My son, a sophomore in high school, decided he wants to double up on AP science courses senior year. However, it turns out that he hasn’t yet fulfilled a one-semester arts requirement and next year (junior year) there does not seem to be room because he has a mandatory study hall. That leaves senior year to fulfill this art course, which then means he won’t be able to do double science.
The only option I can see is that he drop Italian senior year. He’s not especially good at language. He is, however, excelling in science and is thinking of going premed. BUT…he doesn’t want to drop Italian because most selective schools like to see four years of a language. So as long as he takes one AP science course each year for the next two years, does it matter that he’s not doubling up? He’s not looking at HYP, Stanford or MIT but still interested in pretty selective schools.
Here are a couple of other options to explore. 1) Summer school, 2) Community college course if open to high schoolers. Also, I’m not so sure about 4 years in a single language being expected.
So are they using the study hall for lab time or something? My youngest only had AP Bio and AP physics C, Latin 4 (but took no language senior year) and got into places like Tufts, Vassar and U of Chicago. I should think he might enjoy having a full, but not too onerous schedule when he’s busy writing essays for colleges.
NO. Honestly, 2 AP sciences senior year is not going to be what gets him into any college. fwiw (and I know that it is anecdotal) none of the HYPS students that I know took 2 AP sciences in a single year (in many schools it’s not even allowed), and only some had 2 AP sciences in total.
Our D2 had no AP sciences at all (& was a prospective physics major!). She took honors bio, chem, physics and then senior year (against her GC’s advice) took forensic science, not AP physics. The GC argued that the AP was important to show rigor, D2 said that (except for which English section senior year) in all of high school she had had no electives, she had wanted to have that teacher since grade 9, and she could take intro physics in college. She loved the course, it didn’t hurt her in admissions (accepted everywhere she applied, including 2 of mathmom’s 3), and it didn’t hurt her in college (where she is, in fact, excelling as a physics major).
Most say four years of language is preferred, but not mandatory. My S dropped Latin senior year, cuz horrendous teacher he could not deal with again. He was accepted to both selective schools he applied to (one an Ivy.) At some point, they need to choose the option that works better for them.
Thanks, all. We discussed it over dinner and I think we’ve got a workable plan. He will double up on science during junior year (AP Bio and AP Physics), then take just one science course–AP Environmental Science–senior year. This will allow him an extra study hall that I think he’ll need during application season. He’ll keep taking Italian senior year, just probably not at an AP level.
It is very encouraging, by the way, to hear from people whose children were accepted to selective schools without taking every single AP course at their high school. I know many kids think that’s the only way to go, and sadly they often burn out.
FWIW, you can actually include me in that group, nor did I ever double up on any science, let alone 2 AP’s
The 4th year does not have to be AP as long as the total course load is rigorous enough. Just because a school offers a bunch of AP’s does not mean a kid should feel obligate to take them all.
Two kids in college, one did get credit for AP Art History, and probably took 4-5 other AP courses but didn’t score high enough to get college credit. That was fine, she didn’t need it and has to take art history courses anyway as it’s her major so the credits didn’t help. She also dropped her French course, which would have been 2 years of the same language, as it was online. She’d already been accepted to college, and only thing the college said was that she’d have to take it in college. Art History major, she needs two full years of college language, so she started over and is fine with having to take it from the beginning.
Other daughter took 4 or so AP’s, didn’t get any credit but was happy with the strength of the courses. She got A’s in chemistry and calc her freshman year in college. She did take Spanish through AP (so 4 years) and cannot speak 4 words of Spanish. Not required for her major (civil engineering).
I wouldn’t worry about it. He should take what he likes (or required).
AP environmental science is usually not considered that hard of a course, and is likely not seen as an “essential” science the way that biology, chemistry, and physics (whether or not AP) are. Does it require a lot of schedule contortions to fit it in?
‘So as long as he takes one AP science course each year for the next two years, does it matter that he’s not doubling up’
no , BUT I think hes making a BIG mistake trying to take 2 intense science AP classes his JR year, and a relatively “whimpy” science AP his SR year.
he would be better off taking either AP Bio OR Physics his Jr year, so his GPA does not go in the toilet, and the other AP his Sr year.
in other words, I agree with ucbalumnus.
I too agree that taking both AP Bio with AP Physics in one year just to take AP ES the following year may be unwise. I’m not sure I see the reasoning to take two of the three major AP science classes in one year just to take AP ES (which I think is a good course) the following year. My daughter took all three of those courses but over three years (APES in 10th, Bio in 11th, and Physics in 12th). D loved APES and environmental science was one of her main interests in high school, so the course made sense for her. But even she didn’t see it on the same level as Bio, Physics and Chem.
I think your son can easily not take APES and be fine.
What is the rationale for skipping AP chem and taking AP environment? Is that his special interest? There’s a lot of overlap in AP bio and AP environment. Unless he has a special interest in environment, seems a little redundant. Also I am not sure about college credit policies for AP environment. AP chem is probably more recognized.
Are we talking about AP physics 1 or AP physics C here? I wish people on this site would not simply say AP physics because those two classes are very substantially different in difficulty level. I wouldn’t be concerned about AP physics 1–it’s a slower paced version of the old physics B which many schools taught as a first course in a single year. AP physics C as a first physics course along with AP bio would be tough.
Actually, for some schools your plan could have a negative in terms of college apps: if you read the fine print some actually say that they particularly look at the rigor of senior year - b/c they are watching out for people who load up junior year and then coast.
And I agree with mathyone: Physics C + Bio (content heavy even with the update) + Calc (AB or BC?) (plus English, Italian and a History/social studies?) is a tough course load for the year that you want the strongest marks- and then there is the time commitment for leadership roles in ECs. With absolutely no disrespect for your son’s ability or energy levels, that is a lot. If he is your first, be aware that many, many kids find junior year the hardest of high school.
Of course, what we are missing is why he is so set on taking 2 at one time. Guessing at possible reasons: to pump up the weighted GPA for academic status within the school? only allowed to take APs from junior year on and want to do show colleges that he is academically able/good pre-med material? Trying to have enough APs to reduce the number of credits needed in college? Trying to skip intro level classes in college? (fwiw, depending on the college, depending on the college and his score on the test, going into a higher level class may be possible, but AP credits do not count as the med school pre-reqs, so physics, bio, chem (regular & organic) will have to be taken again anyway).
I wouldn’t double up, and not in that order.
He should take AP Bio junior year (with apes if it makes sense for him because he likes the subject, because it’s an easier AP to add to AP bio, and because there’ll be some overlap with AP bio which will reinforce learning in both - but he shoukd not take it solely 'because it’s an AP ’ since it’s generally seen as a weaker AP and won’t help It’s admissions for a kid who’s taken AP bio and AP physics).
Then, senior year, AP physics, which I assume is AP physics 1 or 2. If AP physics c, has your son taken honors physics ? Also, he’ll be glad to have the study hall that year.
Finally, more important than the number of AP 's, he needs to take one each of bio, chem, physics (honors is fine), then add one AP - unless he’s not planning in majoring in anything stem -y or to be premed, in which case there’s no need to double up in science.
BTW doubling up is NOT expected.
