<p>This is my prospective junior schedule. Please provide as much info as you can. Thanks.</p>
<p>AP Stat
AP Lang
AP Physics B
AP Macro
AP Micro
Analysis of Functions (trig and precalc)
AP Comp Sci (taken online)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I have not taken a physics class before. Typically, kids at my school take physics honors before taking AP physics. Is it possible/advisable to take this class with no prior education in physics?</p></li>
<li><p>I know this schedule is considered rigorous by the typical student's standards, but is this on par with some of your junior schedules?</p></li>
<li><p>I do not like history, so I elected to take US history honors online instead of APUSH. Are colleges going to think bad of me for never having taken an AP history class or will they be fine with the fact that I've "specialized" in math oriented AP classes? </p></li>
<li><p>A longshot here, but has anyone taken AP Comp Sci with Florida Virtual School? If you have, info would be appreciated.</p></li>
<li><p>How much homework will I have? Is this schedule gonna be 9 months of no sleep/social life or is it somewhat managable?</p></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>My school adamantly refuses to give people AP Physics unless they took Honors Physics, not just regular-level. So clearly it’s pretty difficult. I wouldn’t advise going into an abstract subject with no idea whatsoever. History is different since it’s facts instead of abstract concepts (I took AP European History without any prior knowledge and got a 5)</li>
<li>More than par with my schedule, but then again if I didn’t have religion and World History I’d be taking AP Chemistry and AP Psychology, so I’d have almost as many APs as you. It’s up to you and whether you think you can handle the workload, which is different between schools</li>
<li>It depends. I hate history too, and I took one AP history so I’d never have to take one in college. I didn’t take APUSH because I already had one AP history. I talked to my guidance counselor today, who said that you should aim to take 4 years of the core classes (English, Math, Science, History, Foreign Language). It would be acceptable to take three years in one or two core classes, but dropping lots of core classes and showing extreme specialization wouldn’t be good. You have 5 math-oriented classes, which would qualify as a definite no. Try to squeeze a gumby language class in there just so you can balance out your schedule.</li>
<li>Can’t help you there, no idea</li>
<li>It depends on your study skills, your abilities, and your teachers. AP European History was absolute torture; I would stay up until 3 AM on occasion studying for the class because the teacher was hard, I hated history, and I didn’t have a good work ethic. This year I’m taking 3 APs instead of 1, but I’m having a much easier time because they are classes I enjoy that have easier teachers. Talk to other students at your school and see what they thought of classes. With AP Euro I managed to have some form of a social life, but no sleep. 5 APs sound really tough unless you’re innately smart and can study 10 hours worth of material in 4 hours.</li>
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<p>-At my school econ counts a history. I think you will be fine with two variaties of econ. This will compensate for a lower level US. Most colleges see econ as a social studies.
-I don’t know your level of motivation, or how much time you have, but I wouldn’t recommend six AP’s. Maybe if you have block scheduling it’d be a BIT more bearable, but keep in mind that if you have some first semester, you’ll have to refresh for the AP tests. AP’s aren’t just challenging; they’re a lot of work. Even really intelligent people struggle sometimes because the teachers give you absurd amounts of work. It’s not a matter of knowing the material, but having the time to demonstrate your knowledge. It often takes upwards of 5 hours just to take notes for one chapter of my AP history class because they need to be really, really detailed. But I would ask people at your school what these AP’s are like. At my school the max for students AP wise is four. Most take 2-3.</p>
<p>I think in general for these threads about whether your schedule is rigorous enough, there are two main points that need to be considered before you post:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The most important advice I can give is talk to current students who are taking those classes. APUSH could be a joke with one teacher and the hardest class of all time with another at the SAME school. APs especially are dependent on how much work a teacher gives. </p></li>
<li><p>For all the “is this schedule hard enough” questions, the most important yardstick is your classmates. If you are taking the most rigorous course load at your school, then your schedule is fine. If you are taking 5 APs but your peers are taking 7 then you’re falling behind.</p></li>
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<p>Your schedule is considered in context of your school.</p>
<p>7 AP’s?? We would never be able to do that at my school…too many required “electives” like gym, business, health, graduation project planning, etc. </p>
<p>I agree, definitely research what the teachers are like at your school for AP’s. My one AP teacher, for example, makes us memorize arbitrary minutiae like the number of presidents with fingers up in the air for extra credit (no lie). Some AP teachers will pretty much make you on your own as far as the lessons go, while others will lecture. Some give you busy work which diverts time away from studying from the AP test, while others will keep it focused on the readings.</p>