My Senior Year Courseload...

<p>I'm prepping my schedule for next year with help from my guidance counselor, who I keep bothering. This is the second schedule I've come up with. Before, I had AP Bio and AP Ecology I in the same semester and thought that was too much. Some courses only run first semester. We have block scheduling. Each class is close to an hour and a half.</p>

<p>I want to go to UPenn or Cornell. If I don't get in, I will go to maybe Syracuse or another second/third choice college and transfer to UPenn. UPenn is the number one choice...I have spent hours around the campus and plan to meet up with my cousin, who attends now, for a real tour soon.</p>

<p>There is no foreign language req in my public school. It is merely an elective. I freaked out this year and decided to shove in two years of French - I took one freshman year when I went to a ****ty parochial school. But then, I also did have it first grade TO ninth grade. Not that admissions cares. :/</p>

<p>So here it is...</p>

<p>First Semester
AP Ecology I
AP English
AP Macroeconomics
French II - unleveled</p>

<p>Second Semester
Psychology
Health and PE 10th - see, it's a state req. I'm new this year. I HAVE to take it with sophomores. Damn.
AP Macroeconomics
Probability and Statistics
French III - honors</p>

<p>Is four APs a decent amount? I know people who've gotten into selectives with maybe three senior year or then...maybe five. So I'm considering shoving a fifth AP in but don't know. I have awhile to decide.</p>

<p>I would probably add AP Bio back in and push AP English to second semester, since it runs both. But more likely, I would take AP Euro and push English over. AP Euro and the AP Calcs are the hardest courses in the school. I got a 95 in AP Government this marking period with a tough teacher. I'm only saying this because it is the only other history-social studies type class I've taken. I wish we had AP US History...we don't. I wish there was an AP Ecology II for me - there isn't because only a few people showed interest.</p>

<p>Sorry for rambling. I also hope I didn't confuse any of you. I just need guidance here. Any helps. :)</p>

<p>What the heck is AP Ecology I and AP Ecology II and why are they considered AP?</p>

<p>Um. Ecology is science, study of organisms and their surroundings. As for why they're considered AP, I guess they prepare you for the exams. It interested me so I picked it.</p>

<p>I guess it might be like Environmental Science, if that helps.</p>

<p>Or...Bio. :)</p>

<p>Anyone who has a clue can reply. Seriously.</p>

<p>hmm, if your plans are going to UPenn or Cornell, you definately need to up your AP's, if that's the only thing you're worried about. take anything and everything you can. i'm a junior, i'm currently in 5 AP's out my 8 hr day. Next year, i will be in 7 out of my 8 hr day. even i'm worried i can't get into a good school. </p>

<p>and believe me, if you think having AP Eco and AP bio in one semester is too much work, i don't think you can survive in an ivy league school. you have to train yourself for that, so you better start now.</p>

<p>Funny, I know someone who is in at Penn with 3 APs for their senior year. 3 for junior. 1 for soph.</p>

<p>No offense, but I also think I know myself pretty well and I wouldn't apply to an Ivy (I'm only applying to the two I said) if I didn't think I could do well once in. I kinda wanna get into college and DO well, not get in and bomb all my exams.</p>

<p>Taking 7 APs in one year at my school is basically unheard of. Why? Block scheduling. We have 4 main subjects and don't consider Language to be a core class - it's a Humanities credit. So the most you'll see is 5.</p>

<p>We have limits on the amount of APs because our admin wants us all to have lives. However, 2 or 3 are heading off to Penn, some to Brown, and I forget where else...</p>

<p>Thanks for your input.</p>

<p>i see, maybe i misunderstood what you were saying. but what i said first still goes, take as many hard classes as you can. because colleges will look at your coursework and compare it to your GPA.</p>

<p>Well at least at my school no one really takes more than 4 AP classes a year. I took 1 AP junior year and 3 AP senior year and I got accepted to Stanford. So Im not really sure how 3 APs are not good enough.</p>

<p>Um, I'm taking 11 AP tests as a Junior thru 6 AP classes. and 7 AP tests as a senior. So along with freshman and sophomore year, I would have taken 21 AP tests. Um, it's all very possible. Sucks to be in blocked for that purpose-however, blocked seems so much easier.</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 this year with the hardest possible classes and a 3.8 for the two preceding years.</p>

<p>Block scheduling is great. I wouldn't have it any other way. But at my school, you aren't going to reach AP Physics and AP Chem in the same year. You won't get to AP Art and AP French in the same HIGH school career. Some APs run one semester and not the next.</p>

<p>Damn. All those APs with block scheduling? You'd be a legend at my school. The guy who got in at Harvard two years ago sure as hell wasn't taking that many. Niiiice.</p>

<p>Thanks for agreeing with me. You don't need to take 6-7 APs your senior year. Stanford! Amazing job. :)</p>

<p>Like I said, I know someone with 3 APs their senior year who got it but also someone with 5 who got either waitlisted or rejected because he basically wasn't impressive outside academics, or as a person. The person with 3 senior year had AP Calc, AP Euro, and AP English, with Calc and Euro being hardest. The 5 AP person, who was from last year actually, had Calc, Euro, English, Statistics, and Chemistry.</p>

<p>The one with 3 basically brought the school's literary journal back to life and started a club or two - not just to start it but because she cared. The one with 5 was an arrogrant ******* and some NHS officer/secretary, I forget which. Who really cares.</p>