Picking classes for Junior and Senior year, Help!

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

This is really complicated and long, sorry

I’m currently a sophomore and trying to figure out my schedule for the next 2 years. I’m doing the IB program and have figured out a lot of my classes, but I’m still unsure about what I want to do for science. I’m still unsure about what I want to do for a career, but recently I’ve been leaning toward Computer Science. I’m taking AP Computer Science Principles this year, which’s made me want to learn more programing. Because I don’t have a particularly strong pull toward any of the other sciences, this makes me think I should take Computer Science as my IB science. If I did this I don’t think I would be able to do science as an HL. My counselor told me I would have to take AP Computer Science Junior year to be prepared for IB Computer Science SL senior year. Is this true?

Not enough Lab Science?
If I did follow this course I wouldn’t have enough room in my schedule to take any science classes besides AP Computer Science Junior year. Would that be a bad idea? I could take another science class Senior year along with IB Computer Science SL, since I have a free block. If I want to take a science class this period should I do honors physics or take an AP science class like AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or AP Enviro? Is it important to take physics in high school?

IB Program and CTE Pathway?
I also kind of want to do a CTE pathway in commercial photography, since it’s something I really like doing. Would this be a waste of time? I’ve already taken Basic Digital Photography, so this pathway would take up 2-2.5 credits in my schedule. Is taking a CTE pathway worth it if it’s just something I enjoy doing?

Here is my plan for a schedule so far:
(In italics the classes I would take for the CTE pathway)

Junior Year

  1. IB English Lang & Lit HL1
  2. IB Spanish SL
  3. IB Psychology HL1
  4. IB Math Analysis & Approaches SL
  5. AP Studio Art
  6. TOK (0.5) / Video Production (0.5)
  7. Advanced Commercial Photography
  8. AP Computer Science

Senior Year

  1. IB English Lang & Lit HL2
  2. IB Computer Science SL
  3. IB Psychology HL2
  4. AP Calculus BC
  5. IB Visual Art HL (maybe)
  6. TOK (0.5) / ??? (0.5)
  7. Advertising Art
  8. ???

Any advice on what Science classes to take in high school or my schedule in general would be appreciated!

2

You cannot do the Commercial photography CTE pathway alongside the IB with the courses you’ve taken.
Assuming you’ve taken biology and chemistry (regular or honors) already, you would need to take Honors Physics (or just regular Physics) junior year and aren’t the IB diploma courses 2-year long?
Or is your school doing SL=1year, HL=2 years?
Why are you taking Calculus BC after IB AA SL, not AAHL if it’s a 2-year program?
Is English HL a state requirement?
Your schedule is confusing to read and doesn’t show a direction. Since CS is currently the most competitive major, you need to think your choices carefully.

3

For IB at my school SL is only 1 year and HL is 2 years. I’d be doing Math, Science, and World Language as my SLs so I would only need one year. My math teacher and counselor told me that I should take that math path, so that’s why I put it down. I’m doing HL English mostly because I need 4 years of English in high school anyway and that’s what almost all the IB students at my school do. For the CTE pathway I talked to my counselor and they said I would have room in my schedule to do it, I was more just wondering if I should or not. That’s good to know about CS and I will definitely do more research on it. I’m also not set on CS for a career it is really just one idea of something I could major in since I’m really not sure yet. What changes would you suggest I make to my schedule? Would you recommend doing CS for my IB science if I’m not sure I want to do it?

4

I’d say do physics. It’s pretty much expected to have the main three, bio/chem/physics. Looking at your schedule you seem to me someone who might be interested in computer design with the combination of art and computer classes.