Please Help Me Put Together My Junior Yr Schedule (Will Help You Back If I Can!)

Applying to College
1

So I’m currently a sophomore and I’m having trouble putting together my schedule for next year (and sr year) and I’d really appreciate any input.

These are the courses I’m interested in taking my junior year and senior year combined:
AP Gov & Politics
AP Euro
AP Lit
Honors Pre Calc
AP Calc AB or BC
AP Stat
APES
AP Bio
AP Chem
AP Physics
AP Stat
Spanish 4
Spanish 5 Honors
AP Psych
Maybe Ceramics (but it would take my W GPA down)

The only other APs my school has are APUSH (taking currently), AP English Lang & Comp (taking currently), and AP Comp Sci (don’t want to take). So I know I’m going to take AP Gov & Politics, Honors Pre Calc, and Spanish 4 next year & AP Euro, AP Calc Ab or BC, and Spanish 5 senior year, but all the rest I can do junior or senior. So basically I’m wondering which should I take junior and which ones should I take as a senior. For example, should I do AP bio and chem before physics or does it not matter?

Also, I’m planning on going into political science in college and don’t really care for math (although I am capable of doing it), so should I even do AP Calc? Will it be looked down on if I don’t?
And also, this year, in the 1st semester, I took Psychology but it was just a plain super easy elective. After I took it, I found out that starting next year, our school will have AP Psychology. Would it look bad to colleges if I take Psychology and AP Psychology?
Even more, should I take Spanish 5 honors (my school only offers honors for Spanish 5) or should I try taking the AP test on my own after Spanish 4?
And finally, should I take Ceramics? I think it would be really fun but it would take my W GPA and class rank down since it’s not weighted.

Also, I’m planning on applying to some very selective schools (like, right now, my dream is Columbia University) so will it look bad if I don’t take all of the APs offered to me (besides AP Computer Sci-- I don’t really care for it and the teacher at my school is allegedly horrible at teaching)?

Okay so I think that’s it. THANK YOU so much if you read it all. Answers to any amount of my questions is seriously appreciated and if you have a question on CC, you can leave the link and I’ll give you any insight I have.

2

Ok, I have a question. The courses that you listed, are you saying that you’ll definitely take them all? Also if you don’t mind me asking, what courses are you taking now (besides the ones you listed).

Well here are some of my thoughts about the info you presented.

  1. I personally don't recommend taking AP Bio and AP Chem at the same time, they aren't easy courses and they will be time consuming (you may feel differently, though). At my school, many students took AP Chem in their junior year, and then AP Bio their senior year. They're are having a considerably easier time with AP Bio in their senior year (at least in my class), but that could be due to other factors. But they do have a more in depth knowledge of chemistry (as opposed to student who went directly from Hon. Chem --> AP Bio) which helped them A TON.
  2. Not all AP classes are created equal. AP Calc and AP Chem are rigorous. AP Psych and APES aren't considered rigorous. That's something to consider while thinking about your schedule for next year. If you really want to take both, you may want to split them (one junior/one senior) while keeping the rest of the load rigorous.
  3. I can't help you much on the questions relating to Spanish 4, sorry :(
  4. The thing about Columbia... are you serious? Of course not, what the heck :| One of my classmates from my school got into Columbia. My school offers 25+ AP courses, but the way that it is at my school, it's only possible to take 16 before graduation (unless you self-study or take them online). That means that my classmate didn't take AT LEAST 9 AP classes. Yet, that didn't stop them from getting in.

Also think of it this way, what if your school offered all of the foreign language APs available (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Latin)? Would you have to take all of those foreign languages AND take the respective AP Course to be accepted? Exactly. See, it’d be completely unreasonable for Columbia or any school to expect to you take every AP class offered to you. You don’t need to explain yourself for not wanting to take AP Computer Science, it’s not a course that everyone is expected to take (I don’t think most people take AP Comp Sci, anyways. It’s not just a class you can jump into, especially if you’re not into programming).

3

@miopyon13 Thank you so much for responding, especially with such depth.

No, I meant those were the ones I’m looking into, but I’d really like to take a few off because otherwise I would have absolutely no breaks (which is what I’m doing right now and kinda hate). Right now I am taking AP English Language & Comp, APUSH, Spanish 3, Health (required), Honors Algebra 2, Honors Bio and Honors Chem. Also, as I said, I took Psychology (not AP) last semester.

Although you said they aren’t considered rigorous, would taking AP Psych and/or APES still help add to the impressiveness of my workload as opposed to not taking them at all and getting (slightly) early dismissal? Like would it make a significant difference if I take one each year instead of getting out a period early?

And yeah, that was a bit crazy of me to think that, I’m just really frantic right now lol.

Thanks again.

4

I’m glad that you are considering taking some of those courses off. I saw too many of my friends (who took 5-7 APs during their junior year) get beaten down by the absurd amount of work they had to dedicate to each class. You don’t want to reach that point during mid-junior / mid-senior year where you can’t handle it and may feel the need to drop the class (which will look bad).

When you say slightly early dismissal, I’m going to assume that you mean you leave school early everyday? I think that taking APES or AP Psych would make your course load more impressive (rather than leaving school early).

Sorry if it seemed like I was saying that those courses aren’t rigorous at all, I just meant that in comparison to other AP courses that you’re looking at. I think the ones that are “must-haves” should be AP Calc and an AP Bio / AP Chem. In regards to science courses, of course if you do APES junior year, then follow up with AP Bio / AP Chem during senior year, that would better :slight_smile:

5

@miopyon13 Yeah, at my school, if you are an upperclassman, instead of taking a study hall or random electives, you can come in a period or however many late or leave early.

And yeah, I’m thinking more about it, and because work and ECs, I’ll probably cut it down some, so I don’t screw myself over. Sorry about your friends btw. I guess everyone just has to remember that health (including mental/emotional) is more important than college admissions.

I’ll probably talk to my guidance counselor about this. Thanks for giving me some perspective! Hope everything goes well for you

6

No problem, glad that I could offer some perspective. Thank you and best of luck with the rest of high school & college admissions! :slight_smile:

7

Thanks :slight_smile: @miopyon13

8

Several of the Language classes at D’s school have AP for Level 4 and Honors for Level 5. The students are encouraged to take the AP test just after Level 4.

I would also encourage students to remember that college apps and scholarship apps take a lot of time so allot for that. Of course, you know better what you can handle.

9

Fair warning, you might be overwhelmed with all the AP courses. Kudos to wanting to take on so much but don’t overwhelm yourself either. It will not be held against you if you don’t take all the AP’s available; it will be held against you if you didn’t take a rigorous courseload. It’s not all based on the quantity of AP’s. It’s the quality that matters.

So by what you’re saying, you’re saying this is your projected schedule so far?

Junior:

AP Gov & Politics
Honors Pre Calc
Spanish 4

Senior:
AP Euro
AP Calc AB or BC
Spanish 5

For the AP Calc issue, what you should take directly depends on the scope of your Honors Pre Calc course and your ability to perform. AP Calc AB is considered the first year of AP Calc and BC is an extension of it. Based on what I’ve read, I think you should do BC. Even if you’re not a big fan of math, you should still take Calculus (You don’t have to take AP if you don’t want to, but it’s recommended you get those 4 years of math extended out)

OK regarding your Spanish question, if you’re going to load up with all these AP’s, don’t saddle yourself with AP Spanish. If it’s not at your school, there’s nothing that can be done. You will be taking Spanish 5 which is the highest level in your school. So your GC can acknowledge that, in foreign language, you have endeavored to take the most rigorous lineup.

From here, it depends on your interests in school, graduation requirements, and college requirements. AP Stats, APES, and AP Psych aren’t as well-regarded in the AP community and can be considered weaker AP’s (Whether this is really true or not is debatable). If you would like to take one, that’s perfectly fine. I definitely recommend AP Lit in one of the years (You need another English though to make 4 years of English)

Which sciences have you taken so far in high school? Most colleges recommend 3 years (biology, chemistry and physics). As long as you complete this requirement, you should be fine. It’s not wise to take biology in 9th, chemistry in 10th, AP Bio in 11th and AP Chem in 12th because you will be lacking a physics course. Depending on what sciences you have taken already and what sciences you like, you should pick a different science one year, and go with an AP in one you’ve already done in freshman or sophomore year for senior year.

Ceramics isn’t really necessary, it sounds like, but if you want to take it or you need an art, you might have to do it.

10

Colleges do look at the courses offered at your school, but that doesn’t mean you NEED to take every single honors/AP course offered. Yes, colleges want to see you being challenged, but they also want to see focus and success. Take the courses that interest you, and don’t take an AP simply because it’s there but you don’t care for the subject. You’re more likely to do well if you connect with the subject.

Take a deep breath. Sit down with the course descriptions and read them through. Think to yourself, “do I really want to take this, or am I just taking this to pad my application?” Choose your courses based on your interests and the rigor. If you take every class you can, you’re going to be overwhelmed and your junior and senior years will be hell.

11

If you’re going to be a poli sci major, there is no need for your to have all these AP science classes. If you will have has bio, chem, and physics, you’ve pretty much covered the recommendations for top colleges. if you want to add one or two AP sciences, go for it. but as a non-STEM major, you’re setting yourself up for failure by concurrently taking 2 AP sciences.

There is probably a more productive use of your schedule.

You can if you want. However, selective colleges like Columbia limit the amount of AP credit you can get, so it’s probably a waste of money. AP scores themselves do not carry much weight in the admissions process; they are primarily used for placement and/or credit. A more cost-effective way to try to fulfill the college’s foreign language requirement is to take the SAT II, or even cheaper, the college’s placement test.

Just because a school offers a bunch of AP’s does not mean that you have to take them all.

12

Political science, like other social studies, has some quantitative aspects. Calculus and statistics may be helpful.