<p>Son's schedule for senior year: Two Physics AP classes, AP Eng Lit, AP Comp Sci, online AP calc B-C (after school) and orchestra. He is required to take a civics class--regular civics or AP Gov. The AP gov teacher is unreliable and sketchy; my daughter had him a couple of years ago and it stressed her unbelievably. My son's OK with taking it, but I don't know if it's necessary. I don't know if he would lose too many "academic rigor" points by not taking the AP if it's available. Thoughts?</p>
<p>It’s a hefty schedule, but if he’s ok taking it, I would let him continue on. Stress to him that if he starts to feel overwhelmed that he needs to speak up before things get out of hand and change his game plan. His game plan change will most likely involve removing one of his AP classes. Which is perfectly fine and dandy. </p>
<p>If you know the AP Gov teacher is bad, go for the easier class. My kids both opted out of AP English which they knew would make them miserable and both had much happier senior years. They both did very well in their college freshman English courses. The rest of his schedule sounds plenty rigorous!</p>
<p>I say go for the regular civics class. AP Gov is considered to be an AP “lite” course anyway and your son is taking some of the harder AP’s with Physics, BC Calc, Comp Sci and English Lit. Do not think it should harm his "rigor’ marks at all. Colleges will see the rigor when they see his transcript.</p>
<p>Thanks very much. Since the BC calc will be extra work outside of the school day, and the beginning of the year will be football season which takes SOOOO much time, I had hoped he could just take civics. Niquii, I’m just not sure he would notice danger in time if he fell behind. </p>
<p>You know your son better than any of us. You know what he’s involved outside of school. (You didn’t say he ha d football…that changes things…) You know how he handles stress. You know how he handles assignments and deadlines. Do whatever you feel is best. </p>
<p>Will the GC check the “most rigorous” box if he just takes Civics? (I would think it likely, given the rest of his schedule…)</p>
<p>I’m a little puzzled about the 2 Physics classes…do they run concurrently? Doesn’t the student have to already have calc for one of them? Or did he already take Calc AB? Is he taking a foreign language?</p>
<p>A lot depends on the type of schools he’s aiming at, but I think he would be okay with just plain civics, especially if he has taken earlier history classes at the highest available level.</p>
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Hopefully, the student isn’t taking both AP Physics B and AP Physics C. (There was a parent whose child was signed up for both of them). AP Physics C does require some basic knowledge of calculus; although it is not unheard of for a school to not require previous knowledge and just teach the student the calculus they need for the physics. </p>
<p>The student most likely is taking AP Physics C Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism or the two parts of AP Physics B. (Not sure how it works now since they’ve changed it from since I’ve been in school…)</p>
<p>He has Calc AB this year. Yes, it is Physics Mechanics and Physics E&M. He is taking Spanish 4 this year, so he is done with Foreign Languages (two years of Spanish in middle school count as Spanish 1).</p>
<p>And, yes–duh, I should ask the guidance counselor if he will still check most rigorous. Thanks!</p>
<p>He’ll be applying to Duke, Northwestern, etc. Maybe Stanford for yucks if he gets a great ACT score. Case Western type school for likely, and the state school for absolute safety.</p>