Is this schedule rigorous enough for elite colleges?

<p>Junior:
IB HL Bio
IB HL English
IB SL History (HL senior year)
IB SL Math
Spanish 4
IB SL Psychology
Advanced Debate</p>

<p>Senior:
IB HL Bio
IB HL English
IB HL History
IB SL Math
IB SL Spanish
IB SL Psychology
Advanced Debate (may change to a journalism block for the school paper so I don't have to do as much at home)</p>

<p>Does this look rigorous enough for elite colleges? I took chemistry sophomore year and skipped physics. Also, if you're wondering, SL Math is pretty much Calculus AB senior year.</p>

<p>The best person to ask this is your guidance counselor. Colleges want to know that you are taking the most rigorous course schedule FOR YOUR SCHOOL. Dumb question - since I am unfamiliar with IB. Why are many of the same classes listed for junior year and senior year? Do they make a “junior year version” and a “senior year version”??</p>

<p>I go to a school with IB and usually you do the SL your junior year and HL your senior year; you may want to talk more with your guidance counselor because you shouldn’t be taking the same class twice.</p>

<p>That’s probably the most rigorous schedule at your school, but it also matters how well you do in them. I know a lot of very smart people in the program and was surprised to hear at how poorly some of them were doing.</p>

<p>Are you taking the most rigorous schedule available at your school?</p>

<p>Lol. I’m not taking the same class twice… A lot of IB classes are SL/HL 1 junior year and SL/HL 2 senior year, where you test senior year. I’m pretty sure that’s stipulated in my actual transcript.</p>

<p>Anyways, I’m not taking HL Math, which is largely renowned as the hardest IB course offered in my school. Since I took Algebra 2 sophomore year, my counselor wouldn’t let me take the class. I realize I need to ask my counselor, but is it likely she’ll still check “Most Rigorous”?</p>

<p>Lol yeah steer clear of Math HL, I did SL junior year and started SL senior year but I was drowning and ended up just doing Calc AB senior year. I’d still say you’re probably on the “most rigorous” end of things. I’m assuming since your school offers IB it also offers a relatively wide range of AP classes as well, so either a full IB schedule or a five to six class AP schedule would likely receive a “most rigorous” description.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry… this looks rigorous enough. Top schools are looking for you to set yourself apart in some way other than academics and test scores. Elite colleges just expect those to be high – but if you want to get admitted, you have to stand out in some other way besides that.</p>

<p>One more piece of advice–don’t rely simply on this schedule to get you into elite colleges. I took the AP route rather than the full IB one, and have been accepted and waitlisted at schools that full IB students who earned all As were denied.</p>