So I am currently picking my classes for junior year but I am having trouble. I am a decent student with a 4.5 GPA and I am very tough on myself. I was going to take APUSH, AP Lang and AP Bio. However, AP Bio at my school is extremely hard and lots of work and the average is probably around an 80%. My other idea was to take APUSH and AP Lang along with Physics and a semester of Microbiology H and an art because I haven’t taken one yet. Any thoughts?
If you list all your freshman and sophomore classes, I’m sure people will give advice for junior year. The first thing anyone will ask is about the math classes.
A class average of about 80% for an Honors or AP core course is pretty typical for my kid’s school.
If Physics at your school has a reasonable reputation, and you haven’t had any Physics yet, my vote would be for Physics.
My class schedule has been
Freshman
Biology
Earth and space science
Spanish 1
Alg 1
English
World History
Sophomore
English 10
Adv. Chem
Geometry
Alg 2
Spanish 2
USH
Personal Finance
My school doesn’t really offer AP classes to underclassmen, so I feel as if this is a disadvantage for schools but I’m not too worried about it.
Thanks @ejohson24. Adding PreCalc and AP Physics 1 instead of AP Biology to your other classes should work. It will be a big jump in workload, but will look good on applications. Ask your GC about getting the “most difficult” schedule box checked on your common app.
Edit: They might recommend you change Microbiology for Spanish 3, or similar.
I would take physics. You’ll need it anyway.
Also agree to leave room for your foreign language.
Take honors or on-level Physics, not AP Physics 1.
It’s not. Colleges know you can’t take what is not allowed.
Another vote for physics (even better if AP Physics 1 is available) and Spanish 3, both of which would be more valued by admissions than taking an AP class for the sake of taking an AP class.
So my junior year schedule with my base classes would be
Precalc
Spanish 3
APUSH
AP Lang
Along with my art because I need to take one and other electives
Should I be taking Physics Honors or AP Physics 1 I’ve heard they are similar.
What exactly does the “most difficult” box mean?
On level physics (you haven’t taken enough math for AP physics1) and Spanish 3 should be in that schedule if you’re aiming for selective, 4-year colleges. Add AP Lang and APUSH plus precalculus, then one art course and an elective of your choice.
Thank you for your input! I feel like I will be ok in AP Physics 1 but I don’t want to put too much on my plate.
You need to talk to people at your school about what AP Physics 1 is like. At my kid’s school, it’s a bloodbath, with only a couple kids in each section getting an A or a B. One section had only one kid for whom it was mathematically possible to get a grade higher than C three weeks into the second semester.
@MYOS1634 might have skimmed over it, but actually, she has enough math. CB recommends concurrent enrollment in Algebra 2. The OP is taking A2 this year and precalc next year. But I agree with @allyphoe to talk to current students at the school. And you might solicit opinions from your current science teacher and GC, since none of us here know your abilities.
It’s actually “most demanding.” The GC rates the rigor of each college applicant’s schedule. The criteria used varies from school to school.
@ejohnson24 I meant “most demanding”, sorry. It’s a field on the common application counselor recommendation form where they ask about the rigor of your schedule compared to other high-achieving students. You want them to say your schedule is “very demanding”. That means you need to ask them what they consider “very demanding”/“most demanding”. You may be missing some class that they think the most rigorous schedule should have.
I see… So should I be holding off on AP Bio for senior year and instead be taking Physics and such… I always felt as if 2 AP’s weren’t enough but it’s not like I want to go to a super low acceptance rated school…
You should get physics out of the way before contemplating AP Bio (or any other advanced science)
Precalculus as a concurrent class is fine indeed, sorry. Do check that your school’s AP physics class doesn’t require concurrent enrollment in Precalculus honors but that’s it.
Physics is generally considered one of the three classes one needs to take in science. If you take AP physics 1, you’d have 3aps, which would be the maximum you should start with.
If two APs is typical for the top-performing kids at your school, that’s the standard you’ll be compared to.
2 AP’s is around probably 30% most kids are taking 1 and there are some that are taking 3… Does it look better to have a C+ or B- in an AP class or an A in honors?