Is 4th Year of Science Necessary for me?

I’ve taken science every year from freshman to junior year:

Chem Honors
Bio Honors
AP Physics

I have taken all three kinds, and they have all been advanced. I’m choosing classes for my senior year and I would rather not take a science class because I do not like science that much, and would prefer to double up on math. I’m planning on going into econ/poli sci. Without a science, this will be my schedule next year:

  • AP stats
  • AP lit
  • AP gov / AP econ
  • AP research
  • Honors linear algebra
  • ASB
  • Speech and debate

Is it worth dropping one of these classes for a science? Will it hurt my chances for a top school? Thanks!

You may want to check the web sites of colleges of possible interest to see if they really want to see another science even though you have completed a year each of biology, chemistry, and physics.

Take the time to look at the common data set for any college you are interested in (google: common data set ) and check section C to see how many years of a lab science each college requires/recommends. If you are looking at a top tier college I’d be sure to meet or exceed all of the required/recommended core HS coursework.

If you change your mind or find you do need a science, I think AP Environmental Science is a very relevant class for your interests. It covers pollution and global warming, which tie into both the political and economic realms.

As stated check the school’s you are applying to first and “exceed” their minimums. But saying that, I like your schedule with what your interests are. Totally agree with above science recommendation. As an aside… My son did the AP seminar /Research track. It was one of the most useful classes he took and uses it in college FYI. He was part of a research leadership seminar/capstone and he said he already learned everything they were teaching because of the AP class.

It depends on the schools in question. If they are very top schools, they’ll want to see a 4th year.

One class you could drop is AP stats. If you major in econ, you will be required to take stats courses within the econ department, for which AP stats does not substitute. Among those department-specific choices, you will have the opportunity to take calc-based stats, which is much more interesting in my opinion and probably better preparation for econometrics.

Also read a copy of your school’s profile. Keep in mind that that there will be students at your school who will be taking that 4th year of science and you are going to be evaluated against them as far as your taking the most demanding courses your school offers and are doing well .

Check the schools you plan to apply to and also speak with your guidance counselor. My D19 is interested in math and Econ. Her counselor was not concerned about only having 3 years of science and felt that her doubling up on math showed a commitment to her genuine interests. That said, she did not apply to ivies so I have no idea if her outcomes would have been affected by her choices.

My D chose not to take AP Lit because she could only fit 4 APs in her schedule (school schedules extra periods for AP classes). She faced criticism in the interview process at an LAC for focusing her APs on math and science. The AO clearly cared more about her being well rounded than passionate about math. She ended up not applying to this school in part because of this. Your schedule looks pretty balanced to me.

@Momof3kidz , good cautionary tale that what the GC says may not always tally with what colleges want to see, underscoring earlier advice to check what the colleges want when making decisions. It may not always end as well as it did in your D19’s case.