<p>So I am a rising junior in high school, and I am trying to plan out my classes for junior and senior year. I have decided not to take Spanish this year (I took it as a freshman and sophomore), and I will take Spanish 4 AP senior year. This will give me only 3 years of language in HS, but I will finish with AP Spanish. Will this be a disadvantage? I may take language classes (French and Spanish) outside of school too, but I won't get credit or anything. </p>
<p>Also, I will be taking AP Calculus this year, and I would really like to not take any math in my senior year. I am also wondering whether this will be a disadvantage in applying to college. Because I will already have completed AP Calculus, there are not many options to continue math in HS, besides AP Stats (which I really would rather not take)... Should I just take it anyway, or will AP Calc be enough?</p>
<p>Depends on what schools you apply to. Many of the top schools recommend four years of mathematics (whether that should include AP Stats is debatable) and enough of a foreign language to speak and read it well. So, it’s a matter of whether you will be able to speak and read Spanish (well enough to get a 5 on the AP exam). Could you not take multivariate calculus after AP Calc at a local community college or something to continue your math education?</p>
<p>I am assuming that you’re not contemplating majoring in science, math, engineering, foreign language or international relations. As long as you’re not, AP Spanish and AP Calculus will be enough (especially if it’s Calculus BC).</p>
<p>But if you’re not going to take foreign language or math, what are you going to take? You’ll still want a class schedule both years that looks serious and academically challenging.</p>
<p>I actually am planning on doing premed in college, so I’ll probably major in biology or chemistry. I am definitely determined on being fluent in Spanish, and I will take classes and practice outside of class but I’d prefer to not take it all 4 years because the language program at my school isn’t very good. </p>
<p>I will be taking my first year of calc (so not Calc BC). This year I am hoping to have a free period, but I think I still have a pretty difficult schedule. I’ll be taking AP Bio, AP Calc, AP History, Honors English, and Art. Next year if I don’t take math I’ll take AP Chem, AP Govt, AP Economics, Honors English, and AP Spanish 4. I am worried that if I add AP Stats to that list, it will be really hard for me to do well in all my classes while keeping up with extracurriculars and hopefully a part time job. I actually already took a class (Physics) at my community college this summer and didn’t have a very good experience, so I don’t know that I will want to dedicate a ton of time to that again.</p>
<p>Also, if this helps, I’m also planning on doing a gap year. I’ll be going to a Spanish speaking country to improve my fluency there. I just want to try to avoid Spanish class at school because it is pretty much a waste of time, aside from it being something you can say you have completed.</p>
<p>I will be taking AP Chemistry as a senior, which involves a fair amount of math. But I am more concerned about how colleges will view only 3 years of math.</p>
<p>Not the same thing at all. AP Chemistry is going to require logarithms, but what more advanced math will it require? Between a senior year without math and a gap year, you’ll lose all your calculus. Expect to have to retake differential calculus in your freshman year of college.</p>
<p>(Oh, oops. Didn’t mean to step on tiger’s toes. Consider my post more of a “me, too.”)</p>