I am trying to help our daughter pick her Jr. HS year classes. She’s our third and we aren’t completely new to this process. But, we are in a new school and she is very different from our older children. She is asking to take the following:
AP Bio
AP Physics
AP Lang
Pre-Calculus
AP Stats
AP US History
Spanish 4
I am concerned there are too many AP classes.
I need help figuring out History. She says she likes math and science better than Hx. She took AP Human Geo and AP Seminar her freshman year. (The new school does not offer AP Seminar so she can’t continue to the next class) We moved this year, for her sophomore year and I pressed her to take regular World History because the move is difficult on kids, the pandemic, we don’t know exactly what the year’s education would be at a new school, etc. She says she doesn’t particularly like history but doesn’t feel she jives with the kids in the class and feels she would like the group in the AP US History better. She is also worried it will look bad if she doesn’t have anymore AP History classes. She currently has a 110 in her regular World History class. But, I feel she participates more because she feels confident in this class rather than if it was an AP. Her current teacher recommended she take AP US next year. I feel if she doubles up on math and science it would be fine to take regular US History.
I need help with Science. She has taken Bio and Chem. Next year they have recommended AP Physics. I am concerned because she will also be taking Pre-Calc. The science teacher and guidance counselor said that she will be fine with AP Physics having not completed Calc. but I am concerned. Her class is the first class that will be required to take Physics (in addition to Bio and Chem) to graduate. So, she either takes AP Physics or regular Physics jr. or sr. years. She wants to take AP Bio and AP Chem before she graduates. So, she would like to take AP Bio and AP Physics next year and then AP Chem her senior year. She thinks AP CHem will be the most challenging and she wants to take that science alone. I feel she could take Anatomy & Physiology or AP Environmental Science instead of AP Bio or AP Chem and she would still look equally competitive. She is also thinking of taking AP Psyc her senior year.
I need help with math- She wants to take both Pre-Calc and AP Stats. She said she is allowed. Her math teacher and guidance counselor said it’s fine. Neither of my older kids doubled up on math and they did just fine getting into college. They both did Pre-Calc Jr year and AP or IB Calc Senior year…they didn’t take AP Stats. Our daughter really wants AP Stats. Is this too much to take? Especially with all the other classes, she wants to take? Even if she likes math.
I need help with Spanish 4- She hates foreign languages. She has taken it since Preschool and she struggles. We have and are living abroad so she is surrounded by a foreign language. I can’t figure out if you really need 4 years or if 3 will suffice. Some colleges suggest 4 but also require you take a language your SENIOR year (Boston College, etc). I am worried if she takes Spanish 4 next year she will still have to take a langauge class her senior year…AP Spanish? She has A’s but she cries and hates it and it stresses her out. Should she take a break next year? But, then won’t it be hard to take back up her senior year? Could she start a whole new language her Senior year? Dropping the language would make her life less stressful.
Thank you for your help and wisdom. I feel I should have this figured out by now but a different child and a different school have me perplexed. Also, due to the pandemic, not being in the school and meeting other parents makes me feel a little lost but I know it is much harder on our kids.
AP physics 1 (or 1&2) does not require calculus. AP physics C requires calculus.
Precalculus and AP statistics each typically have algebra 2 as the prerequisite. AP statistics can be taken as an elective any time after algebra 2, regardless of what the student does in the main math sequence (precalculus, calculus).
It is not clear what you mean by “surrounded by a foreign language”. Is that language Spanish or some other language? Does she use it, and how skilled is she at it?
@ucbalumnus thank you for your help. You are right, I was not clear. We lived in Spain for 4 years and now live in a different European country. She says, her current Spanish teacher focuses on Central American Spanish which she says is very different than her ‘Spain’ Spanish. She is considering if she takes a year off language, starting the language of the country we currently are in her senior year. She would prefer to not take another language. But, in tears she insists she must take a language next year and her senior year.
So your question about how skilled she is…she did live in Spain for 4 years but is no longer in Spain. She practiced Spanish of course when we lived in Spain. But, now we are not in Spain. And, she says the focus on her class is not the Spanish she feels comfortable with. She also says speaking does not come easily to her. She was invited into the Spanish HS but refused because she says it’s stressful.
I appreciate your help with math and Physics. She will have completed Alg 1 (8th grade) Geometry (9th grade) and Alg. 2 (currently).
If she takes the language of the country you are in, would she be taking a beginner course (i.e. because she has little or no skill in it) or a more advanced course (due to learning it outside of formal classes)?
Adding a year 1 course after reaching year 3 in another language does not make “4 years” for most colleges. They want to see that level reached at least (although many colleges recommend or require only 2 or 3 years).
Boston College does not specify that a foreign language or other specific subject needs to be taken as a high school senior here: Apply - Admission and Aid - Boston College
She would take a beginner class of the langauge of the country we now live in.
You are right about BC! I relooked at the guide the guidance counselor sent for different collegers and it say BC 4 years recommend but nothing about senior year. It does list Brown (3 years, including study during senior year) and NCSU (‘2 years required, must take math and foreign language senior year’). This is what the guidance counselor sent so I haven’t double-checked each school. Not sure if you get to level 3 if you still have to take a language senior year as is written.
I am not sure exactly which schools she will apply to so was trying to get a general idea. But, it seems to be safe she should take Spanish 4 next year and hope that she doesn’t have to take a language her senior year…
Typically top colleges want to see 4 years in the core subjects. She should discuss her schedule with her guidance counselor and, if this is what she is shooting for, what classes would ensure she is taking the “most rigorous” schedule. In my opinion she should take an AP history class and eliminate one of the sciences. I think she will need 3 or 4 years of Spanish. Maybe get her a tutor if that is possible?
Thank you. That is exactly the train of thought I am pondering.
She will complete Spanish 3 this year, her sophomore year. So, how do you understand ‘3-4 years of Spanish’? She took Spanish 1 in 8th grade but it is on her HS transcript. Does 4 years mean 9th-12th? So, she would have to go to Spanish 4 (11th) and AP Spanish (12th). Or, does it mean to level 4? and her 8th grade Spanish HS class can count?
She is worried that this year her school did not offer Spanish 4. It went straight from Spanish 3 to AP Spanish. I asked her HS counselor if they will have a Spanish 4 class or if it will jump to AP next year as well. She is not sure. . It happened because they split all the teachers to 1/2 online teaching soley and 1/2 in-person teaching. So, they had fewer Spanish teachers to teach in-person and therefore eliminated 4 and made it an AP Spanish. If this happens again next year she is really worried what that will mean for senior year if she has to take AP Spanish in her Jr. year .
Your counselor is your best guide, and checking college requirements will also help her decide. My guess is that completing Spanish 3 would suffice for many colleges but you’ll need to get clarity on the most rigorous designation from the counselor. I’m sorry this is causing your D so much anxiety.
@ucbalumnus Although we do not know yet where she wants to apply, I think it would valuable for her to check the admission websites of several colleges she thinks she might be interested in and see if there is a trend.
@Southoftheriver thank you! Our older 2 loved languages, they both participated in NSLI-Y and one volunteers as an interviewer for the program. Both our older 2 have traveled to the far reaches of the globe on their own and thoroughly enjoy the adventure. Our youngest in addition to feeling like she isn’t as good as her older siblings with languages, is a little resentful we don’t live in the US. She does love all the travel we have done as a family and now in HS when she studies history she can visualize and understand the places, geography, religious and political aspects that shape the world. But, she feels she is missing out on the US experience she sees friends post. I think she has just moved past the point of living in Europe and enjoying as a traveler in a vacation sense and moved to the “I live here, I am drowning in foreign culture and want to take a breath outside of it and experience something else…like science…during my day at school because I can walk outside my home and have a foreign language experience”
I may let her do what she wants with langauge and that may shape the colleges she applies to.
I took similar courses as the one listed my Junior year - I took gym instead of ap bio bc my school requires it. Apush is easier than other history classes in that it focuses only on America, and a lot of the events will sound familiar and thus easier to memorize. If she’s not the best test taker, it could be a struggle but content wise it’s not as bad. Ap stats is probably the easiest ap math and it’s just a bunch of equations to memorize. I enjoyed it. Precalc was ok and it’s just an introduction to calc, nothing scary. In my opinion, physics and bio will be the hardest unless she knows how to manage her time and how to study. I know it depends on the school but I’ve seen many kids double up on science junior and/or senior years so if she wants to go for it, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Just keep in mind that she’ll have to work harder than her peers to do well in all those classes.
@21bayc Thank you for your insight! That means a lot coming from someone who had a similar schedule. She still has to take another health/PE combo before she graduates. I have suggested she drop a science and take PE her Jr. year and if she really wants to double up on science do that her senior year when she’s only taking 1 math. That is really good to know about AP Stats because neither of my 2 other children took that class.
Does she want to take AP Lit her senior year? If she is thinking about it, I think she should double up her Junior year instead. AP Lit is much more challenging than AP Lang. Or if math isn’t her strongest, I would also suggest doubling up Junior year because calc can be hard for a lot of people, and unless she wants to retake calc in college, she should aim for a 5. I know some colleges recommend kids - even those who got a 5 on the exams - to retake calc as a freshman.
All great points and ones I have been struggling with! She and her friend were talking the other night at dinner about AP Lit and AP Lang. Their English teacher recommended AP Lang for sure next year but said AP Lit is difficult and not to take it if they didn’t LOVE to read. Maybe she should drop Spanish 4, keep the 2 sciences and take PE/Health instead of Spanish 4?
I definitely don’t suggest taking a break from a language if she will have to take it her senior year. It’ll be even worse. Ap Spanish will be challenging for her if she doesn’t feel comfortable with the language. I would recommend taking Spanish 4 and then later taking a language proficiency test if she doesn’t want to take AP spanish. My friends also hated spanish and ended up taking this route. I don’t know what options you’ll have because of your location, but if there are any legitimate and official language exams, it is an option. Not all my friends passed but if she does pass, she no longer has to worry about having to take AP.
If she is thinking about Lit - I read Hamlet for the first semester and 3 novels for second semester. Not sure if this is the same for all schools but definitely heavy on reading and essays. I wouldn’t suggest it if it’s unrelated to the field she wants to go into.
The reading list is not they same, although invariably include a Shakespearean play - often Hamlet. But it is a very intensive class for reading and writing.