<p>I was on BC’s website last night and read that most people accepted have taken 4 lab sciences in high school not including any taken in 8th grade. I’ve taken 3 lab sciences and one science without a lab. Problem is one of the lab’s was a high school class I took in 8th grade. I also never took chemistry. Do you think this is really going to hurt me? Besides sceience I’ve taken very hard classes and have a 3.8-3.9 weighted GPA. Do you think it would help if I took another science without a lab next year?</p>
<p>Dear gardy24 : Boston College will specifically look at your academic profile not only against an AP-laden set of applicants, but also against the most challenge curriculum offered by your High School. If your High School offers Chemistry AP, Biology AP, and/or Physics AP, you will be measured against those benchmarks (for science) by the courses you have taken.</p>
<p>Now, this one subject area alone is not a cause for disqualification, however if you know that you are step or two below the top level courses available at your High School in other areas along with science, your GPA will be discounted. In summary, increase the rigor of your junior and senior year programs. Why give an admisssion’s reader and easy justification for rejecting your application?</p>
<p>At this point I might be able to take Physics next year. Do you think that would help at all? Besides that I could only otherwise take electives because I never took chem i don’t qualify for AP sciences.</p>
<p>Also, I want to go into Political Science or journalism so science doesn’t have anything to do with my intended major if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>Here’s what sceiences I’ve taken:</p>
<p>Earth Science (lab, in 8th grade) 92 average in class
Biology (lab, in 9th grade) 90 average
Physical Science (lab, in 10th, took in place of chem) 96 average
Anatomy (no lab, in 11th) 95 average so far</p>
<p>gardy:</p>
<p>Whether you take 3 or 4 science courses is not as important as taking the most rigorous science courses (as scott suggests). Highly selective colleges prefer that all students take four years of the standard core curriculum (English, science, social studies, foreign language, math) and preferably the “most rigorous” track. If your high school offers AB/IB and you don’t take those courses, you will be at a competitive disadvantage for admissions. The courses you listed are standard College Prep-style courses – even if ‘honors’ at your HS – so you will need other areas of your app to standout to be successful in the admissions game.</p>
<p>With a Core curriculum, BC requires every student to take math and science – even prospective journalism majors. Thus, admissions will want to see evidence that you can succeed is such courses at the next level.</p>
<p>Just wanted to throw this out there: the science I’m taking this year is Anatomy and my teacher keeps telling us that it is a college course but just has no AP. Will a school really look at it like that? And will it benefit me to take Physics next year or no?</p>
<p>Among the sciences, highly selective colleges prefer to see the Big Three: Bio, Chem & Physics. So, I would take Chem but not to strengthen your app per se, but just bcos it’s good for broadening. (And, as I read the newspaper, it is readily evident which journalists have never taken a science course at the college level…)</p>
<p>btw: unless you are cutting into cadavers, I doubt seriously whether your anatomy course is college-level.</p>
<p>If colleges like the Big 3 then wouldn’t they like Physics too? I feel like Physics is better suited for me because I’m very good in math and Physics is a lot of math.</p>
<p>I’m interested into going into Political Science too and I’ve had straight 100s in history since 9th grade so would they help anything? My grades are all in the upper 90’s except for science and my cirruculum is really challenging except for the science thing.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice so far though.</p>
<p>gardy 24, what topics does your “physical science” class cover? Is it primarily physics or chemistry? As to taking chemistry or physics, I don’t think it really matters much regarding college admissions, but I would certainly encourage you to take the science you are least familiar with in order to broaden your science background.</p>
<p>Regarding the lack of AP sciences on your resume, does your school offer AP classes in other subjects – English, history, foreign language – and have you taken any? Doing well in those other AP subjects can mitigate the lack of an AP science class for you, particularly since they are more relevant to your intended major. But if your school offers them and you haven’t taken them, your application will be looked upon less favorably, as bluebayou has already noted.</p>
<p>By the time I graduate I will have taken 2 AP history classes, 1 AP English, and 1 AP math.</p>
<p>My physical science class was half a year covering chem and half a year covering physics. I’m probably going to take physics because Im good at math and it’s more math so I think I can do good in the class.</p>