<p>I agree with everyone who is suggesting that the OP’s daughter should take honors physics as a senior. AP Chemistry is relatively demanding, in terms of time, and it would usually be difficult to add physics on top of it, especially for someone who has no long-term interest in STEM subjects.</p>
<p>For top colleges with “single digit admissions”, once you make it into the pool with adequate stats, so they know you can do the work,they really don’t go by SAT’s, GPA, or even class requirements but use a “holistic” approach. They look at the whole picture, and the kind of discipline and hard work needed for ballet at this level is highly desirable. It also adds to the mix of the class. Schools like the Ivies and top LAC’s are looking at the mix of students more than the individuals, and someone with this kind of dedication to an art form adds a lot. The real question is whether this daughter’s ballet will continue once in an intense academic environment, and what choices this student might want to make not only for courses in high school, but for college itself.</p>
<p>So basically, taking the ballet class will reduce her weighted GPA. </p>
<p>This kind of thing hurt many of my D1’s friends. Our school has since changed the system to not rank at all and not weight GPAs. However, the school profile indicates the ranges for top 10, 25 and 50%. Therefore, the lack of weighting might hurt D2 who has also taken all honors and APs, but had lower grades in the AP classes. This was not a factor on D2’s decision on which classes to take though, but might cause her to not get into our state’s honors college should she choose to go there. </p>
<p>This is why so many schools are coming up with weighting systems that do not allow this to happen (no more than 5 weighted classes, must take at least 6), or are getting rid of ranking altogether. </p>
<p>In general, I think she should do what she loves. </p>
<p>However, I think you have to do some math here to get all of the facts. If you live in a place like Texas where only the top 10% get to go to the state flagship, then it sucks that it matters, but it does matter. </p>
<ol>
<li>What exactly is the weighting system</li>
<li>How many points will this knock off her 3-yr GPA. If they add 0.5 to a weighted grade, it will likely only hurt by 0.03, whereas if they add 1, it will deduct 0.06 (assuming 18 courses over 3 years).<br></li>
<li>Can (she do/you afford) that she do advanced ballet privately? She can have her cake and eat it to. </li>
<li>How hard is it really to do AP Chem and Honors Physics at the same time. Bombing one of them would defeat the purpose of trying to do this. </li>
<li>Is there a weighted class that’s easier than Honors Physics like AP Psych. </li>
</ol>
<p>I have two different kids, one of whom would have cared more about the weighting and would have done it the harder way, and the other would care more about her sanity and do the ballet. I think the best you can do is get educated about the facts and let her decide.</p>
<p>A couple of thoughts -</p>
<p>This summer is the ideal time to prep for the PSAT/SAT. She could then take the Oct SAT and PSAT and potentially be done. My kids had very little time during the school year to try to prep.</p>
<p>I had one D who was a very good student but a non-STEM major take AP Chem and Honors Physics jr year. It is not impossible.</p>
<p>My youngest dropped chorus, which she enjoyed, after 2 years to have a study hall jr year. She is a 2 sport athlete and felt she needed the time for school work.</p>
<p>If your D is dancing a lot outside of school, does she need to be taking a class during the school day? If it is something she truly loves, and wants to pursue in college, then she should keep it. The decision should be hers. We are not an arts family and I have always leaned toward emphasizing academics over arts. Everyone is different, and you need to do what is right for her.</p>
<p>If the only reason to take the second science class is to increase class rank, it is not worth it, in my opinion, especially if she’s already in the top 10% without it.</p>
<p>Dance! She’s in the 10% of her class so stop worrying.</p>
<p>^meant to type “top” 10% :)</p>
<p>Can"t thank you all enough for the excellent questions raised and opinions offered. I just sent the entire post to my daughter, who is OOS at a ballet intensive, for her consideration. I imagine we will have an indepth discussion this evening.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that weighted grades are only important on CC :D. Colleges remove weighting and figure on their own scale anyway so it’s very possible that her ballet grade will increase her “college” GPA. I just figured out DS’s “college” GPA for his top choice–they have their scale on their website. Our high school doesn’t weight grades to start but this scale moved DS’s GPA up .2 points, which moved him up in a scholarship category too.</p>
<p>I wonder if, at a top magnet, where many of her peers are likely very competitive, if she is worried her top 5% position is not secure. Her friends may be aiming for more weighted classes, over the next two years, and she could be concerned her standing could actually drop. </p>
<p>A lot of this still depends on where she might be applying to college. If she’s thinking of a tippy top, the competition in her own hs is also a factor. Maybe the GC will discourage all but a top few or so from applying to any given highly selective school. Her dance level will certainly help show her as a rounded and interesting, committed person, but the others may have their own depth of engagement, in their own interest areas, as well as breadth. Unfortunately, this is one of the down sides to a highly competitive hs. If you don’t think she’s looking at highly selective colleges, it does change things. </p>
<p>On CC, when folks talk of “passions,” I’m not sure they dig into how a passionate interest in something is supposed to translate. Adcoms don’t necessarily want to see that one activity you doggedly pursue- maybe supplemented by a few hs clubs and the mimimun easy volunteer things. They also want to see how you make choices, how you get engaged more broadly, beyond your own particular gratifying interests, etc. Their mission has as much to do with fostering their own community, getting kids who’ll try new things, take on challenges, get involved in activities and causes, have some sort of impact. </p>
<p>So, my concern would be: what’s she aiming for and what’s the rest of the story?</p>
<p>I’m thinking Goucher. Am I missing something?</p>
<p>My younger S was not a dancer (think a 6’4" 260 lb defensive lineman and black belt), but he chose to take honors physics instead of AP or IB at his magnet school. He got into some of the same schools as mathmom’s S2. He also took pre-IB Chem, AP Enviro and AP/IB HL Bio.</p>
<p>Do what you love. Life is too short to do anything else.</p>
<p>Lookingforward, you hit the nail on the head. She is trying to “keep up with the Joneses”. Her peer group is doubling up on sciences so she thinks she has to as well to get the weighted grades. But many of these kids plan to pursue STEM in college and beyond and I dont think she does. </p>
<p>Obviously we are in the early stages of college planning but she has said she wants a large southern university with a sports scene (which is funny since she’s not into sports). She would like to take ballet classes with performance opportunities but not major in dance. She wants to go OOS. As far as financial situation, if she wants to go OOS she will need some merit money. We will likely not be eligible for need based financial aid. This is one of the reasons I wanted her to go easy on Weighted science classes this year and instead focus on SAr/ACT test prep. She’s already got a 4.0 UW GPA. She needs the test score to go with it in order to get some merit based awards. At least that is my impression. I would love feedback from anyone on these issues. Thanks again.</p>
<p>For merit-based aid ideas, pop over to the financial aid forum, and read through the threads on guaranteed aid. Yes a good GPA is important, but a lot of the best money is tied to exam scores.</p>
<p>Some of those big southern schools with sports scenes are in this list:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>Alabama (ACT 32 for full tuition)
LSU (ACT 30 for full tuition)
Mississippi (ACT 32 for $14,000/year OOS, currently about 90% of OOS tuition)</p>
<p>Even if you’re just playing the numbers, I think that maintaining an unweighted 4.0 is more important than trying to move up a couple of slots in class rank. So I’d suggest that she shouldn’t risk her 4.0 by doubling up on a science that she doesn’t really want to take in the first place.</p>
<p>If you are asking what we truly think, then I say, do not worry about GPA and do whatever you wish to do. More so, continue with the same strategy at college.<br>
As a warning also, if D. is NOT too much into science, did she consider that she might not do as well in more challenging science classes that are filled with kids who are very interested in sciences.</p>
<p>Some privates are also very good about Merit packages for top kids. One such school is Case Western.</p>
<p>I would be reluctant to take AP Chem and Hon Physics at the same time. Go ahead and dance, especially if she really likes the instructor. In the blink of an eye, high school will be over and all she will have is the memories.</p>
<p>^Exactly, very good advice!</p>