Please help! HS Junior Course Selections

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Junior year course selections are coming up and the deadline for finalizing them is two months from now. I am having a difficult time deciding which AP classes to take. For more information, in the future I plan on applying to a competitive 5-year PA (physician assistant) program or majoring in biology. I have a 3.965 unweighted GPA and 4.1 weighted GPA (GPA is calculated as 0.1+ for honors, and 0.2+ for AP, I have taken mostly honors + AP Biology so far, and have gotten all A’s and one A-).

So far, my junior year schedule is AP Calculus AB (BC is not available for juniors), AP Physics 1 (never took physics before), Honors English, Honors Government and Economics, Honors Sociology (year-long elective), Outdoor Education (half-year required physical education class, other half it will be an open campus), Intro. & Intermediate Drawing (each 0.5 credits, so a full year), Open campus (only for 4 days of 6 day cycle, the other two days are for my double period AP physics lab).

I am debating on whether or not I should take AP Lang or not, and if so, if I should take Honors Physics or College Algebra instead of the AP classes. My reasoning for this is that AP Calculus, both AB and BC, are notorious for being a difficult class at my school (possibly the most difficult), because the teacher is very tough (even teachers agree with the AP Calc students are that one). Furthermore, the PA program I want to attend does not include calculus, and if I major in biology with a pre-determined pre-PA route provided by the university, calculus is also not included since it is a BA not a BS. In addition, my Honors English teacher for this year is one of the AP Lang teachers, a great teacher I may add, and he has been telling me for over a month now to take AP Lang and that I am capable of taking it even with AP Calc and AP Physics. However, I am worried about the workload of all my classes if I do take all 3 AP classes, especially since I have other classes, extracurriculars, and work to worry about. Furthermore, I take my grades very seriously, and while I am ready to put a substantial amount of time and effort into my studies, I do not want to risk my GPA for one class.

At this point in time, I have no idea what to do. I do not think that it would be wise to do all 3 AP classes, and I am leaning towards with keeping my current schedule or taking AP Lang and Calc but Honors Physics instead. AP Lang would be a very fun class, all students who take it love the class and the teacher. In addition, the teachers are great and prepare students for the AP exam well and teach valuable skills for college. AP Calc is very difficult, but the teacher, while being tough, does prepare his students well for the AP exam (if they make it that far, that is). I feel inclined to take AP Physics because science is my specialty, it seems interesting, and from what I heard, the material isn’t too difficult (although I have heard about horrible tests in my school for physics).

For more information, my extracurriculars for my junior year consist of SADD club which meets during school, volleyball (I am trying out for the team or playing in club, depending on my schedule), and just a standard job with maybe 2-3 four hours shifts per week. My mom in strict in the sense that I must be asleep by 10:30 every night so my time is limited, especially since volleyball on the school team is at least 2 hours per day, up to 4 or so on game days.

I will gladly answer any other questions, although I think I have provided a good amount of information. I would really appreciate a response and I will take all responses into careful consideration. Thank you.

2

If you have had precalculus in high school, college algebra duplicates part of that material, so it is not worth taking (and may look like grade grubbing).

If you have completed precalculus in 10th grade, then you are two grade levels ahead in math. That suggests that you are a strong student in math and should be capable of taking calculus BC or the slower paced AB in 11th grade.

Biology majors at many colleges do require calculus, and may benefit from calculus-based statistics.

3

Precalculus is usually taken in 11th grade at my school. I was able to take Honors Precalculus this year because I doubled up on geometry and algebra 2. I have done well in all of my math classes so far, however, there is a high chance that I will end up with at the most a B+ in AP Calc because the teacher is simply that difficult. Calc BC is not available for juniors at my school, only seniors. There is a DE calc option that I am considering because the teacher is awesome and teaches well. Plus, it moves a little slower and I am worried about what AP Calc questions would look like since Collegeboard usually words them really weird. I am not sure if I can afford DE Calc, but I might be able to get financial assistance, I emailed my guidance counselor. Thank you for response, I have decided to definitely take calculus, I am just not sure which one. If I end up taking DE Calc I think I will still take AP Lang. Does this sound like a good idea?

4

What kind of calculus is DE calculus?

A college calculus course may be regular calculus (suitable for math, physics, engineering majors) or business calculus (suitable for business majors). Business calculus is easier and covers less material with less difficult problems. However, it may not be accepted by as many majors that require calculus.

Calculus AB covers similar material as the first semester plus maybe a bit more of regular calculus, while calculus BC covers the first and second semester of regular calculus.

Still not sure why you are worried about calculus in 11th grade after completing honors precalculus in 10th grade (two grade levels ahead, implying that you are a strong student in math).

5

DE calculus sounds like a good compromise, with ap stats senior year + AP Lang since it sounds like you’d really enjoy it+Ap Physics1.
Have you completed Level 3 or 4 of a foreign language ?
I don’t recommend a biology major - very low ROI, too many premeds who didn’t get into med sxhool, not enough job opinings without graduate school.

6

DE Calculus at my school is regular calculus, not business calculus. DE Calculus at my school covers the same material of AP Calc AB, but at a slightly slower pace. However, I would get college credit no matter what whereas with AP Calc AB I would only get credit if I do well on the exam. In addition, the teacher for DE is better than the one for AP, students consistently perform a lot better in DE. Furthermore, while I am good at math, it is not one of my best subjects and I do not have the motivation to study it much. A fun DE Calculus course with a great teacher that I know I will excel in seems like a better idea than a stressful AP Calculus class with a very stressful teacher. I understand your point though and I appreciate your responses.

7

I think for my junior year I am going to do DE Calc, AP Lang, and AP Physics 1. My senior year I do plan on taking AP Stats, and I think I will take DE English as well (I want to avoid AP Lit). I will also be taking DE Anatomy and Physiology (double period everyday), AP Chem, and AP Psych.

I have completed 3 years of Spanish. One of them was in middle school though, but I believe my guidance counselor said that it would show on my high transcript? I am not entirely sure how that works. My school does offer Spanish IV but I hate Spanish and I believe that I could spend my time more wisely. I do much better self-studying foreign languages, and I plan to learn Italian and possibly Spanish by the end of highschool. In addition, the university I want to go to only requires 2 years of a foreign language, and if I learn 1 or 2 languages by myself I think that would make up for me not taking Spanish IV.

I have seen the statistics as well and I do not plan on only getting a bachelors in biology. I plan on going to PA (physician assistant) school which is a masters degree, I would not be going to med school. The university I would like to attend has a 5 year program that would be both a bachelors and masters in 5 years which is what I aim to get into. It is competitive, though, so if I do not get admitted the same university has a BA in biology with all of the prerequisites for the PA school. Plus, undergrads from the university have special consideration when applying to the PA school.

8

It looks like DE calculus is first semester college regular calculus but slowed down over a year, correct?

9

I believe so, yes.

10

Are you taking DE calculus right at your high school? Typically DE calculus I is a semester class at a college (that runs on the semester system) so it moves faster than AP Calculus AB taken over a full school year. My daughter took Calculus 1 through dual enrollment (on a college campus) and it was definitely faster paced than her friends in AP Calculus 1.

11

DE classes at my school are taught by certified teachers by the university the credits are originally from. For example, DE Calculus is run through Harrisburg University, but the DE Calc teacher at my school is certified and also teaches precalculus and algebra 2. While the credits are earned through Harrisburg, they are transferable to pretty much any college/university in Pennsylvania and many other institutions in other states. In order to receive credit, I must get a C+ or higher in the class, and if transferred, the credits will show on my college transcript. That is just how my school’s DE classes work though.

DE at my school covers the topics taught in AP but is slightly slower and taught in a better way, in my opinion, at least for calc. Most people that have taken AP classes agree that the questions are usually worded weird or the question does not match the answer Collegeboard is looking for. For DE, the teacher makes all the tests and formulates all the questions themselves. If I took AP Calc, I would have a difficult teacher + confusing questions CB makes, but with DE, I have a great teacher who teaches well and the questions, while difficult, will be straightforward.

12

if you are taking De classes at your high school just know that there are a few colleges that will not view them the same way that they view dual enrollment classes taken on a college campus with other college students. You will need to look up individual colleges but there were definitely some we came across when researching colleges for my daughter who did two years of early college dual enrollment.

This is an example from the NYU website:
College Courses Taken While in High School
Credit may be awarded if:
You received a grade of “B” or better
NYU offers corresponding courses
In most cases, courses were taken at a college/university, with college/university students, and taught by college/university faculty.
Courses were not used to satisfy high school graduation requirements

13

It looks like a year of DE Calc is the right choice for you since it allows you to take Calculus while not being overwhelming (as it sounds AP Calc AB, as taught at your school, would be). And, yes, a great teacher is always the right choice.
Wrt Spanish, was the Middle School class Spanish 1 or Spanish 1a (with 1b in 9th grade)? In Other words, did you reach Spanish 3?
DE English, DE A&P, AP Stats, AP Chem, AP Psych, would be a strong schedule for senior year.

Is there a way for you to volunteer or find experience in a clinical setting?

Note that as a PA the ability to speak Spanish fluently (ie., quite a few levels above AP) will be very valuable. Italian is a great language but not as useful. “Self teaching” doesn’t count for admissions although it can help with Placement, ie., help you manage to not forget any Spanish between the end of 10th grade and the beginning of college when you take the placement test that determines how many semesters you need to take in college (completing a minor is going to be very useful to you - you can look at colleges you’re interested in, see if their Spanish dept. offers “Spanish for the Health professions”, or email them to ask).

Chatham (in Pittsburgh), DeSales and Duquesne also in PA, Daemen (in NYS), Quinnipiac, Stockton have direct-entry I think, but run the NPCs since none of them “meet need”. Some PASSHE schools have a PA program but I don’t think they have guaranteed direct entry, check though.

14

I do not have the option to take college classes on-campus during the school year, and I can see why colleges view them as more valuable. I am mainly doing DE so I can take calculus without being overwhelmed and to show that I am capable of a rigorous schedule without having to drop AP Lang. Thank you for the information, though, I will try to look into taking a college class on-campus over the summer.

15

In eighth grade I took Spanish I, in 9th I took Spanish II, and this year I am in Spanish III. I am going to try and volunteer during my junior year. I wanted to start this summer, however, with covid it is difficult to find anything in a clinical setting. I plan on shadowing medical professionals, volunteering at hospitals and senior centers, and possibly working at a doctor’s office as a receptionist or something similar when I have the chance.

I am learning Italian because I love the language and Italian culture. In addition, I have family in Italy and I visit there every few years, and my grandparents mainly speak only Italian. I learn fairly quickly in regards to languages so I am hoping to be at least conversational in Italian by the end of this summer, and near fluent by the middle of my junior year. After that I will learn Spanish and continue with that throughout college to keep my skills sharp for my job later on. Also, I will look into a “Spanish for the Health Professions” class, thank you.

The university I have been referencing in my last few posts is DeSales. The university is only about a half an hour away and like you said, it is direct entry so if I get into the 5 year program I am pretty much automatically admitted into PA school, which is my goal. If not, though, there is a pre-PA BA in biology I would like to go into, if you look at their website you’ll see what I mean. Duquesne is my second choice as well if I do not get into DeSales’ PA program. I will check out the other ones you’ve listed.

Thank you for your input, it has been very helpful! (:

16

That’s a great reason for learning Italian, indeed. I hope you get to your goal of conversing with your family, especially your grandfather, in that language. Plus AP Art History would have some cross referencing of use and AP Italian could certify your skills (you can take the exam even if you never took the course and the contents are very interesting:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-italian-language-and-culture-course-and-exam-description.pdf?course=ap-italian-language-and-culture )

Drexel, Marquette, UEvansville, Valparaiso are also excellent universities with Pre-PA paths. You could check out Wagner, LeMoyne, NYIT, plus PASSHE schools (Slippery Rock? Lock Haven? WCU???)
Run the NPC’s on EACH of them since their FA formulas vary a lot and you will want the best value (ie., non competitive BS->MS path + lowest net cost).

17

Thanks for the advice! I will look into the AP Italian exam and AP Art History. Also, thank you for all of the university suggestions. I have looked into WCU, Drexel, and Lock Haven, but I will definitely research the others you’ve suggested. I have also begun running the NPC’s, cost + financial aid are significant factors for me.

1 Like