@socaldad2002 stop confusing everyone with your facts. You’re ruining the narrative of the over-posters.
The problem is people take advice about which classes look better on an application and turn it into have to have on application. Does Calc BC look better that AP Stats? Of course! We all know that. I’m sure we all agree that 4 years of foreign language is better than 3, but it’s not a requirement.
Also, there is a finite amount of time a HS student has for classes and ECs. Taking a crazy hard course load and making A’s looks great, but it generally comes with less ECs and ECs that are not as developed. There are trade offs.
Socal dad’s case also highlights the importance of the rest of the application. Especially at private schools. IIRC his D had an excellent advisor so the app was tailored to her strengths and Duke’s needs. She was full pay and applied ED, and Duke likes full pay ED apps. She attended a Duke meet up locally connected to her religion because they knew Duke was looking to add diversity from that group.
Yes, a lot of relevant details were added by @AlwaysMoving.
Our school doesn’t offer MV Calc, S21 was going to take AP Stats next yr, but he really wanted an out period so has to take Calc BC to accommodate the schedule.
@mom3boys our school does not give any extra weight to DC classes.
@AlmostThere2018 Thank you for the explanation. D18 didn’t go through Common App, she applied directly. She was also IB- so I wasn’t really concerned about rigor check boxes. Our GC didn’t meet with D18 until 2 days before she was accepted to her school!
@1Lotus I am recommending that D21 fill out the school application when available.
Any ACT stories today? One of D’s friends just drove to Indiana from our Chicago suburb to take it and was welcomed by a closed door and a sign saying it was cancelled!
@homerdog My D is at testing site as I type. Last week I called and someone from the school said it was still on and no mask required. She took a mask just in case she needed it. I will be interested to hear what she has to say. It is ACT with writing. She has one ACT without writing from Feb and may get the chance to test in school in Oct. I am curious of others able to test and what they observed. We are in MN. I checked her ticket online this am to see if any changes before she left. Do you know if your DS friend checked her ticket online?
@1Lotus Not sure but that is a really good tip!
S21 is there right now! School is about 35 minutes from home in rural county. Everyone walking toward the building was wearing a mask which was required for entry – along with temp check.
I’m curious what S will report in terms of how many kids continued to wear the mask in the test and how far apart the desks were.
Def. felt risky to me and I’m trying to put health concerns out of my mind. But he had prepped and was ready, so he went for it. He’s taken two mock tests over the past month – sitting down and taking all sections with a proctor over zoom – that they then scored. He got 32s on both which is great for him. He seems to have test anxiety that kicks in for the real thing, so I’m REALLY hoping this goes well for him. I could tell he was feeling it on the way to the test center. 
Regardless of how it turns out, I’m proud of him for buckling down these past few weeks and putting in the work. Will remind him after the test that even if he doesn’t do well, it’s not a reflection of his ability or effort. It’s a mental thing for him. His tutor says he tends to rush and overthink it; just not a natural test taker.
I will register him for a Sept. date as back up – but if he could get a 32+ he’ll be done. Maybe even a 31 if his SS puts him at a 32+ (some of his colleges do SS the ACT).
@socaldad2002 I’m grateful for that background. It’s easy to get caught in the “she hasn’t done enough” spiral (especially on CC!). D’s grades and stats are strong, though not the most rigorous in her selective enrollment school. She’s a chill kid who only signed up for APs she was really interested in… which were only sometimes the ones discussed here! We’ll see what happens during this crazy admissions year, but it’s always nice to hear that all is not lost! 
@socaldad2002 Thank you! I’ve been ruminating about the 4 yr FL thing since it was posted. Our kids go to a 6-12 school and took AP FL this year. And, we too know kids who stopped FL after 11th (school req is 3 yrs) and got into MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc, etc. But, there’s always something to worry about…
@kbm770 I don’t know if I would say @socaldad2002 's post is a chill pill though. I love his D’s story but it’s true that they were very strategic in their search. Applied ED as full pay. His D showed a lot of interest by attending events, etc. And, if I remember correctly, her ECs lined up perfectly with her intended major in a big way.
Any of my suggestions for class choice is just overall general advice I’ve heard from AOs. Of course fit is also a very important consideration at schools that practice holistic admissions and @socaldad2002 's D was a very good fit for Duke in more ways than just her transcript
Looks like the chances of SAT and ACT happening in August and September are slim to none in TX. Here is the latest guidance from the state education agency (TEA)
"School systems will now be able to temporarily limit access to on-campus instruction for the first four weeks of school. After the first four weeks, a school system can continue to limit access to on-campus instruction for an additional four weeks, if needed, with a board-approved waiver request to TEA. "
Our school district, which was supposed to give us options about going back to school by end of this week, is now holding an emergency board meeting on Tuesday. I don’t blame anyone for this, but I concur, CB and ACT should go ahead and cancel all the tests this year. Please end this cat and mouse game, kids are really getting tired and frustrated 
@homerdog Absolutely agree. That makes sense. Our D isn’t really looking at T20 because she says they’re “too intense.” (She’s a very chill kid. 
) And she recognizes she doesn’t have the highest rigor. Still, her stats are strong, and Naviance looks good (for all of the places where they have enough applicants to report). She has a strong ACT under her belt, and we’re full pay. Most of the time we feel pretty good about her chances at the LACs on her list, but it’s easy on this site to become convinced that if she doesn’t take “the right” classes, or if she’s not involved in the “right” ECs, she won’t get in anywhere! While the post didn’t convince me that she’s a slam dunk, it always helps to hear that there isn’t only one path.
Completely agree! Slim to no chance of the Aug 29 SAT taking place in our area (DFW Suburbs).
S is back from ACT – only 9 students in the classroom and everyone wearing a mask! Hooray!! Because of the state mask mandate they enforced wearing them. Phew.
He felt good about the test. Said the math was harder than some of his practice sections, but still feels pretty good about it. Hoping it has more of a curve.
Thought science was easier than normal. He always finding the Reading and English pretty straightforward and not difficult.
Fingers crossed!
In terms of @socaldad2002 ‘s, the family had a great outcome.
But there’s a consensus here in my locale in CA, that 4 years of a foreign language in HS and taking Calc senior year are recommended by CA public schools, HS counselors, as well as the private counselors that I’ve spoken to here. However, there’s no one size fits all strategy for students for sure.
Just to clarify. While D did apply ED she had success with other colleges. For example she applied EA to IU and got into Kelley School of Business direct admit with maximum merit. She also forgot to pull her UC Davis app and got in with full regents scholarship.
Again, it can’t hurt to take 4 or 5 years of a foreign language in HS but in my experience and others I have talked to having “only” 3 years doesn’t move the needle much. It’s just not that important compared to a half a dozen other areas of your application like GPA, course rigor, essays, ECs, LORs, essays.
And yes, I’m a big believer in knowing the colleges you are applying to and packaging yourself to showcase how you will contribute to the college and make it a better place.
Lastly, this year more than ever will give you a distinct advantage if you can apply early.
Just my 2 cents…
Btw, my S also heard of someone nearby who showed up for ACT today only to find a sign on the door it was cancelled. Ugh!
I have wondered with a much smaller and skewed population of test takers today how that impacts scores and curves. Oh well, no sense worrying about something we have zero control over.