<p>Hey guys, I am a junior hoping to get into UNC Chapel Hill and it's time to pick our classes for next year. I am INSTATE and I have already taken/taking 5 AP classes. I was just wondering if the classes I picked for senior year are vigorous enough for UNC, so please help! Here they are:</p>
<p>AP Calculus AB
AP Environmental Science
AP Literature
AP Psychology
Spanish 4 Honors
Art 3 Honors (1st semester)
Art 4 Honors (2nd semester)
Health Science 2 Honors</p>
<p>So that's it! Honestly, I'm not worried about the first five classes because they seem vigorous enough, but the last three might not look to challenging to admissions officers. So some feedback would be great!</p>
<p>Yes it is. You have nothing to worry about (except the term is “rigorous”, ie., that has “rigor”, intellectual demand, not “vigorous”, which means “strong and dynamic, healthy”). Furthermore, you have 7 classes, all at AP and honors, when UNC-Ch will want 5, so you’re over their minimum. Relax and enjoy the end of junior year :)</p>
<p>The only problem I see, and it depends on what your junior year courses were, this schedule seems a little heavy in “AP-lite” courses. AP Calc AB, AP Enviro, and AP Psych together add up to someone dodging the really tough AP courses. AP Enviro or AP Psych would ideally be substituted for one of the tougher APs if you want to improve your chances. (I’m not familiar with the in-state competition for UNC-CH, but D has a friend who had a similar AP-lite schedule all through HS and was trying for Top 20 National and LACs, combined with a 32-33 ACT and a 3.8 GPA and it’s not turning out pretty.)</p>
<p>Which APs did you take junior year? If it’s a slate of similar AP-lite courses, you might need to change things up a bit.</p>
<p>^only AP environmental and Ap psych would be “soft”. AP Calc AB is not seen much differently from Calc BC except for future Stem majors (and even then, not that often - for top schools, the distinction isn’t “AB vs. BC, I’ll pick the kid with BC”). AP Lit is very rigorous. All three other courses are honors.
However I agree with MrMom that if you can take another “hard” AP <em>and</em> are sure you can get at least a B in a “tougher” Ap class (AP Euro history, AP Comparative Gov, AP bio, AP CS, AP chem…) you should try to add that. (Do NOT take the “hard” AP if there’s any chance you’d get a C in it, ie., ask your current teacher). I assume that among the other 5 APs you’ve taken, there’s APUSH, AP science (bio/chem), AP English Language… Can you tell us which 5 you’re talking about and which others are available at your school?
I hope you’re also applying to other UNC’s, perhaps Davidson or other similar-caliber colleges?</p>
<p>The problem isn’t that AP Calc AB is soft, it isn’t, it’s that when you combine that with the other two, it starts to look like dodging. Which is why I didn’t suggest Calc BC, but rather upping one of the other two - particularly if OP has not taken a core science as an AP yet. Yes, AP Lit at some schools can be a time eater, which is why I would suggest only taking one of the two as more rigorous APs.</p>
<p>I see MrMom what you meant :)</p>
<p>The AP classes I have already taken are AP World, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Language, and APUSH and I have gotten As in all of them (and my other classes) except AP Bio. So I was also thinking about replacing AP Psych with AP Physics. Would that look better?</p>
<p>Next year, AP Physics B changes into Physics 1 and Physics 2 so I don’t know how it’d work; if you already took Physics perhaps you’d take Physics 2?
Yes AP Physics would look better than AP Psych. However considering your previous APs, which aren’t lacking in rigor, you could pick AP Psych if you plan on majoring in social sciences. Note that AP Physics IS perceived as one of the most rigorous AP classes… but the 1/2 change will probably change that!
(AP Physics C is THE most difficult AP class but it’s not offered as frequently since one would need to have taken AP Calc before.)</p>
<p>You can take AP Physics C - Mech concurrently with AP Calc. Have you had any physics class in HS? You really should have some form of a 1 year physics class before graduation, so I’d lean toward replacing AP ES with AP Physics. Not as big a leap as you’d think, as AP Physics - Mech and AP Calc AB are pretty complementary. Assuming AP Physics - Mech is available at your school, of course.</p>
<p>An earth/environmental science is required at my school so I have to take APES, also the prerequisites for AP Physics at my school are just Chemistry and Algebra for some reason, no physics. So, it would be completely possible for me to take AP Physics. I know it’s one of the hardest AP classes but I guess I’ll just have to study really really hard.</p>
<p>OK, so… Your two possible “switches” would be AP Lit and AP Psych. AP Lit is very time consuming - great if you love to read and analyze literature, not so much otherwise; AP Psych is “light”, fun, and interesting, but not very impressive.
I personally think that taking Physics C without any Physics class beforehand is academic suicide - even Physics 2 without Physics 1 I’m not so sure about, it would depend on how good at math and science you are. Physics is hard imho and one shouldn’t take an AP class senior year if one isn’t certain one can get a B or more in it. (How many kids are currently in trouble because they’re having Cs or even Ds in their AP science/math class, which makes it possible they’ll be rescinded?)
Californiagirl: what are you thinking of majoring in? STEM? Humanities? Social Sciences?
If Stem => replace APLit with AP Physics (2 or C, depending on what your current science and math teachers think) + take Honors English; if Humanities => take AP Lit and AP history (art history, european); if hoping to major in the social sciences, education, business => take AP Gov or Comparative or Econ and Honors English
AP Calculus AB
AP Environmental Science
…
…
Spanish 4 Honors
Art 3 Honors (1st semester)
Art 4 Honors (2nd semester)
Health Science 2 Honors</p>
<p>Okay, if AP ES is a requirement, then I think your schedule may be okay. Not sure you really want to load it up with two AP sciences. You don’t need a regular physics class first to take AP Physics, but many top colleges like to see you have the Big 3 (bio, chem, physics) at least once in HS. Apparently your school is not concerned about that, hence the earth/enviro requirement.</p>
<p>I’m thinking more medical field and AP Lit/an English is a requirement but I thought about it a little and now my schedule looks more like this:</p>
<p>APES
AP Lit
AP Calc
AP Psych
AP Physics
Spanish 4 Honors
Art 3 Honors
Health Science 2 Honors</p>
<p>Since APES and AP Psych are AP-lite, I think I’ll be good. Also, I am pretty good at science-math stuff like right now, I have a 98 average in AP Chem. So I think I’ll be fine in AP Physics, especially if it’s AP Physics 1. And I have dropped the Art 4 class</p>
<p>Wow…; this is going to be very challenging. Check with your teachers to make sure you can maintain B’s in all these classes. Dropping Art 4 may be a good move to prevent burn out second semester!</p>
<p>I think I’ll be fine, AP Psych and my last three electives are gonna be fine</p>