Junior Year Courseload?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I'm currently a sophomore who is trying to figure out what classes I'm going to take for Junior year. I'm not 100% sure what I want to major in, but I'm pretty sure it will be pre-med and economics/business. Since I definitely want to do something science-related, I'm trying to take the most challenging core science classes. I've already taken or am taking honors chemistry, biology, and physics and have gotten all A's. I'm currently taking Honors Pre-Calculus and have an A in the class right now. </p>

<p>I have two possible plans for next year:</p>

<p>AP Bio
AP Chem
AP US History
AP Lang
AP Calc BC
Journalism (News editors have to take the class!)
PE (it's required :P) </p>

<p>OR:</p>

<p>AP Bio or AP Chem (pick one class or the other, and save the other science class for senior year)
AP US History
AP Lang
AP Calc BC
Intro/AP Psychology
Journalism
PE</p>

<p>If I went with schedule one, then I would probably take AP Physics senior year, but if I went with schedule 2, then I wouldn't be able to take AP Physics senior year; I would have to take either AP bio or chem. </p>

<p>My goal is to get a solid foundation in all the sciences-- so I'd love to be able to take all 3 AP science classes before graduating. But I definitely don't want to overload my junior year. </p>

<p>My extracurriculars are: speech team, BPA & DECA (business clubs), newspaper staff, class council, and math team. I'm also on my school's swim team.</p>

<p>Is it better to challenge myself more with hard classes junior year and go with schedule one, or to go with schedule two? I'm pretty good with time management, but I just don't want to be overwhelmed.</p>

2

<p>I’m kind of in the same boat this year – with the exception of your interesting math situation. I would honestly recommend you take AP calc AB before you take BC. Yes, you get a sub score on the AP BC exam, but I would never suggest skipping an entire level of math, let alone AP calculus AB. </p>

<p>Ultimately though, it’s up to you. Personally, I’d go with your second option, but since you mentioned you want to go into either pre-med or econ, it might be a better idea to drop both AP US and AP Language and take up AP bio and AP chem instead. Trust me; it sucks to take classes in areas you know you won’t enjoy and have no true passion for. If math and science are you strongpoints and areas of interest, stick to those–it’ll help you hone in your focus on those. </p>

<p>Good luck! And please remember not to kill yourself…High school shouldn’t be overwhelming. It should be about figuring out what you like and enjoying your youth while you can.</p>

3

<p>Don’t take AP Bio, take AP Physics B instead, and you can choose between Ap Physics C or AP Bio on your senior. Also don’t try to skip Calc AB, just take it.</p>