No sciences junior/senior year

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hi everyone, I am a Canadian student who is currently in grade 11, and I am planning on applying to US universities next year (my first choice is UPenn - Wharton School if Business).

Here in Canada, it is not required that you take science courses when applying for programs unrelated to the field, such as business, social sciences and humanities. I understand that it is a little different in the US.

I am currently not taking any science courses. I am taking a good chunk of business courses (I am in a business SHSM - specialist high skills major - program in school; this program allows me to graduate with a red seal on my diploma stating that I was a business oriented student in high school) and I’m also taking grade 12 Advanced Functions, Calculas and Data Management. I also have a good mix of social sciences and humanities.

My school isn’t AP or IB, but it is very highly ranked in Ontario, and has a reputation for having a vigorous and innovative business program that other high schools don’t offer.

I dropped science, not because I wasn’t capable, but rather because there are far more interesting and related courses at my school that I could take.

Is whether or not a student takes sciences a game changer? Or do I still have a chance, assuming that everything else on my application is exceptional? After all, I have looked at the Wharton curriculum, and there aren’t any heavy science requirements in it. I am confident that I would be able to excel in their program.

If you think it will do detrimental damage to my application, would it help if I self-studied AP environmental science? I’ve heard the course is not very vigorous, but perhaps it will show admissions offices that I still pertain a well-rounded interest in science, even though it is not my first priority.

I am planning on self studying 2 APs this year anyways; microeconomics, and the other was still undecided.

Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

Oh yeah - I would also like to point out that I tried to switch into Chemistry this year, but due to limited spots, I could not. The only way for me to get this credit (which is a prerequisite for grade 12), is to do it in private school - which has a bad reputation at most Canadian universities, and I’m going to assume it won’t look good in the US either.

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Wharton School* (no “of business”, and certainly not “if”)

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You’re not attending a US school and admission offices know that when foreign schools have tracks or streams, the students bare restricted in what they study due to earlier specialization than in the US.
That being said, for Wharton, a key element is math: Calculus is assumed, with the math sequence starting by default bat what’s calc 2 elsewhere (there is a calc1 class for students who scored a 3 on AP calculus AB or attended a lower performing school that didn’t offer Calculus, but calc2 is the only default class starting the sequence.) So, the further you can go with math, the better for you.

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lmao sorry all business schools in Canada usually have ‘school of business’ or something at the end. That’s my bad. As for the typo, it happens. I will be sure to proofread next time.

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Thank you so much for your response! The maths offered at my school are a bit different, so they translate differently, but I have already completed grade 11 Functions, and am currently taking grade 12 Advanced Functions. Next year, I will be taking grade 12 Data Management and Calculas and Vectors. These are all of the university level math courses offered at my school (in Canada college and university are 2 different things).

I may self study AP Calculas AB/BC next year, just to expand my knowledge, but as of right now, I don’t think it would be realistic because of my lack of prerequisites.