Junior and Senior Year Planning for College

Applying to College
1

A little bit about me:
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Unweighted GPA: 3.95 (Have gotten 19 A’s and 1 B)
Class rank: Top 30-40 (6%) out of 650 students
Intended field of study: Business @ GT or UGA
-I believe I have taken one of the most rigorous course loads available at my school…

So my dilemma is that I’m stuck on what to take for my second semester of my junior year (I’m on a block schedule: 4x4). So far, my first semester of junior year I’ve taken:
-AP English Language and Composition (93)
-H. German V (99) [study hall for me]
-AP Microeconomics (94) [only junior to have taken this class-will look, good on college app]]
-H. Algebra II (84)

For next semester I’m deciding between schedule 1 and schedule 2:
Schedule 1:
-AP Statistics
-H. Human Anatomy
-AP U.S. History
-H. German VI [study hall for me]

Schedule 2:
-AP U.S. History
-H. Pre-Calculus
-AP Environmental Science
-H. German VI [study hall for me]

Argument for schedule 1:
The thing with schedule 1 is that I will further show my business interests to colleges by taking statistics. Because I have taken AP English Language and Composiiton and AP Microeconomics, if I were to take AP Statistics with that… it would truly show that I’m business oriented. It’s also worth noting that I would take H. Pre-Calculus (fall of senior year) and AP Calculus AB (spring of senior year).

Opposition argument for schedule 1:
I won’t do pre-calculus junior year which most smart people have done by end of junior year.

Argument for schedule 2:
The thing with schedule 2 is that I will be able to take H. Pre-Calculus junior year, so colleges will be able to see how I did in that (I however got a low B in Algebra II, so I don’t think that I will come out of H. Pre-Calculus with an A). I would then take AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics senior year.

Opposition argument for schedule 2:
I think a con of this schedule though is that I will have taken AP Environmental Science which is not as relevant as AP Statistics to me. Having completed the 3 business oriented AP classes: AP English Language and Composition, AP Microeconomics (and when my counselor writes I was the only junior out of a all senior class to take it), and AP Statistics all with A’s will look good instead of substituting H. Pre-Calculus with a B for AP Statistics and having colleges guess what I’m going to make in AP Statistics and AP Calculus AB senior year because of that B in H. Pre-Calculus.

Summary:
Basically, I think there is not a wrong decision either way. For now, I’m scheduled for schedule 1 but I still have a day to change it. Schedule 1 makes my interests clear to colleges and will still allow me to take the calculus path senior year. Schedule 2 makes me start the calculus path earlier… but the schedule that I have doesn’t become as relevant anymore and I will most likely get another B, so 2 B’s junior year (I believe I would get an A in AP Statistics because it’s a different concept than H. Pre-Calculus).

What schedule should I do?

2

Taking stats won’t "prove* that you are “truly” business-oriented- and that is not something you have to prove. Higher grades will be more useful as an admissions variable.

3

Well when I say that I mean like it shows that I have a interest in that topic. Exactly like someone who wants to become a biologist should take appropriate AP classes in high school to display their interest in the field like like AP Biology or AP Chemistry.

4

So you’re saying schedule 1 @collegemom3717?

5

There are better ways to show an interest in business than stats: as in doing something in business! Georgia Tech wants the ‘most rigorous’ course possible, and some specific requirements:

http://admission.gatech.edu/first-year/academic-preparation

6

Schedule 1 or schedule 2.

7

I would say schedule 2 if I had to choose. We are not on block schedule but typically AP stats is taken after Calculus in general Senior year. It sounds like German VI is an easy class for you so I’m not sure the benefit. Human Anatomy is mostly a class taken by people who are in the medical field. AP environmental is supposedly the easiest AP science class you can take. As # 4 has pointed out in the link above your schedule may not be the most rigorous.

8

Why are you taking German if you already got a 5 on the AP German Exam?

9

Well I help the teacher out and tutor other kids. I get to use half of the class as a study hall.

10

Taking stats doesn’t prove out your business interest. (Take it from someone with a BBA and an MBA). Either schedule is okay. You might check your target colleges and see if they require business majors to take calculus and what level. Most don’t, but a few do. You want to be well prepared in HS with calc going into that if you have to take it in college.

11

Neither GT or UGA have written to specifically take calculus classes, it’s pretty obvious though that it is a good idea to take them.
I messed up when I wrote “…these AP classes prove my interest in business”… etc like that. Basically what I meant to say was that the classes display my interest in the field of business and show that i can do well in those types of courses especially because they’re college level.

12

I just found out that Georgia tech doesn’t offer credit for AP Statistics. Should I take it regardless of the circumstance?