<p>Okay, I am officially screwed. My school is a small private and I hate it because it doesn't let me take the classes I want to. Case in point, next year I have a dilemma: I can't take AP Spanish. This really bugs me because I pay 10 grand a year for this school to only not be able to take the classes I want to. What a ripoff. </p>
<p>Anyway, what should I do??? Here is what my schedule is as of now:
1st Term:
-AP Calc
-AP Eng Lit
-Physics Regular (no AP or Honors Phys offered at my school)
-Spanish IV
-Bible 12 Part One (REQUIRED, unfortunantly)</p>
<p>2nd Term:
-Speech/Debate (REQUIRED)
-AP Eng Lang
-AP Euro
-Anatomy/Physiology (no Honors Anat offered)
-Bible 12 Part Two (REQUIRED, unfortunantly)</p>
<p>So what should I do? I want to take AP Spanish but it looks like I wont be able to. Am I screwed? Is Spanish IV enough? I am also angry at only having four (can you believe it, four?) AP's. Whats the point in even trying anymore.</p>
<p>There are summer programs that offer AP Spanish, as well as online classes. You can also self-study and demonstrate mastery by scoring well on the AP test.</p>
<p>First of all, don’t give up just yet. If my parents were paying 10k a year, they would demand that I get this class, it makes no sense why you shouldn’t be able to get it. Why won’t the school let you take it?</p>
<p>Its a very small school, and yeah, I’m going to fight this as best as I can.</p>
<p>When your guidance counselor sends the information to your colleges about your HS, it will be absolutely clear to the admissions officers that you attend a very small private HS with limited course offerings. It will not matter that you have only taken 4 AP courses, and that you can’t fit AP Spanish into your schedule. College admissions officers deal with students from schools like yours every year (just like they deal with students from schools where there are no AP courses available whatsoever, and from schools where all of the graduates are AP scholars). Trust the admissions officers to know what to do with applicants from a school like yours.</p>
<p>Now, as to the Spanish language coursework itself. Why do you want to take AP Spanish? If you want to really master the language, you should be looking for an immersion program like the Concordia Language Camps or a student exchange to a country where Spanish is spoken. If you want college credit for the Spanish (or placement into a higher level course in college), you need to find out which Spanish exams the college you are going to attend will accept. You can self-study for the AP if you want to, but if they will accept the SAT II or the CLEP those are easier.</p>
<p>You don’t need to take AP Spanish just to have another AP course on your transcript if you simply can’t fit it in at your HS.</p>
<p>I need to take AP Spanish because I only have 4 AP’s and I want to take the most rigorous courseload availiable to have even a chance at the admissions process.</p>
<p>“I want to take the most rigorous courseload availiable to have even a chance at the admissions process.”</p>
<p>There are scads of decent colleges and universities in this country that will admit you today without your having even completed your HS diploma. You have more than a decent chance in the overall admissions process. What is less predictable whether you have a chance at Specific-University-A or Specific-College-B. You need to sit down with the college placement counselor at your HS and find out just exactly where graduates of that HS have been admitted over the course of the last three or four years. That should give you a better idea about where you stand.</p>
<p>If your schedule will only permit three, rather than four AP courses then you have indeed met the standard for most rigorous courseload. Your counselor can write a note to that effect to send along with your transcripts.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, there are still high schools which don’t even offer AP classes and these high schools send their best kids to the best colleges. If you take the most rigorous courseload available, even with NO APs, and have high test scores and all the other leadership and ECs and community service enthusiasms that the top schools ask for, you will be admitted to some. Even if you take the most rigorous AP laden courseload and get top test scores and have all of the above, you will NOT be assured of admissions to ANY of the top schools. Some of this is about things like where you live and whether you sing Alto or Soprano–very arbitrary. Def. look at the acceptance threads on the boards of the top schools on CC just to get some idea of the stunning accomplishments, intellect and potential of many of the rejected entries. There just aren’t any guarantees. When schools say “most rigorous” they really do mean YOUR school. When only 7-14% are getting accepted, they mean IN THE WORLD, not even only in the US. Good luck and try to at least enjoy your senior year and do some of the things because you love them.</p>