<p>I'm keeping this post brief. Basically I'm doing Academic Decathlon as a full time class next year (once every other day for the whole school year) and competing in every competition possible with the team. I could probably even get a pretty strong letter of recommendation from the head coach. While it sounds fun and educationally beneficial, I've been wondering how it looks on an application to my top choice schools (MIT, CalTech, and Princeton). Is it that unique or important, or does it not really matter even if our team places highly. How much of a factor of separation does this team give me?</p>
<p>It’s like band/music: it doesn’t add to the rigor of your schedule per se, but it IS an extracurricular with serious dedication required. </p>
<p>@digitalking Well, it is a pretty rigorous class (likened to AP Bio in terms of work) at my school from what I can tell, and it is basically like doing 10 different subjects at the college freshman/sophomore level, so I think it’s a bit different than band.</p>
<p>Depends. We don’t have academic decathalon as a class, but we have it as a EC. It is def time-consuming, but don’t compare it with actual classes. It’s something different. To colleges, it’s good but it should be something outside of the classroom not during school. </p>
<p>@hawkace Well, the rule is that I can’t do decathlon without being a part of the class since apparently the study is very time consuming and requires a full class worth of time. I don’t really know what else to take instead, maybe a third science like AP Bio (I’m already doing AP Physics I and AP Chem).</p>
<p>AP Physics is basically Honors Physics. Try to take another math. If you really want to take AcDec, then take it, by all means. </p>
<p>@hawkace im probably going to end up in Calc BC so really I don’t want to do another math</p>
<p>@hawkace also at this point it’s not only about whether I want to do it, it’s about how it will help me as well</p>
<p>Obviously AP classes will help you the most, but classes that you are truly interested in help you. The point is that the decision is up to you. Don’t think about the reputation. Think about the benefits that you will gain. </p>
<p>At my school AcDec counts as a weighted class. I would have done it if I had space in my schedule. If you place, it’ll look good on your college app plus if you can get a good recommendation out of it, i’d do it</p>
<p>@jellybae Yeah it seems like AcDec would really be something that the colleges I’m applying to would look at favorably because it is a rigorous academic competition with other nerds that requires discipline and ability in 10 very different subject areas. </p>
<p>I did Academic Decathalon for six years (well two years of Pentathalon and four years of decathlon). The biggest benefit was the interdisciplinary education. Don’t do ac dec to get into college, even though it probably helps. Do it because you find learning things from a variety of perspectives with top notch students an intellectually exhilarating experience. </p>
<p>By the way, it’s a complete fallacy that ac dec needs to be a separate class for students to do well in the competition. </p>
<p>@whenhen I’m doing it solely because it looks good on a college app, but I’m just curious to hear from people who have done acdec and then applied to and got into these type of schools.</p>
<p>The vals at my schools always do AcDec and they usually get into Ivies. Many of the other kids that do it get into really competitive schools as well</p>
<p>@jellybae well then in my book it seems to be very worth the work on both fronts.</p>
<p>AcDec seems pretty cool to me; our school doesn’t compete in it and I’m not really interested in getting involved/founding a club that seems so time consuming.
You didn’t specify what grade you’re in @su1xsu2xsu3 , did you? Is this your first year being involved? Are you a senior?</p>
<p>@digitalking I’m going to be a junior next year, this is my first year involved, but I know the head coach well because I have his chemistry class.</p>