her current rank will already have been sent to colleges, correct? So the only thing this is really going to influence is her rank at graduation. Take the class, and have the guidance counselor explain the situation in his/her recommendation. Then again, this situation works much better for early action/decision schools.</p>
<p>Colleges only see her class rank from the end of jr. year, though, right? That's what they do at my school...</p>
<p>Most of the students in my school take 6 (instead of 7) credits a year and many seniors take 5 or less (I had 5 and a UNC class each semester). Many of them got into very good schools. Don't worry about not taking enough credits. Quality is more important than quantity.</p>