Hi everyone, I’ve been looking on this sight but can’t find an answer to my problems. I want to go to a highly selective college like the University of Chicago but don’t know if I’m on the right track. Firstly, I’m a freshman and I have a 4.16 GPA, I also volunteer at multiple places and go to a polish school. I am on two sports and am in multiple clubs. Now my real problem is deciding on my 4 year schedule.
Currently taking
Honors English
PE
Honors Bio
Honors Algebra
Spanish 2
2 electives
Western Civ
What I can’t decide on is choosing between AP computer Science principles and AP euro for next year. Please help
AP Euro as a sophomore may not be a good idea. It’s writing intensive and along with AP US History it’s considered one of the harder non-STEM AP classes.
My son took AP Euro as a senior and did fine, but a lot of sophomores were in his class and they did poorly on the essay/DBQ prompts that they were given for AP practice. And less than 10% got a 5 on the test last year.
@Hamurtle I am currently taking AP Euro as a sophomore. It’s pretty writing intensive, and depending on your teacher, you’ll have to read a lot of primary sources and write DBQs, LEQs, and SAQs on a daily basis. However, I’m more used to AP history classes since I took AP World History as a freshman, so I might be a little biased.
I am currently taking APCSP, and it’s really easy if you are capable of self-teaching.
“AP Euro as a sophomore may not be a good idea. It’s writing intensive and along with AP US History it’s considered one of the harder non-STEM AP classes.”
I consider my daughters taking of AP Euro (as a junior) the hardest earned A- that I have ever seen in my life, and that includes my (not as hard) A- in graduate school. It is a tough course with a lot of reading.
@DadTwoGirls OMG, RELATABLE! I completely agree. I am currently sufferring the wrath of AP Euro and if you’re not the history type, it’s not for you. At my school, we have no APs for freshman, so this is one of my first APs. I am also taking AP Psych (ridiculously easy). If you want to go into something in STEM, take APCSP. AP Euro is not easy and even if you are a genius, you’re going to have to study. You won’t randomly know the year the Glorious Revolution occurred in England and what happened, chronologically.
As well you shouldn’t be limited to chronology. The course is European history, not English history, so the Glorious Revolution needs to be examined in the context of the Enlightenment, as well, to a lesser extent, as a part of a discussion on Constitutionalism and Absolutism. And that’s me talking as a college STEM major who took AP European History 3 years ago.
In all seriousness, though, note that any of the AP history classes (WH, EH, USH) will be unlike any past history course you’ve experienced, and is more akin to a college course. Memorization of dates and places is less important than being able to sync thesis disparate ideas. Also be aware that the workload for any AP course is dependent, in part, on the teacher. Although to effectively cover all the ideas, it will require a lot of reading and writing.
Now, as a general rule, APCS will be easier than APEH. However, if you are planning to take APUSH as a junior, the skills you learn in APEH will be transferrable and will make APUSH much easier than if it were your first AP history class.
Junior year
Ap US History
Honors Pre-Calc
Ap Lit
Hon Physics
Honors Spanish 4
Some sort of PE
Ap psych/principles/chem/computer science A
Senior
Ap Lang and Comp
Ap calc AB
Ap Gov and some semester class
Ap Spanish
PE
I have room for 2 Ap
So should I put Euro or principles in another year? Also I was considering something in economics, computer networking, and law. Which classes should I take?
@guineagirl96 There’s other options as well, but you do need a core social studies course. Econ and the other APs you listed are all electives. @skieurope once told me, elective APs should be taken in addition to, but not in lieu of core classes. Also, dang! You got super sophisticated on me there.
@Eeyore123 Again, it’s an elective. There are base courses and then there are electives. For instance, there’s World History and AP Euro as bases, but there are also Econ and electives such as Psych which count as a credit, but in the eyes of colleges, they don’t equate to a base class. You see what I mean? That’s what my GC told me (had a similar issue).
Let’s not get too far afield here, because that statement is not entirely accurate. Unless a college recommends “X years of history,” then history and social sciences are lumped in together. Additionally, the HS may specify “X years of history” for graduation, which for 99.999% of US HS students will include a year of US History.
So the OP has world civ (a history) and will have US History. So unless one of his/her target colleges specifically requests 3 years of history, s/he is covered. Having said that, I would still suggest APEH over Econ or Psych.
If it were me, I would do:
Sophomore
Honors Geometry
Honors English 10
Honors chemistry
Health and weight training
Spanish 3
AP Euro
Computer Science Principles
Junior year
Ap US History
Honors Pre-Calc
Ap Lit
Hon Physics
Honors Spanish 4
Some sort of PE
Ap computer science A
Senior
Ap Lang and Comp
Ap calc AB
Ap Gov and some semester class
Ap Spanish
PE
Econ
AP Chem
But don’t get too caught up in junior or senior year options as interests and class offerings may change. Also, unless it’s the traditional way of teaching on your school, AP Lang is usually a junior option and AP Lit is a senior option. But if your school reverses them, it’s fine.
I’m aware of that. I was making the distinction between social sciences as a whole versus history as a subset of social sciences.
Additionally, I do think that the subject material covered in econ can be a bit esoteric for a sophomore - but that really depends on the kid. But really, if you take econ next year versus European History, it is not going to make a great deal of difference in the grand scheme of things.
And that’s me talking as a college STEM major who took AP European History 3 years ago.