Thanks! Some of these issues would go away if they’d allow our Freshman to take even 1 AP…
I’d recommend not taking a break in the math sequence. It’s a sequence, so everything follows… and if you don’t practice, you forget basically everything, even if your brain retains the flexibility it acquired.
As for taking calculus closer to college, there are several issues: 1° your son may not take calculus in college at all. 2° Only STEM majors need a strong background in calculus and if only one level (AB?) is offer at his school he could, if need be, take calc1&2 at a local community college. 3°If he majors in business or economics, he’ll have one semester of calculus, for which the AP may well suffice depending on the college. If not, it’s better to have a one-year gap and repeat most of the class, than have a gap in the middle of he sequence, which will make getting into precalc very hard. 4° “college math” is actually “a quantitative requirement”. At many colleges, it can be fulfilled with computer science, philosophy/logic, plus all kinds of “math for general culture” classes like “math for citizenship” or “geometry in art”.
In short, “skip a year in the sequence so that he takes Calculus senior year, closer to college”, is pointless advice.
Based on the schedule you presented, I’d only change the Math class. APES could be switched for something else but since your school is super competitive, it may help his weighted GPA/rank.
@MYOS1634 agree with ever thing you wrote, @eandesmom , please report back on AP world next year…want to know how much work load it turns out to be.
@VANURSEPRAC AP world was a lot of work for S17. S19 is a different kid and student so it may be a bit of apples and oranges to compare. We will see.
I think that is a do-able schedule if your son is an excellent student and is motivated and efficient. Is is typical at his high school for students to take 6 core classes? At our HS, with 7 class periods, a phys ed requirement every semester and a number of great electives, the typical schedule is 5 core classes and 6 would be a heavy load. According to my D, AP Stats and AP Enviro are pretty easy as APs go. AP World is one of the toughest in terms of work load, at least at our HS. I would strongly advise against taking AP Stats instead of precalc. My daughter did take AP Stats, which was unusual at her HS, but she did it only after taking precalc as a junior and then taking Calculus I at our local community college over the summer in order to fit the Stats class in. I wouldn’t want to have that break in the middle of the regular math sequence.
ILike some are saying, I think he should take a math course in the regular sequence…Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre calc or Calc.
The HS has six core periods and electives “should” be two of those six. There is also an early am class option to go to 7 classes. One elective will be Spanish. The issue with this school…competive kids have lost all sense and don’t get the value of interesting electives so they overload on APs for GPA. We only have one year of PE required…
I am worried about the math sequence interruption but seem to be the only parent in his peer group concerned with this. It seems the kids on his math track are headed to AP stats. This is not sitting well with me at all.
@Anish14 and @mathyone Our school requires one science to be Earth/Environmental for grad. since the APES course is said to be easy we figured it was worth doing it at the AP level.
And he isn’t interested in this subject at all really so taking it because it’s required.
I count only six classes. Seven would mean no study hall in son’s HS- phy ed would count as a class. Remember- academics trump extracurricular activities. This means it is better to get A’s than to spend study time racking up the EC’s. How does your son feel about his proposed schedule? As an above poster stated it depends on his comfort level. Some kids handle many classes without any problem, others work hard. My son was one of those gifted boys who didn’t do the work all of the time, sigh. You may tell your son he is expected to do the work or he will have to cut back on some activities. It is better to stretch oneself than take the easy path. Better prep for rigorous college work if that is on the radar.
Again- emphasize the academics over the activities.
Protect the unweighted GPA. Do u think colleges will really care is he took 8 APs instead of 9? Protect your child’s mental health and let him ease progressively into APs. Did you read the thread about the “race to APs” and how they are not as important as all the competitive parents/kids think? You’re son should take what he thinks he will really enjoy (drafting) and drop an AP.
“Protect the unweighted GPA”. Reasonable advice, but the one could also advise “protect the rank”, meaning take the AP for the GPA bump.
Not all high schools bump GPAs for APs, and not all high schools provide rankings. Bear that in mind and know that many colleges will equalize all GPAs to the 4.0 scale. Rigor is important but so is the mental health and the desires of the child.
The OP wrote:
Therefore it appears that, for the OP’s son, the bump and the rank are meaningful.
At this school yes, rank is apparently important. Simply stating that it may not matter to the extent some think it will, for college apps given that many schools do not (and that seems to be the trend), nor may the number of AP’s if GPA is equalized. Taking AP’s simply for the sake of doing so, can be rather obvious at application time. Overall rigor of course will be looked at no matter what and colleges can do the math for general placement, but for me I would question a schedule that is based on keeping up with the top 10% versus a schedule that makes the most sense for that particular child. If those 2 items match, then fabulous but if they don’t, what is more important? Protect the unweighted GPA, absolutely. However if that is at the expense of all EC’s? Colleges will certainly notice that as well.
We have 6 periods with the 7th being before school. For sophomore year on an advanced/competitive track that would equal only one elective unless zero period is taken and those are very limited offerings, PE or specialized music. The rest are filled with science, math, english, foreign language and history.
I am really surprised that this super competitive school suggests a break in the math sequence, that makes no sense to me.
They’ve probably noticed that taking AP stats after AP calculus is seen as a let-down by competitive colleges their students apply to, and just shifted the class.
@MYOS1634 yes, that is what the kids have been told about why stats comes before precalc.