Need help with Junior Classes...should I take Organic Chem or Journalism?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I’m a rising sophomore. I don’t really know what I want to focus on for career/major in college etc. I know I will end up applying liberal arts. I lean towards preference for math/science but I’m pretty well-rounded at this point. I’m not the strongest English student though I love to read. Least interesting to me are Spanish and History though I get As in those classes. For my schedule next year I was planning on taking the following:

Honors Precalc
Honors English
APUS History
AP Spanish
AP Bio
Organic Chem (1/2 year)
Intro to Computer Science (1/2 year)
Journalism (full year)

I had thought I wanted to eventually work on school newspaper which in order to do at my high school you have to be in the journalism class as a junior and senior. I am not planning to go into communications or journalism; however, I thought it would be a good EC for me because I don’t have many school ECs (just run track/cross country). Journalism/school newspaper would be a good way for me to add to EC and it’s a fun group of people.

However, I just found out that Organic Chem and Journalism will conflict for me next year so I have to only take one of them. I do not want to be premed – I just liked chem this year and was thinking I would take Organic Chem.

As a senior, I will need to take Physics and then I was going to take an additional full year science class called Exercise and Sports Science - this course combines my interest in sports and nutrition with science. So, I do not want to take Organic Chem as a senior -that would be three science courses.

So - which would you do? Drop Journalism and then not be able to work on school newspaper? Or just skip Organic Chem all together?

Thanks for any input!!

2

Oops – meant a rising JUNIOR.

3

Personally my HS experience on the school newspaper was great fun and I learned some practical good skills at the same time. Organic chem won’t help much unless you plan on having to take it in college.

4

The main thing is that you take Bio, CHem, Physics and an AP version if you can.
Assuming you will have done that, then use HS to explore.
You have math and science classes to explore STEM, so take that journalism class to explore that aspect.
Organic chemistry will be there for you in college if you go that way.

5

Thanks. Yes, I am taking AP Bio next year, this year I took Honors Chem and then 12th grade I will take Physics.

6

I concur, take journalism… and write interesting articles!
Organic chem will be there in college.

7

If you’re planning to be a pre med I would consider taking organic chem considering that’s the class that makes or breaks pre meds.

8

^ except the 'junior in hs ’ version would not help, since its relationship to the college class is roughly the same as the one between 8th grade physical science and AP physics C.

9

Take AP Capstone Seminar, if offered by your school. It’s a great way to build skills needed for college!

10

That is not offered at my school.