Is this demonstrating a bad downward trend? (+ a few other scheduling questions)

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hello, so as a sophomore this year, my schedule was:

German IV - no further levels offered by school
Chemistry
AP Calc. AB
AP Biology
APUSH
Adv. Science Fiction / Honors Comp.

My proposed schedule for next year is:

AP Chemistry
AP English Lang or Lit
Dual Enroll Calc 2 / Calc 3
Drawing and Sketch / Adv Drawing
Concert Orchestra
Intro to Video Production / Beginning Photo

I did get all A’s (4.5), but this year basically destroyed me (in other ways in life besides school mostly) and I want next year to be easier and allow me to follow my interests.

  1. I will still have 3 weighted classes throughout 10-12th grade, but I was wondering whether it would look bad to stick at 3 throughout my two remaining years and whether this schedule is still pretty strong (?) for UMich-caliber schools? I could take AP Econ instead of Orch or Intro to Video / Beginning Photo.
  2. Also, my target schools (UMich, Boston U, etc.) want 3 years of social studies, so do you think it would be bad to fulfill the last year (civics and econ) through "test-outs" that my district offers (pass with 80% or better and get a "G" (completed) grade on transcript), or would colleges prefer to see me actually sit through the classes even though they don't pertain to my future career path at all?

Thanks!

2

I’d say your schedule for next year is still very impressive. You want a social science on there, though. AP Econ seems appropriate, but have you taken any sort of world or European history yet? If not, AP/Honors/DE World History or AP/DE Euro may be good to take (if, of course, they are offered).

3

Since you can dual enroll, I would suggest the following:
AP chem
AP Lang or dual enrollment English/Humanities class
Dual enrollment calc2/statistics
Dual enrollment German 4/History or Anthropology or Economics or political science
Concert Orchestra
Art class1/Art class2

The DE classes if taken at the college would likely take place 3times a week so you’d learn useful time management skills but would also have more freedom to organize your time around what you love.

4

I’m only allowed to dual enroll in math, and I kinda wanna not take social studies junior year but want to resume senior year because I want to get the prerequisites for advanced video production classes. Would it be fine to still get the recommended 3 years of social science but in 9th, 10th, and 12th grade? I’d probably take AP Gov and European Hist. senior year. @MYOS1634 @r2v2018

5

If you double up on Gov and Euro senior year, I believe you would still have enough units of Social Sciences, so I think you’d be fine.

6

You’d have to take both senior year then and it may block your schedule in other ways.