<p>I'm in a bit of a pickle. Or at least, I'm trapped in some brine.</p>
<p>Some of the colleges that I'm thinking of applying to senior year (I'm a sophomore) recommend a fourth year of a language. None require it; but several recommend it, and many students at high-achieving colleges seem to have completed at least four years of a language.</p>
<p>I am currently in Spanish 3, and could go on to Spanish 4 (which is not an AP, by the way; Spanish 5 and Spanish 6 are APs, and we have no Honors languages at my school) next year. However, I'd prefer to take other courses in my interest areas.</p>
<p>This is my (tentative/probable) schedule for next year:
H. English 11 (req.)
AP Calculus BC (req.)
AP Physics 1
AP Environmental Science
US History (req.)
Journalism OR AP Statistics OR Spanish 4 </p>
<p>Journalism, by the way, is the class that produces our school newspaper; it is difficult to get onto the staff and very highly regarded by colleges (it's not an extracurricular that just anybody can join). If I do okay on my interview, I'm pretty much guaranteed in, however (according to a current editor who has seen my writing). It's my preferred class for next year; then AP Statistics, THEN Spanish 4. I plan on going into science/engineering (and maybe double-majoring or minoring in English) in college. I am not willing to give up either of the sciences. Although I could join Journalism senior year, if I join junior year, I'm guaranteed a position as a section editor senior year; however, if I join senior year, I'll simply be a staff writer.</p>
<p>I cannot take Spanish 4 at the CC, as they don't offer it--they only offer courses equivalent to Spanish 1 and 2. </p>
<p>Do you think it's better to not have Spanish 4 in my application or to not take a class I'm very interested in?</p>
<p>It depends on how competitive the college is – knowing that most of your competition has fulfilled 4 yrs – won’t put you in a good place. Can you take an equiv Spanish class as a dual enrolled community college student? Or take US Hist as a summer class?</p>
<p>IMO, take classes you are interested in. I got into a couple top rated (engineering) schools and I only got to Spanish 2.
However, if having Spanish 4 would help with an English major, you should probably do it. </p>
<p>I’ve read that when schools say they want 4 years of a language, they want you to have reached the 4th level, or whatever level you would reach in senior year. Without knowing the previous Spanish courses you have taken, Spanish 4 sounds like that may be the 4th level. Does your high school have graduation requirements for a foreign language? Regardless, I think you should at least take Spanish 4. I would recommend you drop AP Environmental Science for Spanish 4, as AP Environmental Science is one of the APs that often doesn’t get college credit. You could also push AP Environmental Science to your senior year, or take Spanish 4 in your senior year (but it may be tough to pick up a language after leaving it for a year). I do not think you should drop journalism. However, while not having 4 years of a language may not be an absolute deal breaker for colleges, it will raise some eyebrows.</p>
<p>If you attend a college with a foreign language graduation requirement, completing Spanish 4 or higher in high school may allow you to complete that requirement with fewer semesters of college foreign language courses (by starting at a higher level).</p>
<p>AP statistics and AP environmental science are probably the most “expendable” and least rigorous courses in your list (despite the “AP” labels). AP statistics is similar to a semester-long non-calculus-based introductory statistics course for students who need to fulfill a lower level quantitative reasoning requirement; if your science or engineering major requires or recommends statistics, you can take it in college (often a higher level calculus-based version). AP environmental science is unlikely to be too helpful in most majors in college. Both are commonly seen as “easy to self-study” AP tests on the AP forum section.</p>
<p>You may also have space in your schedule in senior year to take AP statistics and/or AP environmental science. It appears that journalism and Spanish 4 are higher priority due to the sequencing aspect of those courses.</p>
<p>Since you say you are a sophomore and are in Spanish 3, I can only assume that you took Spanish 1 in 8th grade. That can be a partial pickle anyways, since some schools can get picky and say they want to see 4 years of a foreign language IN HIGH SCHOOL.You can talk that over with your guidance counselor and probably find a solution to that anyways (AP Spanish/Spanish 4 & 5). </p>
<p>You should definitely go with the Journalism because that would be impressive, plus you have an interest and a passion in it. That will look very impressive–especially if you are confident it may possibly lead to a senior editor position. I would ditch the AP Environmental Science and insert the Spanish 4. It’s not exactly the most rigorous AP to see on a transcript and colleges won’t be too fazed by it.</p>
<p>Depending on the place and their requirements, they would much rather see that you carried foreign language out. If you carry it out to 4 years/complete and pass an AP foreign language with a 4 or 5, you might even be able to get credit and not have to deal with foreign language ever again! (Hooray!) </p>
<p>So long story short…tl;dr…take out the AP Enviro and do the Journalism and Spanish 4. It will look better all around. Even if you’re not a big fan of Spanish, it will help you in the long run.</p>
<p>@T26E4 No CC class is offered at the local CC.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be able to fit anything else into my senior year schedule; either way, I wouldn’t be allowed to have a gap year in between courses:
Expository Writing and Critical Reading (like an honors English course) OR AP Lit (req; I want the latter, but my parents think it’ll be too hard)
Gov/Econ (req)
Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra
AP Physics C
AP Chemistry
Journalism OR Creative Writing/Public Speaking</p>
<p>Basically, that one course that’s expendable doesn’t exist anymore.</p>
<p>Also, APES is a very difficult course at my school; and I’m hoping colleges would know that already (I go to one of the schools that has five kids get into each of HYPSM a year, not to mention other great schools).</p>
<p>Then AP statistics is still expendable. You can, and may be required to depending on your major, take a more in-depth calculus-based statistics course in college anyway.</p>
<p>Also, multivariable calculus and linear algebra as high school courses may not be accepted for subject credit in college unless they are dual enrollment courses with a college. Linear algebra is often combined with differential equations, so taking just one of these topics may mean having to retake the entire course in college if needed for your major.</p>
<p>Have you taken Calc AB or are you going into BC straight from Pre-Calc?
If the latter then taking Calc will be quite a bit of work. </p>
<p>AP Stats is nothing compared to Calc so I agree that it is expendable. </p>
<p>Journalism would make you look more well-rounded but Spanish is more important in terms of selective college admissions.</p>
<p>IMO I would also suggest seeing if it is possible to dual-enroll at CC for the Spanish class. Possibly take it in the summer or winter intersessions. </p>
<p>I’ll be going into BC straight from Precalc.</p>
<p>Although Stats is expendable, it was an alternate in place of Journalism. I don’t want to take three sciences senior year, either. I’d either have to drop APES or Journalism to take Spanish 4.</p>
<p>As I’ve stated previously, my CC doesn’t offer a course equivalent to Spanish 4.</p>
<p>11th grade:
H. English 11 (req.)
AP Calculus BC (req.)
AP Physics 1
Spanish 4
US History (req.)
Journalism</p>
<p>12th grade:
Expository Writing and Critical Reading (like an honors English course) OR AP Lit (req; I want the latter, but my parents think it’ll be too hard)
Gov/Econ (req)
Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra
AP Physics C
AP Chemistry
Journalism</p>
<p>Neither AP statistics nor AP environmental science is particularly useful in terms of subject credit in college, and both are widely considered to be easier APs commonly taken by those who do not want to take the “harder” math and science APs, or are self-studied by students trying to run up the count of AP tests. That AP environmental science may be harder than typical at your high school may not be something that colleges know or care about.</p>
<p>Also, does your high school have only 6 class periods?</p>
<p>Just to make sure, you are aware CC and HS foreign language classes usually don’t overlap.</p>
<p>1 yr HS = 1 semester college.</p>
<p>So Level 4 HS would be 4th semester Spanish, usually called Intermediate Spanish 2. </p>
<p>If AP Enviro is considered a BS course than drop it and take Spanish instead like UCBalumnus suggests. </p>
<p>I would also point out foreign language is usually a class people like cutting cuz it’s hard so doing Spanish 4 or even AP Spanish would really strengthen your application. But if you are doing engineering then it may not matter as much. </p>
<p>My son took Spanish 4 online so he didn’t have to cut another class from his schedule. I will say he found it fairly difficult–he got a B both semesters. He still got into the school he wanted, though.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus Yes. We have a 0 period class (Peer Resource) and two 7th period classes (Marching Band or Musical Theater; I’m part of Marching Band but I didn’t put it up so I wouldn’t confuse you). However, they aren’t part of the main schedule; only non-academic classes are available then. </p>
<p>@bomerr I know the equivalencies; the only Spanish courses offered at our CC are SPAN-101A and SPAN-101B (Spanish 1/2 and Spanish 3, respectively); Spanish 4 would be numbered as SPAN-201A. </p>
<p>I don’t actually care about the college credit for a language (or really most courses, unless I go to a UC); I plan on taking either Latin or Greek in college either way. The only thing I’m worried about is the impact in the college admissions game.</p>
<p>Would taking the SAT II in Spanish show that I have proficiency in the language? I know that it’s also possible to self-study for the AP test after Spanish 3 (my sister did it, since in her time at my HS not enough people signed up for Spanish 4; however, she only got either a 3 or a 4), but I don’t want to, since I occasionally mess up while speaking (I’m not the best speaker in English, so Spanish only makes it worse, especially if it’s something where I have to make up answers on the spot–which I’m terrible at in any language). </p>
<p>Why do you want AP environ? It is the weakest of all of the sciences and it really will not work in your favor in terms of admissions. What do you want to major in? If you are planning on majoring in something like engineering, physics, etc, it won’t even grant you much (maybe elective credit, but definitely not necessary for in major.) With your strengths in math, it seems like a completely unnecessary credit. For competitive schools that want to see more of a balance, the 4th foreign language would probably be better.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus 's jr and sr plan is a solid recommendation.</p>
<p>I like Environmental Science (that’s literally the only reason). I’m thinking of majoring in ChemE, specifically to work on carbon sequestration and the like. It actually took lots of convincing for my parents to let me put down APES instead of AP Biology (I don’t particularly like organismal biology and I don’t plan on majoring in it, so I don’t see the point).</p>
<p>So, my junior and senior plan should look like this?</p>
<p>H. English
US History
AP Calc BC
AP Physics 1
Spanish 4
Journalism OR AP Environmental Science</p>
<p>Senior year English (god knows what that’s going to be)
Gov/Econ
Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra
AP Physics C
AP Chemistry
Journalism OR Creative Writing/Public Speaking</p>
<p>I would keep your journalism option. It is a strong area of interest, and you enjoy it. Don’t run your life around just admissions. </p>
<p>That said, if you don’t want to go to a highly selective school (which you honestly do not need to do for chemE. Both my husband and my oldest son are chemEs. School really does not matter that much as long as they are ABET certified. They work alongside a spectrum of different schools’ grads), then take environ if you would enjoy it more than Spanish.</p>
<p>Where are you taking multivariable and lin alg? If it is on your high school’s campus, it will not give you credit at even most lower ranked schools. </p>
<p>Taking AP Physics C and AP Chem at the same time will be a challenge. IIRC, AP Bio is more at the molecular and cellular level, not organism level, so it might be worth substituting.</p>