Hi guys, I am new to CC so I’m not sure if this is in the right category. I want some advice as to what to do with my life right now… I just finished my junior year of high school (moving to senior year next year) and I did poorly during junior year- B’s & 1 C for my APUSH class, B’s & 1 C for my physics class, and 2 B’s & 2 A’s for my AP English Language class. My results for the AP Exam were also not spectacular: I got a 4 on the AP English exam and a 2 for my APUSH exam. I have a 3.7 weighted gpa right now, (rank 30 / 311).
I scored horribly (in the 500-600s) on my SAT II Math Level 2 and Physics exam.
I scored mediocre on the SAT I (1800s), and I plan on taking it again in October (hopefully will score 2100+)
For senior year, I plan on taking AP Calculus AB, and regular everything else… I took Senior Social Studies as an online course over the summer, so I can pick another course to take. I think I want to TA in place of that, so my senior schedule would look something like this:
AP Calculus
English 12
Engineering [course]
Japanese 2
TA
TA
I would have two TA classes. I am wondering should I should take Chemistry or Physics at a community college? (I do not want to take AP Chem at my school because our science department is very weak, so I would risk getting a low grade on the AP exams, and our school does not offer AP Physics)
I’m in Robotics which takes up a lot of my time. However, I only hold small leadership positions like being team leader (of subgroups), not team captain. Can I actually write this on college applications, or should I ignore writing down any leadership role in general?
I’m also wondering does National Honor Society mean anything to colleges? It sounds nice, but does it carry any worth?
I am very depressed right now… any insightful advice will be appreciated =]
I hope to go Carnegie Mellon and major in electrical engineering.
Have you considered taking ACT, you might do better. I would recommend taking Physics, because it seems like you did very poorly last year. Your extra-curricular activities are OK. I dont know if I owuld put team leader on a college app, since its not official. I think Carnegie Mellon might be a reach for you. Other schools to consider are Purdue, UIUC, and Texas A&M. 
Carnegie is a reach for you. What is important is that you focus on your Standarized Tests… Getting 2100+ would really help, but you will need to study hard to increase your score by 300 points… Just “taking it again” won’t do that for you. You should never ignore leadership on a college app, as that is an important component. Oh, and don’t get depressed, you strike as a person who cares about their education, and you seem have the willpower and aptitude to achieve what ever you want. Goodluck
I don’t think it’s a good idea to TA for two classes o.O…
The community colleges won’t let me take physics with them… I needed to have took like “Math 150” etc first which is like Calculus, I guess… or be co-currently enrolled in some math course like “Math 150”, etc…
What should I do now? =(
@keneezy786: Yes, I had anticipated to take a course at community college. I also don’t want to bite off more than I could chew…
You should probably just take AP Chem at your school. Even if you fail the AP exam, you can just take it again in college. At least you’ll have some background. And it’s not like the AP score will count for anything, since the test will be after admissions results.
And I know that where I live, CCs can drop high school students from their classes pretty easily because the college students get priority. If you really want to take something there maybe you should sign up for both a CC class and AP Chem, and then if the CC class is working out you could just drop AP chem. But if the CC class doesn’t work out you’ll at least have a science class. Make sure you know your school’s drop policy though (at mine you have the first quarter to drop with no penalty)
@alwaysleah: At my school, we only have the first two weeks at the beginning of each semester to drop the course with no grade penalty =(
Ahhh. Well still, start off the year in AP Chem and try to work out the CC deal. Then at the end of the two weeks, evaluate your options (if CC is working or not) and drop Chem if need be. The other option would be to try CC and if that doesnt work out you could always find an AP science class online. FLVS comes to mind if you havent already taken AP Bio.