Good luck to her! Again I applaud these highly motivated kids!
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For what itās worth, Iāll add to the list.
My daughterās current plans are to pursue the IB Diploma Program offered at her HS (no AP classes are offered at her school). Itās actually been quite an undertaking to simply work to understand the IB program itself. Sheās also a 3-sport HS athlete and plays club soccer on a high-level team, so weāre concerned about her overloading her schedule. But she seems to be going in with eyes wide open.
Junior year:
IB History 1: History of the Americas
IB Math Application and Interpretation HL 1
IB English Literature HL 1
IB Spanish HL 1
IB Physics 1
IB World Religions SL
Leadership
IB Theory of Knowledge (2nd Semester) [1 evening per week]
Senior Year:
IB History 2: Topics in World History SL
IB Math Application and Interpretation HL 2
IB English Literature HL 2
IB Spanish HL 2
IB TBD Science SL
Leadership
For the last slot, either a full-year elective with IB Theory of Knowledge (1st Semester) [1 evening per week] similar to Junior year, or IB TOK and then a semester-long elective in the 2nd semester. Iām thinking the latter and to do something completely different, like Ceramics, but weāll see what sheās thinking this time next year when finalizing that schedule.
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D24 doesnāt have much stress regarding class selection at this time. School only has one track of slightly advanced core classes. Drama is the elective. Towards the end of the semester we choose two CC classes to fill out the schedule. Calc 1 and ASL 2 are pretty much already decided. There are definitely plusses and minuses.
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No, she just needs one more year and it can either be 11th or 12th grade. Sheās currently in APUSH.
Yeah, she already has one semester of draw/paint and one semester of ceramics, so I think she needs to take another semester of one of those two. If Iām confused let me know! The UC requirements always throw me for a loop.
Senior year will end up being:
- Aug-Feb - 1 senior college counseling class - counselor helps them with their application essays, has them apply to other scholarship competitions. This is also the class where seniors figure out what they might want to do for a senior project.
- Aug-Feb - 2 or 3 Humanities classes (canāt remember if itās 2 or 3). English, History, and/or foreign language. 1 option this year was History of French Fairytales.
- Aug-Feb - 2 or 3 Math/Science classes (again, canāt remember if itās 2 or 3). Usually advanced topics like Linear Algebra, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, plus an advanced physics topic of some sort. Sometimes they offer stuff like Game Theory also.
- Feb-early May - independent research project or internship entirely outside of school. Studentsā last day of in person school is early Feb for seniors. Then the following week, they start their internships. They are required to write an online blog each week talking about their progress. Also have to meet couple of times a week in person w/their faculty advisor at school. Early-middle of May ā seniors give a 15 min presentation talking about what they learned during their internship. Projects are in all types of areas - science, math, business, community involvement topics, public health, law, etc., etc. Project can be in any topic they want.
Last week of school every year is āProject Week.ā All grades participate. School day ends ~ 1 pm on those days. You basically get a participation grade (i.e., pass/no pass). Itās meant as a fun week as a reward for all of the hard work all school year. Back when D24 was in 5th grade, her project week topic was all about Harry Potterā¦a couple of the days, they had a āpotionsā classā¦kids got to dress up. 1 of the days involved writing your own spells. Plus they watched Harry Potter movies every day. She still talks about it sometimes.
Last yearās project week, we made D24 attend the āprojectā that the physics teacher was leading. It was called āAdulting 101ā and was the most popular one that week for all of the high schoolers. They learned stuff like:
- how to change a tire
- simple car maintenance
- balancing a checkbook and household budgeting
- some other basics of personal finance
- the basics of being an apartment renter
- and other random topics all related to stuff that adults do regularly, but teenagers donāt yet have a clue about
Usually 1 of the options for project week involves cooking. Thereās often one for board games & DND. Plus one thatās all about anime. Thereās another one about jewelry making. Plus one about making your own comic books. Thereās usually 1 for the high schoolers that focuses on writing college application essays over the summer. The one that D26 was in was all about super heroes, so they watched Marvel movies the entire week and had organized character analysis debates about it.
Finals week always ends up being the 2nd to last week of school, then the last 5 days of school is Project Week. For students who do end up taking the AP exam for an AP class, the AP exam is their final exam. If they donāt take the AP exam, they take a school-issued test and that is their final exam. As a result, if your AP exam is earlier in May, then you basically coast the rest of the school year and you can use that as a free period to study for other classes.
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Same discipline is key for the VPA requirement so another semester of painting/drawing or ceramics. Which ever class she prefers.
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D24ās school only allows 4 AP classes Jr and Sr year and encourages taking no more than 3. Top students are allowed 1 AP sophomore year. D will be taking 4 APs next year ( and other courses are Honors) - Iām worried about the course load but she is really excited for all of the classes she has chosen. Sheās doing fabulous in AP Macroeconomics this year, so I hope my worries are unwarranted.
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Iām looking for advice regarding physics for S24. He is a good student and aiming to be a CS major. So far he has taken Honors Bio as a freshman and this year he ended up with two math classes, Honors Integrated MATH 3 and AP Computer Science A, and he took an anthropology class at a JC last semester. Next year his schedule so far has AP English, AP USH, AP Calculus AB, foreign language 3, and his varsity sport. He is all-on-board with the thought of also taking Honors Chemistry and Honors Physics next year, then AP Physics 1 his senior year. At his high school, AP Physics 1 is the highest one offered.
So looking at his senior year options, available classes are AP Statistics (no AP Calc BC as of yet at the high school) and for science the only remaining classes besides AP Physics 1 are AP Bio, AP Environmental Science and AP Chemistry. (And there is no 4th level of foreign language or AP Calculus BC offered).
I would like to hear opinions on taking AP Physics 1 after Honors Physics. I know there are at least a couple differences in the course materials and the AP class is more algebra-based. Is the curriculum for AP Physics 1 different enough from Honors Physics 1 to consider taking both consecutively non-repetitious?
(error post, please disregard)
At our school AP Physics 1 and Honors Physics are similar. The AP course goes more quickly, though, and may cover some additional topics at year end. That being said, kids take one or the other of those - not both.
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Thorsmom66, thatās what is dawning on me. Class requests are due next week. I have a call in with the guidance counselor and I will discuss this with my son over the weekend.
When we added this to his future class worksheet, I think his guidance counselor wanted to confirm that the extra class load next year was alright with him, she was not so much worried about taking both Honors and AP Physics 1 in a row.
Iāll discuss with him taking AP Physics 1 next year and wait until senior year for Honors Chemistry.
Thoughts?
If the honors physics isnt a prerequisite for physics 1 that sounds like a great idea. Taking two high level science classes plus the three ap classes and honors language, plus varsity sports, not sure when there is time for sleep
In retrospect it may have been ideal for him to take bio, chem and physics already, but that is not what happened. So high school science may be looking like this:
- 9th: Honors Biology
- 10th: Anthropology at the local junior college, no science at the high school
- 11th (2022-23): AP Physics 1
- 12th (2023-24): Honors Chemistry (To fill regular day schedule he may either opt to take one of the other science classes also or take the next level in his arts class he took as a freshman.)
Can anyone think of anything negative at all about pushing chemistry to senior year regarding admissions into a CS/STEM major at a competitive university?
AP Physics 1 in junior year should be good for engineering and CS. If an AP Chem option is available in senior year, that would be preferable.
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Got an email from D24ās school counselor. She recommended the AP Music Theory class over AP Statistics, said that statistics would basically be a 2nd math class, which will be time consuming. D24 said that the counselor came to her english class today to present info to the class about elective options for next year. She learned some more about what AP Music Theory involves since, as it turns out, 1 of her classmates is taking it this year (or took it last year? I donāt remember)ā¦said that the AP exam involves sight singing (which she does all the time at choir), youāre given a note to listen to and you have to sing the note that is so many steps away from the given note, and a couple of other things I already forgot.
Anyway, D24 said, āMama, I can already do 2 of those 4 things and Iāll learn the other 2 in the class.ā So Iām glad that we caved and let her sign up for it.
In her email, the counselor explained the different between AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A. The latter class is offered next yearā¦it focuses more on programming, whereas the former āfocuses more on the integration of computer and programs into different industries and platforms.ā The counselor said that they switch off from year to year between the 2.
D26 put AP Comp Sci Principles as her 1st choice elective for next year. So itās nice to know that sheāll be able to take the more programming-focused class in 10th grade. I think that D26 will really enjoy it.
D24 also said today (sheās a chatterbox on the way home from school sometimes) that a lot of the 10th graders havenāt taken a fine art yet (and graduation requirements for the school include 1 yr of a fine art), so a lot of them will be taking any one of the 3 basic drawing/intro to art 2D classes that are available for next year. Some students asked the counselor if they could just learn a music instrument over the summer instead and the counselor said, āProbably not because you have to have 110 hours of instruction. Are you really going to get that over 2 months of summer break?ā
The counselor also had all of the 10th graders fill out and turn in this graduation credits flow chart thing. Their 9th and 10th grade classes for each kid was already listed and the students had to fill in their plan for what theyāre taking in 11th and 12th grade. Of course, most of 12th grade is already pre-determined, but they will have some choices of what humanities and STEM capstone classes theyāll takeā¦they wonāt know until this time next year what the capstone class options are.
Pretty much, you have to complete your fine arts credit by the end of 11th grade. Otherwise, youāre limited to what type of senior research project/internship you pursue Feb-May of 12th grade since, if you havenāt fulfilled the fine art requirement, youāll have to be at school either in 1st period or the last period of the day all year long. Sometimes, a senior decides to do their internship/research project overseas (when this happens, itās usually because they stay with a relative in whatever the foreign country is).
A year ago, D24 didnāt give a rip about any of this. But holy moly guacamole, on the drive home today, she was talking about how āyou have to make sure youāre not overextending yourself because thereās a lot going on in 11th grade.ā
Something tells me that the counselor must have talked about that concept in english class today. Thank the Lord for that because when DH or I have told D24 that same thing, she rolls her eyes at us. But another adult? Sheāll listen. LOL.
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I think itās fine
If sheās taking all the APs, it may make sense to push one AP (history?) into junior year. UC looks at a-g Sophmore-Jr GPA and they donāt consider senior year GPA during admission process.
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If your son is CS major, I think his course selections have been on-point. Sprinkle in 3-4 max APs. I donāt think CS majors have to take physics in college. He could take take AP physics if itās the same as Honors Physics. Either one would demonstrate rigor. For CS itās mainly math and he looks like he has maximized the Calculus series thru BC. I would recommend AP Stat. He will have to take that in college for many CS majors and itāll give him a preview. You donāt need the other non core APs (core = physic, bio, chem, english, world/apush, Calc) classes.
Tacking onto what the others have saidā¦ Iād look at the courses required by the schools sheās interested in. I can only talk to Cal Poly SLO since thatās the school weāve done the deep dive into: In their CS major, they require a science series of either Physics or Chemistry. But the physics they require is PHY 141, 132, & 133 which arenāt the physics the AP exam gives them credit for. The exam would give my son credit for 121 and 122 based on his score. And even those arenāt prereqs for 141. 141ās prereqs are Calc I and a recommendation of having taken high school physics.
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Thank you everyone for your responses.
The high school wants them to have taken regular chemistry before AP Chem, and I donāt think thatās going to work in this case, so heāll end up in Honors Chem.
As of next year, they only have AP Calc AB at his school, so weāre looking to see if this is added his senior year.
Great advice! Iāve been doing this especially regarding the few community college classes he has taken. At the UCs weāve looked into, it looks like CS majors wonāt get any direct physics credit for AP Physics because they want the students to complete those classes at their institutions.
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