I am in Junior year and my school doesn’t offer any challenging classes ( not even online resources they use). I don’t know if I should self-study for AP exams or just moved to another school. Sadly I can’t take any dual enrollment courses because my school have to wait for another semester from nearby community college to get their students to enroll in dual credit for free. I don’t know what to. Is there any anyway for me to show colleges that I challenge myself in some heavy coursework?
Colleges look favorably on taking the most challenging courses your school offers. Your GC will include info on what courses were available.
You can put more coursework than the average student, (8 classes vs 6 classes) if that’s possible. Self-studying is also really appreciated by college admissions officers.
What colleges and universities are you planning to apply to? Which places have students from your HS been admitted to in recent years? It may not be necessary for you to do anything special at all.
I remember my sister took only 1 AP (Calc BC I believe) when she applied to UPenn. She had a decent SAT score and a wealth of ECs. She got into the nursing program. Even though this was maybe 6 years ago, I believe that there was something on her application that made her stand out more than the others.
Honestly, I can’t speak for what you can do in terms of coursework because it’s not something I know much about. But, @vonlost makes a great point, ask your GC what courses you can take right now that are rigorous. Like for when I was in high school, being an extra level up in the major classes: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies meant you were on a rigorous schedule. So let’s say as a junior, an average student takes Algebra II, but for you, can you take Pre-Calculus or Statistics in place of that? I don’t know your school’s curriculum, but I’m sure there’s something you can do to take harder classes. Just ask your GC and I’m sure s/he will have an answer for you.
I’m sorry that I can’t give a better response, but I hope this somewhat helped and best of luck!
College reps and adcomms will know what your choices were (they get a summary from your school as to what is offered). Do the most you can with what you have: most of the regular posters here know many kids at every level of selective college who came from schools where there were no ‘advanced’ options (and in fact, quite a few who came from schools where the options weren’t even good, much less advanced).
Be a star in the classes you can take, and stand out by how you choose to spend your time out of the classroom. Self-studying is an option, but I disagree with the poster who said that adcomms really appreciate self-studying- most of the ones that I have spoken to/heard speak are not especially keen on it. If you have a genuine interest in a subject, find a way to pursue it, but otherwise pursue whatever you are really interested in.
(and, protip: the area that students who come to college most often struggle with is writing, so when you do get to college, find the college writing center and make friends with them right from the beginning- don’t wait until you have trouble. Just march yourself in, introduce yourself: tell them you came from a school without much in the way of advanced courses, you want to make sure your writing skills are up to the standard of the college, and how does the center work. Pretty much every college has one, and pretty much all of them are really keen to be helpful (if you hit a rare one/ rare person who is not- persevere any way- you won’t believe how much of a difference it will make to your college career)(getting off my soap box now).
You won’t be penalized if the classes are not offered at your HS. If it is doable you might want to see if any more advanced classes are available at your local CC.
lol selfstudy is a great idea. Its not hard if you are really motivated. I would advise you to self study if you can. It may show colleges how determined you are. Remember adcom are humans as well.
@happymomof1 I was planing to apply to University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and Stanford. And the school I am in is new it’s been opened since when I was freshmen. I am a pioneer at that school since they currently have no Senior students.
@JMS357 I can take Calc in Junior year since math is my strength than other subjects, I would need to study Algebra 2 before going to my counselor for requesting to take CBE.
@ConcernedRabbit I can asked my Counselor for more courses, since me and some of my classmates will be two credits ahead.
Please tell us you have some safeties on your list as well!
@ghake87 Is your school in the US?
@ConcernedRabbit An update to say that it might be hard to request for more courses because my school made us to take 9 classes in our Junior year.
@collegemom3717 lol yeah I have some safety colleges I was also planning to apply.
@Springbird yes, my school is in the US