<p>Got my kids' schedules today, no surprises in D2's course list, D1 (the rising junior subject of this thread) did not get her first choice English elective. All juniors at the school take trimester electives and seniors do also or take AP Eng Lit. Anyway, I am happy she got her second choice, it is a more conventional topic "Mythology" and has the same favorite teacher as the oddball one. (I am not mentioning the name of the first choice because it is so odd it could show up in a search) Only thing I am worried about is the teacher, who also teaches AP Eng Lit and who she also had for ninth grade is a notoriously touch teacher, giving 0-2 A's per year across his classes. She got a B+ from him in ninth grade. I don't know if he is equally tough in the upper classes, and I admire her for wanting truly one of the best teachers in the school, but I am concerned about the grading. This year she had a new teacher who turned out to be a dud, but he was easy and she got A+ from him for doing a fraction of the work. He was not asked to return this year.</p>
<p>Only remaining question is if her free period will coincide with chorus so she can continue her battle to take that in some unofficial capacity.</p>
<p>So of six classes I'm counting this English elective in the tough category, along with two APs and Honors Physics. Two other classes will probably be easy, one is a second language where she worked little and had the top grade last year, other is precalc which does not have a separate honors class. last year they did have an H Alg II which she took, so I expect her to be more prepared than the majority of the class who did not do H.</p>
<p>Oh yes one last thing if she actually does have a free period we will sign up for the school associated drivers ed where they do the driving during the free periods. Otherwise will look into evening programs, so I am secretly half hoping the chorus thing doesn't work out.</p>
<p>And we (private school) don't have required PE but must take two seasons of sports. There are non-competitive choices (weight training, yoga) and assistant positions like team manager.</p>
<p>PE is my favorite peeve. It is only required for one year (she took it freshman year) and that's it. I think that is awful. As fat as this country is getting, PE should be required IMO. Of course I can't force D to take it since it is not required and there are so many more interesting things she wants to be taking.</p>
<p>My D doesn't mind PE - it's sort of a relaxing period for her (except for the swimming component - but she's done with that). She has to take 4 years of PE - as an every other day class. In her case, it usually switches off with her science lab which she has on alternate days. Hopefully, it will be that way this year as well. </p>
<p>We won't be getting her schedule until the end of the month as they don't go back to class until after Labor Day. </p>
<p>Queen's Mom - all this time I thought you lived in Queens, NY - but now that you've said that your D is only required to take gym for a year, I'm pretty sure that can't be the case as I think PE is required for 4 years in NY State - either as an everyday class for half a year, or as an every other day for the full year. I might be wrong of course - but it seems to be that way at all the schools I'm familiar with both in the city and on LI.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2, I am Queens raised. My family moved out when I was 17. I still consider myself a native of Flushing (and my husband is from Bayside). We moved out of state 5 years ago.</p>
<p>Only one full year of PE required at my S's school - and he took it in the summer for two years (every day from 7am-11am for 3 weeks each of the two summers - before freshman year and after freshman year) so he's done. PE is known as a total waste at his school. I know, bummer. And I agree on encouraging kids to be physically active in HS. </p>
<p>I don't worry about him though - he plays sports year around...</p>
<p>Queen's Mom - too funny! I grew up in Queens too - though we moved around a bit. I also lived in Flushing for awhile - through most of elementary school.</p>
<p>Abasket - interesting way of handling the PE requirement.</p>
<p>S2 has his schedule...heaven help us!
IB HL English 1/AP Lang & Comp
IB HL Euro History 1
IB Spanish V SL/AP Spanish Lang
IB Math Studies SL/AP Calc AB
Honors Physics
AP Macroecon
Comparative Religions
Theory of Knowledge
IB Extended Essay</p>
<p>Hope DH remembers his calculus and physics, as S1 will be gone!</p>
<p>CountingDown - D would love to take a class on Comparative Religions - but they don't offer that in her school. Your S2's schedule sounds pretty tough though. </p>
<p>I'm sure your S will be fine in both calculus and physics. If not, there's always the internet, so he can ask your S1 for help that way. If my D needs help, she's on her own, poor girl.</p>
<p>CountingDown - I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet. So I thought your D is taking AP Macaroon. I thought to myself, "Hmm, that's interesting. An AP class about cookies." ;)</p>
<p>As long as we're all sharing, he's S's schedule:
AP World
AP Prob and Stat
Honors Trig
Honors Am Lit
Honors French 3
Honors French 4
Percussion
Am Rev & Civ War // American Issues (Half-credit fillers b/c he couldn't get what he wanted. He better get an A in the War class. He's already completed APUSH, for crying out loud.)</p>
<p>No science this year. But, he already has 4 credits (all labs) and will take AP Physics as a senior.</p>
<p>Maryland only requires 1 credit of PE. That's not enough, IMO. Luckily Son does a fall and spring sport, so he does get exercise. I'm secretly hoping he ends up at a college that requires PE every year.</p>
<p>DougBetsey, how does he take French 3 and French 4 at the same time? Aren't they sequential?</p>
<p>French 3 sem 1, everyday, 90 mins. French 4 sem 2. :)</p>
<p>my guess is that Doug is on a block schedule and each of the Frenches is a semester. How did I do?</p>
<p>Reading everyone's schedules is putting something in perspective that I think I might ask as we go on our first college visits this Fri and Sat. For people who are able to take 7,8,9, and even 10 classes, the requirements/recommendations of HS courseload can't really be compared with those (like my D's) who can only take 6 classes per year. At this point, she is thinking of not taking science or history as a senior. She would still have the most rigorous schedule, but I had been concerned with the lack of 4 years of these subjects.</p>
<p>Have to think of a way to phrase the question so the adcom's get my jist and don't think I am overly nit picking.</p>
<p>Her schedule is likely to be
4 yrs English
4 yrs Math
3 yrs Science (bio/chem/phys)
3 yrs History
4 yrs language #1 (5 if you count middle school including 2 APs)
3 yrs language #2
2 yrs chorus (one was required for an arts requirement)</p>
<p>If you count those up and factor in the max 6 courses per year you only get one extra spot. That will be in senior year and she may take something in science/history, but is leaning towards more english electives or maybe a trimester of a fun class like photography. Very long shot is that she might take AP Stats (in addition to AP Calc AB) but probably only if she can do chorus as an unofficial 7th class and still have room for extras.</p>
<p>I have been reading the posts on this site for about 6 months and find many of them intimidating with all of the AP offerings and upper level math and science. Then I get past that moment of panic and think about the kids from my son's school that have not had all of the upper level courses but have still been accepted (and so far succeeded) at Stanford, Duke, CMU, Haverford, etc. The offerings at his IB school are limited, at this time no HL math or science, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The school has had IB for 20+ years so they must know what they are doing----I hope!</p>
<p>lotsofquests- don't be intimidated and welcome! I think seeing the specifics really reinforces the mantra that the student is looked at in the context of the school. For me it just takes a while for messages like this to really sink in. I know that kids at our school get into top colleges, but even more importantly wherever they end up they are exceptionally well prepared by the education they received thus far. I know that our lack of large numbers of APs (no science APs and calc BC must be taken after AB) could be a detriment to kids going for engineering, but there are kids going to tech-leaning schools (2 to Johns Hopkins, 1 to Stanford, from class of 60) from here and I'm sure they'll do well even if they start a bit behind. That's the biggest comment I have heard from parents with older kids, that they lack of APs puts them behind.</p>
<p>lotsofquests - the thing is, if a school offers those AP courses, the kids feel like they have to take them in order to be competitive within their own school. If your sons school doesn't offer those classses, I don't believe colleges will hold it against the students.</p>
<p>My D's HS offers a lot of APs and other college-sponsored courses, so naturally she will take many of them.</p>
<p>I may have posted this before, but D's schedule this year will probably be:</p>
<p>AP Eng Lang
Honors Pre-Calc
Pre-AP Spanish
AP Physics
APUSH
AP Art History
Wind Ensemble
PE
Social Science Research
AP Stats (if it fits into her schedule - but not likely)</p>
<p>D's HS offers a boatload of APs, but given the prerequisites (ie, can't take AP chemistry until you have had chemistry) and the fact that she only has 7 slots per day, so it is simply impossible for her (or anybody) to take as many as they offer.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying the French thing, DougBetsy. D cannot do that at her school, and unfortunately that means she will not be able to take AP French.</p>
<p>Queen's Mom - my D's school has that problem with the science APs as well, although her school does allow for 10 periods each day which helps. In special circumstances, the school will make exceptions, but they don't make it easy. </p>
<p>Even with 10 periods per day, it's impossible to take all the APs/College classes offered by D's school. I don't worry about it.</p>
<p>I don't actually worry about it either. I am not a big fan of APs in general. I am just saying....</p>
<p>I wish my S had seven slots a day. He has only five periods. His public H.S. is on trimesters. So he will end up with about the same number of credits as if they were on semesters. Each trimester = half a credit. It's nice to only have 5 classes to work on, but it makes hs schedule SO limited and there is no way to continue through high school with math, science, language, history, English, band, and the various requirements: Computers, 2 Technology classes, health, 2 trimesters of PE, and Financial Literacy. Very frustrating. AP classes last all 3 trimesters, so to fit those in really leaves little time. Regular classes which would last a year, are 2 trimesters.</p>
<p>His schedule for this year:
APUSH
AP Calc BC (this one will be painful)<br>
AP Bio
Spanish 4 Honors (2 tris)
2 trimesters of symphonic band (hopefully)
English 11 Honors (2 tris)
And Jazz Ensemble, an EC which meets every morning at 6:30 -- yikes! but he and I got through it last year...
And that's it!
He has taken a number of the extraneous reqs during the summer just so he can fit in more APs, etc. during the school year.</p>
<p>BengalMom - I don't know of any high schools here that use the trimester system. Interesting, but I can see how it might be limiting. </p>
<p>BTW, my D plays in a jazz ensemble as well - only hers meets for a couple of hours one night a week. The early AM wouldn't bother us much - but it would cut into class time.</p>