<p>BEFORE SCHOOL: Honors Consumer Education (only 2nd semester)
Honors Physics (all year)
AP Spanish Language (all year)
AP US Government & Politics (all year)
Advanced Math/Trigonometry (all year)
Honors Symphony Orchestra (all year)
Writing/Analysis of Media (only 2nd semester)
AP English Literature & Composition (all year)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I live in a state where every student is required to take two semesters of physical education every year... I feel like I would be so much better off putting an elective in its place. However, that's not my main concern. All students at my school are required to take a really easy consumer education or economics course by the time they graduate. My school also offers a mildly easy test in the fall that you can take to get out of the required class (a grade of "P" for "Pass" appears on the transcript, I believe). Currently, I'm taking the class before school second semester (my school offers an "early bird" option for required courses). Would it look better on my transcript if I took the class and got an A or if I tested out and my transcript just said Pass on it?</p>
<p>(If it helps, I'm applying to USC, UCLA, NYU, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, SUNY Purchase, CalArts, Temple University, Columbia College Chicago, and UWisconsin-Madison for film/communications related stuff at all of them)</p>
<p>Will some of the more selective colleges like USC, UCLA, NYU, NU, and CMU care that I haven’t taken Calculus? I’m applying for film/communication at all of these schools so I feel like it won’t matter. My ACT math section was a 28 and I’m retaking the test in September so I feel like that makes up for it (also taking SAT I and three SAT subjects including math I). Math has never really been my strong point and my school’s math department is very flawed in that it restrains students from taking higher level courses (if you take algebra I as a freshman, you are stuck in the algebra I>geometry>algebraII>trig/precalc progression without much hope for escape and few people end up taking calculus). Other than math, I’ve taken the most rigorous classes that my school has to offer so I don’t see why they would get caught up about that.</p>
<p>Getting to calculus would have been nice, but honestly I don’t think it will matter too much if you’ve shown an aptitude/passion for film/communications. I really don’t think your schedule will hold you back in any way, I would just make sure that your essays are superb, especially since you’re going into communications.</p>
<p>Whew, thank you. I don’t think I’ll have trouble getting into my safety schools, but I see all of these chance threads for kids trying to get into the same schools as me with stuff like AP Physics and Calculus III on their transcripts so I get worried.</p>
<p>You dont need that rigorous of a schedule for TU film/comm. Your schedule is fine if you’re trying for NYU, USC, NU, CMU, although I dont really know how important class rigor is for their film/comm programs.</p>
<p>Yeah, I figure most of my safeties (Columbia College, Temple, CalArts) won’t care about the rigor of my schedule but I’m worried about the first few. I understand that the film/comm people will care more about essays/portfolio but for most of those schools I have to get into the main school before I get into the film/comm college and those are the selective schools.</p>