<p>Dd (soph) is picking classes for next year.
For the core classes, she is in:
Honors English
Honors Math
Honors Chemistry
Honors Spanish
Regular History
and a business elective for distribution requirement purposes.</p>
<p>These are the highest levels for English, Math, Chem and Spanish; the school does not offer AP in those areas for sophs.
The school does offer AP History for sophs (which her twin brother is taking) but given that she had 4 honors classes, she took a pass, and history is not her area of interest to begin with. She's much more math / science focused.</p>
<p>Now she is picking her junior classes.
Her choices are:
AP English or Regular English (no in between)
AP Calc
AP Chem
Honors Physics
AP Economics (1 semester) paired with another history course for 2nd semester
AP Spanish</p>
<p>She's really interested in doing both the AP Chem and the Honors Physics. I think the AP Econ is a surprising choice on her part, but that's fine. My concern is with the AP English. She really struggles with it -- is hanging on to a low B by the skin of her teeth in her current English class -- and it takes a lot of her time. I'm not sure what to think / advise. On one hand, I've always thought taking the highest-level English was a "must do." OTOH, if she really is mathy/sciency, is that really the case? Would it just distract her from her heavier math / science load?</p>
<p>BTW, her other activities are playing a varsity fall sport and some volunteering in our community as well as math team. She's not super-high-EC-oriented (which is fine) and has had some health issues and for that reason, I don't think she will be aiming for the tippy top schools but maybe in the USNWR 25-50 range (potentially LAC's too). We have a very fine state flagship as well (UIUC). She is uncertain what she wants to do / be but she always has sparked to math and struggled with interpretation of literature, etc.</p>
<p>Is it "ok" to go down to "regular" English? Is that a deal-breaker? Thanks for any advice.</p>
<p>My son took honors English instead of AP or reg. English as a junior. Senior year he had a scheduling conflict, both honors and AP English met at the same time as other APs he wanted to take more. He had mixed results (rejected from MIT and Caltech, after being deferred from EA, waitlisted at Harvey Mudd, in at Harvard (legacy), Carnegie Mellon, WPI and RPI.) I'd let him do it again - her really hated English classes - why torture him. In our school AP English is a lot more work than honors English. In light of everything you've said, I wouldn't bother with AP English.</p>
<p>My son dipped back and forth between honors english and regular English.</p>
<p>Freshman Year - Honors
Soph Year - Regular (he really wanted that teacher - soph honors teacher was terrible)
Junior - Honors American Lit
Senior - Regular English (choice between AP Calc and Honors British Lit - only one section of each)</p>
<p>He got into nearly everywhere he applied and never looked back. He is capable of doing the work - but doesn't enjoy it and was loading up his schedule in other areas.</p>
<p>If she likes it and is willing to put in the work, it probably makes sense to let her try it. It's easier to switch down than to switch up (I'm assuming switching is an option up til a certain point).</p>
<p>My kids are both future scientists/engineers and neither had the least interest in taking AP English. Too much work, too little fun. Our hs doesn't have honors English, so they stayed in regular college prep. It didn't hurt them at all in college admissions, and they were applying to HYPSM (well, a couple of those, anyway).</p>
<p>Is the plan for her to take AP US or European history in her senior year? Otherwise what would be her choices of history classes that year? Ditto for AP English if she takes regular English her Jr year. Is AP an option for senior year? And which AP Calc is she taking Jr year?</p>
<p>For social science, it would be AP Economics and another govt class -- which our school counts towards history. Probably AP USH or AP Govt senior year.
For AP Calc, it is AP Calc AB.
Our school offers two AP English classes, one Lang and one Comp, either can be taken jr or sr year.</p>
<p>If she is struggling with the honors english now, I can tell you the increase in work for all those AP's is VERY significant. particularly AP chem, and AP spanish. my D took Ap chem junior year and and AP econ with AP lit. This was alot of work. She waited till senior year for the Physics which seems to be a breeze with the benefit of having AP calculus.</p>
<p>My S had same situation w/soph honors english, not his strongest subject. Struggled second semester and ended up w/a C for the semester. He enrolled in regular English jr year. Hated the class, the lack of challenge, etc. At registration time last year, he gladly signed up for senior AP English. The regular class did the trick in my mind. He is currently doing well in the AP class as a senior.</p>
<p>So, it was worth taking a year away from honors english. S knew he was smart enough to be in the honors/AP level class, just needed a bit of reality to experience a "regular" class and realize he was up to the task rather than coast through a worthless class again.</p>
<p>Well, I think the jump from 0 AP classes to 4 is way too much. At my son's very rigorous prep school, which regularly gets 15 kids into Stanford, Jrs usually take 2-3 AP's Max, and then take 4 their SR year.</p>