I did not take AP until senior year. Should I take Spanish 3?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hello, I’m a rising senior at a small urban public school and they only allow seniors to take AP. I recently found out that it’s normal to take them earlier. I’m a first generation student so I wasn’t aware I was this far behind. Here are my assigned courses for the 2020-2021 school year:

  • AP Calc
  • AP Lit & Comp
  • AP Psych
  • Public Speaking Honors
  • AP Physics
  • Lifelong Fitness Honors
  • AP Chem
  • Senior Project

My problem is that I requested to take Spanish 3, but they couldn’t fit it. The only solution is to replace AP Calc or AP Physics. What should I take? I heard that Spanish 3 is recommended on college applications-- sometimes even more than AP. I’m planning to apply to USciences, but I don’t know if they require 3 years of foreign language or not. I want more insight before making a decision (I was leaning towards keeping my schedule the same).

I’m planning to major in Chemistry and my weighted GPA is a 4.38 (I’m not sure what my unweighted GPA is at the moment). Also, I completed a few dual enrollment college classes (BIO 101, BIO 102, ENG COMP) to try and compensate for my junior year. I’m not sure if that’s enough to stand out on my application.

If I missed any information that could help, let me know. It would also help out if you could provide any further advice. Thank you!

2

I don’t know anything about the program you’re applying to so I can’t help much with that but don’t freak out about the APs.
Colleges don’t expect you to take classes that aren’t available to you. As long as your course load is the most rigorous at your school, you should be fine if you do well.

3

Agree with the above - you can only take what is offered and colleges understand this from your school profile.

Ideally, I’d recommend Spanish over Psych. If scheduling/course availability limit it to Calc or Physics, Physics would be preferred. You already have one AP Science, which is plenty. Having no math course would be bad.

4

If you cannot take Spanish 3 instead of AP psychology, then can you take it instead of AP physics, and (if you have not had any physics before) take physics instead of AP psychology?

5

Take Spanish rather than AP psych.

UScience has terrible financial aid. :frowning: They dont meet need at all.
Make sure to run the net price Calculator for each college you apply to.
If you live in Philly, see if your high school participates in UPenn’s good neighbor program - UPenn meets full need and would likely be the best financial offer for you.
Dont neglect Temple and its excellent Honors program, Lafayette, Franklin&Marshall, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, and, a bit further away, Skidmore, Bates, Colby…