<p>I'm a rising junior and I just wanted your opinions on my schedules for the next two years.</p>
<p>I am planning on applying to schools such as NYU CAS (#1 choice), Northwestern, Columbia, USC, Emerson, Indiana and some other safeties. My question is, do you think my schedule is difficult enough and will make me competitive for these schools granted I make the grades (which haven't been a problem thus far)?</p>
<p>Junior:
AP English Lit
APUSH
Pre-AP Pre-Cal
AP Psychology
Physics (Regular)
Journalism
German</p>
<p>Senior:
AP English Lang
AP Gov/Econ
AP Physics
AP Calc AB
Journalism
German
Digital Imaging(art requirement)</p>
<p>Also, another thing about my school is once we reach junior year there is no honors/pre-ap other than pre-cal, so I really don't have any other options than to take a regular course or AP course. </p>
<p>If it helps, I live in Alabama and for my first two years of high school I took all the honors/AP courses I have been able to. I am also planning on majoring in journalism/writing/cinema studies depending on the school.</p>
<p>Well if you've taken the most difficult courseload offered by your school, which you claim to, then you're fine (and like you said, you have to make the grade, lol).</p>
<p>Thanks. I do have a fair number of ECs. Soccer, which takes up most of my time, I'm the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, I go to BBYO (Jewish youth group), Mu Alpha Theta, Key Club and I have 80 hours of community service so far, and it's growing. I know that it's not a very extensive list, but for my freshman and sophomore years I played soccer year round and I had no time to do anything else. This year I am only playing in the spring so I have the fall to focus on other stuff.</p>
<p>bump...and if I were to take Health and a business course instead of German my junior year, would that be looked down upon? Health is a required course and I haven't taken it.</p>
<p>My question more straight forward: I haven't taken a required class yet, Health, due to switching schools. I can take it this year in place of German, but how would that look when I am applying to colleges, would they not think my schedule is hard enough? my other option is to take Health over the summer.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I haven't taken a required class yet, Health, due to switching schools. I can take it this year in place of German, but how would that look when I am applying to colleges, would they not think my schedule is hard enough? my other option is to take Health over the summer.
[/quote]
Runner19, </p>
<p>First, your overall planned schedule of classes looks just fine -- don't be too concerned. Just focus on your studies and open your mind to what you are studying. As far as your required Health class, check with your school administration/counselor and see when you can fit this requirement into the mix. Summer is certainly an option, but the summer between your junior and senior years in college should be kept somewhat open, at this time, for opportunities that may surface between now and then. Very often, colleges will want to know what you did during your summer between junior/senior years -- they will sometimes look at the activity as a corroboration of your intended college studies or a passion (as in EC). </p>
<p>Given that you have a strong class schedule, you may want to substitute Health for AP English Language in your Senior year. The reason for this is because:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You are already scheduling AP English Lit during your junior year. Many colleges consider AP English Lit and AP English Language to be somewhat redundant, and will give you college credit for ONE but not BOTH on AP Exams that you pass (with the colleges you mention, the required grade for credit will be no lower than a "4" and possibly require a "5" in either of these AP exams).</p></li>
<li><p>You will have a strong senior schedule without AP English Language, and it may give you some breathing room to do better in your other classes.</p></li>
<li><p>Your other consideration of dropping German is a bad idea, in my opinion. Many elite colleges require 3 years of a foreign language and recommend 4 years. It's a good idea to maintain the continuity.</p></li>
<li><p>This alternative frees your summer between junior/senior years to do something special.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Alternatively, if you can do this, take Health this year, and push AP Psychology back to your senior year, in lieu of AP English Language. As I said, don't be worried about how your courseload will look, it's apparent that you've committed to academic rigor in H.S.</p>
<p>these self-esteem posts always make me laugh. </p>
<p>First you are taking an AP class for almost every subject. Then you tell us that your school doesn't offer much else. and then you ask if you should be doing more?</p>
<p>What are you expecting to hear? You should know by now that colleges only expect you to take the best classes your school offers. You are obviously doing that, so why bother posting?</p>
<p>thanks NorCalDad. And yes, I was planning on doing a pre-college program next summer but my school gets out in May so I would be done with summer school before many of those start. Thanks for the input again!</p>
<p>runner...you seem like a nice kid. there aren't many sophmores who post on cc. </p>
<p>word of advice: don't worry about what looks good to colleges because if you do, you might be heartbroken after spending all this time doing everything right but they find someone else who better fits their diversity quota.</p>