I don’t know whether or not I need to take AP physics my junior year. If I don’t, I will take it Senior year but some people say I have to take it junior year if I want to get in to any Ivy Leagues or other good colleges like Oxford. Since I like Computer Science, and have taken AP Comp Sci A this year, I want to take Comp Sci III my junior year. To do this, I have to take something that I put in my junior year schedule and put it in my senior year schedule. Currently my junior classes are:
English III AP
US History AP
Ap Phys 1
Ap Chem
Ap Stat
Pre calc
Band
I cannot change English or history, and I must take at least one math and one science by my schools requirements. I also will not change band. What classes must I take my junior year if I’m applying for computer science or possibly EECS? And which class should I choose to take my senior year instead of junior so I can take CS?
Help is appreciated!
Also, forgot to mention, I’m a sophomore right now and I have one week left of school. I must finalize my junior year schedule by the end of the school year.
If you want to take CS at Oxford, you will need to ramp up your math. Straight CS and joint Maths & CS applicants also take the MAT. They drop one of the math questions and do a logic oriented question instead, but the large majority of the test will be straight math. Since your MAT score is a big determinant in getting short listed for interviews, it is critical that you do well there. Is your plan to take Calc AB or BC your senior year?
I am taking Calc BC my senior year
You should also look into AP CompSci Principles, if you are intending to do CS.
AP Stats needs to go. It’s a complementary class or a class for students who have a rigorous schedule but won’t/can’t take Calculus. In addition, it’s better taken in college (basically necessary nowadays).
Since OP is already scheduled Calc BC, wouldn’t it make no difference if he took AP stats also?
Obviously replacing Calc with Stats is a big no-no, but I don’t see the harm in taking both (unless there is a reason you saw that I didn’t).
Because OP said s/he hadn’t taken physics yet and wanted to take physics honors. Physics is a core science if op has space senior year, s/he can take stats then.
? OP said their current schedule is AP Physics 1/2 and AP Physics C is slated for next year.
My school does not allow people to take both Ap Comp Sci A and Ap CS Principles. I have already taken comp sci A which is also known as CSII at my school.
Also I’m female if that makes a difference…
The Oxford CS website says I must have 3 Ap math or science classes which I get a five on by the time I apply. I most likely will get a 5 on comp sci this year which is one. But for the other two I’m thinking Stat should be an easy five and maybe Chem. Physics sounds hard which is why I would want to take it senior year but some colleges want it done by junior year.
@rockstar01121 My son has a Maths&CS offer. He satisfied his AP requirements through 5s in Comp Sci A, Calc BC and Physics C. He had 5s in the bag before he applied in fall of his senior year. There is a UK version of this site you might want to check out. There is a tutor from the Oxford CS department who is fairly active there and is happy to answer questions.
@HazeGrey could you give me the link to that site? Also, I can’t take Physics C since I haven’t taken Physics 1 and I can’t take calc my junior year because of school rules.
@rockstar01121 CC will block it. You might want to search for t h e s t u d e n t r o o m.
You can also satisfy through SAT2s. You need a 750 min on the Math 2 and 700 min on the science one. So if you have a 5 in AP comp sci and two SAT2s (Math 2 and Physics), you could be set by the end of your junior year.
If you are going use SAT instead of ACT, you need to have a minimum of 770 on the math section as well.
You seem to be on a good path at the moment. In my opinion, and that of some colleges, Stats is considered a bird course ( in comparison to other math courses, not all courses), and Physics is a big one. I graduated Junior year so I didn’t take any of the senior level math courses like Stats, Calc, etc, but I did take some senior sciences for my 4th science elective (Medical Micro, Patho, and A&P1). Its all about what you want and how you are planning to do it. I want to be a CRNA so I took some HS science course to prep me for college level sciences.
When British universities say “Math”, they mean “calculus BC” (which is one level lower than what most admitted British students would have, and would lead to a LOT of cramming on your part in order to catch up and even to take the admission exam.) You may take AP CS + SAT Subjects in Physics and Math (aim for 750, 700 is the basic minimum), and take AP Physics C + AP Calculus (AB or BC) for which you’d likely need to achieve 5s to confirm your offer.
Of all the classes you’re planning to take junior year you can dispense with AP Stats and either take it later or take it in college. You may take precalculus (H?) in the summer, AP Calc AB junior year, and AP Calc BC senior year. For British “courses” it’d be better.
My school does not allow us to take both calcs. I will still be taking Calc BC my senior year. Also precalc is not offered as a summer class and my school doesn’t do honors other than AP after sophomore year.
Ok that’s good.
@rockstar01121, although having all your APs in hand before you apply is great, it is not actually necessary. The vast majority of Oxford applicants apply with ‘predicted’ grades on their standardized testing (your GC does it). Your offer would then be ‘conditional’ on actually achieving those grades. It is not wonderful taking the APs in May, knowing that your offer depends getting the grades, or waiting for the scores to come out in July (though the UK kids have to wait until August for their results!)- but I know many, many students who have done that & lived to tell the tale. Most either apply to other UK unis at which they might be likely to get an ‘unconditional’ offer, and ‘firm’ that uni as their backup plan, or they put a deposit down at their favorite US option just in case.
Also, remember that the CompSci tutors get to choose what your offer is from all of the tests you have taken and are scheduled to take (and you have to report all of them as well). You could as @HazeGrey usefully notes, satisfy the requirements through SAT2s- but the CompSci department could still decide to make your offer include your senior year Calc BC score. Offers are individual, and are designed to be sure that you are ready to hit the ground running when you arrive.
Do take a look at the MAT: once you have the required actual or predicted scores, it is the single biggest factor in the cuts for interviews.
And @HazeGrey is right about the CompSci department on the UK student room site: they are a really nice - & helpful- bunch!