I had a very rough year last year, with a few C’s on my report card and a low SAT score (960). A lot of this is because of my panic disorder and I left school for two months last year to take care of this, and my counselor mentioned he’d state it in my recommendation letter to colleges. I’ve since had a very strong junior year and my current GPA for this year is a 94. I’m finally starting to get my academic life back on track and was wondering if this will be a good senior year schedule to get into a 4-year university:
AP Macroeconomics
College Algebra with Trigonometry
College Composition
College Literature and Writing
IB Film SL
Physics
Expressive Writing
Sociology
Please let me know what I should change and do. I’m retaking the SAT this May, but alas I am not that great with standardized testing. If anyone could recommend some test-optional colleges for creative writing, film, and theater that would be greatly appreciated too.
Thank you all in advance 
I was going to look for your previous courses in old threads, but I see you have 108 of them. It would be easier to evaluate your senior schedule if we could see the courses you’ve already taken. Foreign language?
Ninth Grade:
AP World, algebra 1, biology, English, Spanish 2, gym, and study hall
Tenth grade:
Global history, geometry, earth science, honors English, Spanish 3, PLTW Biomedical sciences, gym, health, and study hall.
And this year, eleventh grade:
US History, college math topics, animals and plants of the northeast, nutrition, AP English language, IB Psychology, gym, photography, mysteries, and business and personal law
@damon30
You only did 3 years Spanish, but I guess it doesn’t make sense to do a 4th year now since you skipped it in 11th grade. Also no Chemistry. It looks like you are taking a total of three writing classes(!) Is this a block schedule? Maybe drop one of the writing classes and take Chemistry.
Yeah I really disliked taking Spanish and yes this is a block schedule. They are all half year (1 semester) and my guidance counselor said I don’t need chemistry since it has nothing to do with my major and because I’m taking physics next year anyways. @damon30
If you are not already doing SAT prep, it’s not too late to do a couple timed practice tests on Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat
Thank you so much 
your help is greatly appreciated! @damon30
Start working 1 hour a day on SAT prep. Check and see if your public library or HS offers free prep classes (SAT or ACT). If you can, invest in a formal prep class. You’ll need to bring that score as high as possible.
1° Take only TWO out of College Composition, Expressive Writing, and College Literature and Writing.
2° What about trying to take APES (AP Environmental Science)?
3° Can you take a one-semester College History class?
So that you’d have something like:
AP Macroeconomics
College Algebra with Trigonometry
College Composition
APES
IB Film SL
Physics
College Literature and Writing
College History
For college:
1° apply for History or Humanities (it’ll be less competitive and you’ll be able to get into a better college than if you apply, say, for economics); once you’re there you can easily add a business minor
2° include some test-optional colleges such as Susquehanna, Ithaca, Eckerd, Guilford, Sewanee, Lewis&Clark, Luther, Drake…
3° discuss costs with your parents: how much can they afford from income and savings? Run the NPC on your state universities and the above universities
Yes, thank you so much. I’ve been doing Khan Academy and work on commonly missed questions that coincided with my Previous SAT score. If not, test-optional is definitely a great way to go.
- Well college comp/college lit and writing count as my senior year English credit, whereas expressive writing is a half year elective, and my guidance counselor thinks I should take it since it will look good when applying to college as a writing major.
- My school doesn’t offer APES.
- I’m taking sociology which counts as a history credit and all of my CHS are dual-enrollment.
- Yes I’ll definitely look into humanities departments that offer these majors
- Thank you so much for this list, I’ll look them over and consider all of them.
- We can afford $30,000 without financial assistance in and out of state universities.
@MYOS1634