No social studies and foreign language in senior year?

Applying to College
1

<p>So my guidance counselor is strongly recommending (and by that i mean almost forcing) me to take a full year of social studies for senior year. Although I really dont want to. I'm also not taking foreign language, since AP german is the highest my school offers, and I'm taking it this year as a junior. Plus, I took the AP chinese test and got a 5. He says that if I didn't take social studies for another full year I'd greatly hurt my challenges in getting to top colleges like NYU, ivy league, etc. because I would be dropping two core curriculum classes. However, I would like to take AP computer science to my schedule instead, since I'm thinking about going into computer engineering or biology. What should I do? And can you give me any reasons to refute his claim?</p>

<p>ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFO: So the other classes i'm taking senior year is as follows: calculus III, Eng lang comp H, AP physics, APES (really want to take it), band (for continuity and i like it), gym (required), health (required quarter class), and lunch. The way that my school works is that I have to take prerequisites to take certain higher level courses or do waiver, which would require studying over the summer and taking the course finals. The options i have to choose from for social studies are psych 1 (semester) and psych 2 (semester)/ sociology (semester), ap euro, ap macro, and iple H. None of which i'm particularly enthusiastic about. I've already taken 3 years of history (us his I H, world history H, and apush). I also did a little research and found that colleges require 2-4 years of social studies, examples include MIT only 2 and NYU all 4 years. However, if a college requires all 4 years, some say that it's okay to replace a year with an extra year of science. </p>

2

<p>Sorry but your guidance counselor is right. If you look at the requirements listed by smilar colleges to which you wrote, most prefer that you take four full academic years in math, english, social studies, and science (3 being lab science), and 3 years of a continued same foreign language (some colleges require 4 years). I understand that you really want to take APES but since you already are taking AP physics, it doesn’t really 'add" to the rigor of your senior year curriculum but it adds a LOT of reading. Remember, your application is being compared to other students both from your high school and from other high schools applying to the same college. So regardless of what the college may “say”, think of how your application is going to look compared to theirs. That being said, I am a firm proponent of taking the courses that make the most sense for you – so if you can “sell” your application with double science and only 3 years of social science, go for it. Be ready to address the issue in your “Additional Info” section of the Common App.</p>

3

<p>Your foreign language is requirement is fulfilled, but you do need 4 yr of each core subject and social science is one of them. For top schools, recommended means required. Also, you should check your high school graduation requirement. Even a college does not require the 4th year social science, you may need that to graduate from high school. If you don’t complete high school, you may be rescinded even if you are admitted.</p>

4

<p>While @billcsho is correct on foreign language, both he and @Momof2back2back are incorrect on history/social studies. If your school/state requires 4 years to graduate HS, that’s a different story. 4 years of study of a foreign language is assumed to mean completing level 4 whether one starts in MS or takes a class over the summer, if you finish 4 before senior year, you are covered.</p>

<p>Some examples:</p>

<p>MIT</p>

<p>Ideal preparation for MIT includes English (four years), history and social studies (two or more years), mathematics (four years, including a strong preparation in algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, and calculus), sciences (four years, preferably including general science, biology, chemistry, and physics), and a foreign language. However, interested students whose high school program does not match this curriculum in every detail are also invited to apply.</p>

<p>Stanford</p>

<p>We respect the responsibility that high schools, principals and teachers should have in the development of courses and curricula for their students. For that reason, we do not have a set of required courses for admission to Stanford. We have found, though, that a curriculum emphasizing depth and breadth across the core academic subjects is the best preparation for the academic rigors at Stanford. Our experience has suggested that students who excel in a curriculum like the one below are well-suited for the demands of college academics:</p>

<p>English: four years, with significant emphasis on writing and literature.
Mathematics: four years, with significant emphasis on fundamental mathematical skills (algebra; trigonometry; plane, solid, and analytic geometry).
History/Social Studies: three or more years. Such courses should include the writing of essays.
Science: three or more years of laboratory science (including biology, chemistry and physics).
Foreign Language: three or more years of the same foreign language. Your study of a foreign language ought to include the development of four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension.</p>

<p>Princeton</p>

<p>If possible, we expect students will complete the following courses before beginning study at Princeton:
four years of English (including continued practice in writing)
four years of mathematics (including calculus for students interested in engineering)
four years of one foreign language
at least two years of laboratory science (including physics and chemistry for students interested in engineering)
at least two years of history
In addition, most candidates have had some study in the visual or performing arts.</p>

5

<p>Although it is not necessary, there are schools that do require or recommend 4 years of social studies (e.g. NYU & UIUC). Unless you are sure you don’t want to apply to those. But most important is your high school graduation requirement.</p>

6

<p>After checking your HS graduation requirements, if you find that a 4th year in social study isn’t required, you’ll ahve a choice: how to combine your desired schedule with what selective universities want.

  • between APES and psychology/sociology elective, pick APES; take a social science over the summer, preferably at a local college (as I doubt Honors European history will be offered over the summer)
  • take health and Phys Ed online/over the summer; take APCS, APES AND AP Euro or AP Macro(recommended)</p>

<p>The problem is that right now you only have 3 (or 4 if counting CS) core classes, so you can forget about all the top 30 universities and LACs (who want 5).
If you want to have a shot at the schools you listed, reasonably, you should:

  • take one more social science - not necessarily in HS, but possibly online and/or at a local community college or local school (if there’s one and you’re allowed to dual enroll).
  • see if you can take German at the local community college (if it’s offered); less time consuming, more original, and more fun, find a German penpal in a FachHochSchule (ask your German teacher), write in German, discuss technical things, and explain about it in your “Additional information”</p>