<p>Please I need help. I didnt go to college nor did very well in HS so I have NO IDEA what they even do in these classes...... ok My HS sophmore son got a B in AP Calc AB, B's in both Honors Chem & Honors LA & A's in AP Euro History & Spanish II this year. Next year he's taking AP Calc BC & AP USHistory. He HAS TO take a Science & AP Physics C is only offered @his school EVERY OTHER year. So he'll take that his senior year. He thinks maybe he wants to be an Engineer?? Should he take Honors Physics? Are the 2 physics classes that different? Would it be a waste of time? or would it help him with Physics in College? All the counselor said was that C is math based....but she didnt even know if that ment he should take both!! He's only other option is AP Bio. I think 3 AP classes is too much. It is also important to say I dont want him to be too overwhelmed with 3 APs because he's also on the Varsity Water Polo Team in the Fall & Varsity Swim Team in the spring and also has an EXtra class with 0 period Avid at 6:30am. As it is this year he was up til midnight with homework & up @5:30am... next year Varsity swim will have morning practice @5:30am so he'll have to be up at 4:45am .... btw, this is my 1st post (although I've been a lurking for a months lol)so I thank you all for any help and sorry if I don't make sense. Ok so Honors Physics?? which might be better for later in College Physics ...or a total waste of time?? or AP Bio?? which would look much better on transcripts or be a GPA killer if he gets a C or worse because its TOO Hard & TOO much homework & not enough hours in the day to study!! Btw, he doesn't know what to do either!</p>
<p>Honestly your posts tires me out just reading it. Your stress level jumps right through the computer and I am sure your son feels it too. If you can, please try to tone down the stress, and possibly your son’s schedule. You are right to consider whether his schedule is too full. Kids need sufficient sleep in order to perform. </p>
<p>Many kids at my son’s school take Honors Physics their junior year and AP Physics their senior year. What they learn in Honors Physics is reviewed the first few months of AP physics, then they are into new material. </p>
<p>My vote would be to not overwhelm him, and take Honors Physics. Another option would be to drop the APUSH and substitute AP Bio, leaving him with Honors Physics, AP Bio, and AP CalcBC. If he’s a STEM student, the sciences are more important than history, in my opinion.</p>
<p>yes, Honors Physics would be much better for a future engineer than College Prep physics. (btw, normally, a student would take AP Physics B before AP Physics C, so he might consider B as a senior.)</p>
<p>Yes, AP Bio is a lot of reading. (The text is 1,000 pages, and they cover it all.) But be careful in focusing only on physical sciences (chem and physics) – some public colleges in California, for example, require both biological and physical sciences for admissions.</p>
<p>Welcome to cc.</p>
<p>In the future, you might break up your sentences by paragraphs – doesn’t matter if they aren’t brilliant prose – it just makes your post easier to read for others. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for your honest opinions! And the advice on postings.</p>
<p>Yes your right I am stressed out because I’m the one telling my son to tone down the schedule! Him & his counselor are the one’s making it so intense. </p>
<p>I also agree about the sleep! Another argument I stress over…</p>
<p>He wants the 3rd AP but I’m asking him to do an honors instead…I’m just looking here for some info to help back up my side of the debate so I dont look uneducated or uninformed when I meet with him & the counselor next week. </p>
<p>I say he needs more fun & less homework (APBio imo), he says that I dont understand what it takes to get into college and that he needs all these APs. </p>
<p>I’m sorry I dont know what STEM is…?? science,tech math?? idk? but he doesn’t have that at his school. </p>
<p>He HAS TO have APush because he has to hav 3 years of SS. APEuro (10th) APush (11th) & APGov (12th). They dont give him choices to sub it for another science because its the Calif. a-g requirements. Then he’ll take AP Physics C & APStats in 12th for his 4th years of science & math. </p>
<p>As far as bio requirement for UC’s he took regular Biology in 9th grade.</p>
<p>Is straight Honors Physics like a basic Physics B ? (His school doesnt offer AP Physics B)</p>
<p>Thank you again so much!</p>
<p>Much better post format - thank you. :)</p>
<p>In many schools, Honors Physics is like AP Physics B, according to what I learned when I researched it. Bluebayou is right that B is usually taken before C. So Honors Physics is probably what he should be in this year.</p>
<p>Yes, STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math</p>
<p>I’m a bit confused when you say APUSH is required. Yes, a social science IS required to meet the A - G requirements. But it doesn’t have to be AP. We are California residents also, with a STEM son, and he is not only NOT taking APUSH, he is taking college prep US history rather than honors. He really hates writing. And this is fine, because his honors and AP courses are in his areas of strength.</p>
<p>Taking 2 APs and getting A’s is better than taking 3 and doing less well in the grade department.</p>
<p>OMGoodness! I got stressed out just reading about his sophomore schedule. Too much!</p>
<p>You are a smart woman to advise your son to tone down his academic schedule. I’m surprised he was advised and allowed to take AP Calc. AB during his sophomore year. </p>
<p>Do your best----insist if you must—that he reduce his workload. AP Bio sounds like it would be fun, but it’s NOT. There is a lot of reading and it’s time consuming. The fact that he’s going to take an AP History (also lots of reading and writing essays) is enough for me not to recommend AP Bio. </p>
<p>Has he taken Chem? When 4 years of science is recommended, I believe they prefer the full sequence—General or Earth Science, Bio, Chem, and Physics.</p>
<p>Good point, nysmile. Maybe AP Chemistry, Honors USH, AP Calculus BC, and Honors Physics, along with his English and other language or elective? This schedule is more doable and plenty rigorous for good colleges.</p>
<p>Yes. I would have him take a Chemistry class. </p>
<p>AP Chem
AP Calc. BC
AP US History
English
Foreign Language
Fun Elective</p>
<p>Honors Physics and AP Chem would be TOO MUCH.</p>
<p>He needs a core course where he could pull an “A” to help bring up his “B’s”. Perhaps consider Honor’s Chem instead of AP Chem.</p>
<p>Wow thanks so much for agreeing with me that its too much. I was starting to think that I was doing the wrong thing.</p>
<p>He’s in AP Calc AB because he’s skipped a couple of years in math in the 5th, 7th & 9th grades. He’s the only soph in the school they allowed to do that. He’s getting a B, but teacher said if he gets a 5 on AP test he’ll give him an A. </p>
<p>He took Bio & Honors Chem. But AP chem is another one of the classes at his school only offer every other year. So that’s out. And next year he definately wants AP Physics C.</p>
<p>And his school also only offers either Regular USH or AP…nothing in the middle like Honors. </p>
<p>Ok if they let me have my way… it looks like it will be:</p>
<p>AP USH (just got an A in AP Euro, & friends told him this class was way easier)
AP Calc BC
Honors Physics
LA (Reg. not Honors so should be easy for him)
Theatre (Visual Arts requirememt & only homewrk…memorizing line)
AVID (0 Period)
Water Polo/Swim Teams</p>
<p>It looks much better this way. Thank you so much! I do feel more confident now going into this meeting. It will be a hard year but easier than with the AP Bio & all that homework! </p>
<p>And the 11th grade year is suppose to be the hardest anyway I guess.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all of you!</p>
<p>Looks good. With that schedule, he can focus more on working towards a higher GPA without the excessive workload. It looks like a good balance.</p>
<p>Regarding what calla1 mentions below, does he have 3 years of foreign language completed? If not, he should get 3 years of foreign language completed.</p>
<p>Your suggestion looks much better now. I hate to add more, but is he aiming at any colleges that require 3 years of a language? Others could say better than I whether he needs Spanish 3? My son’s high school requires 3 years, though I know many require only 2.</p>
<p>Regarding LOTE, Spanish is what he chose. His HS only requires 1year, and UC’s only require 2 but recommend 3. He HATES it, getting a B+ now…the final will decide if he gets an A or not. He absolutely doesnt want to take Spanish III.</p>
<p>I was worried it would be a GPA killer for him.
I called UC Davis & talk to an Admissions counselor for an opinion. I ask her
what was more important High GPA or the 3 years?</p>
<p>At first she said that the recommendations is what puts the student ahead of the rest. But after I explained he’s hatred on the subject & my GPA concerns, she laughed & said
they would absolutely not NOT take him because of it and the GPA was more important. </p>
<p>She also told me not to worry because he had all of the other recommendations plus more & 7 AP’s, & extracurriculars etc. So if he didnt get in, that wouldn’t be the reason.</p>
<p>We have no idea where he’s going to go so I can’t call every college & ask them. </p>
<p>I think he just going to apply to everywhere he wants & go with whomever takes him & gives him the best financial aid because we can’t afford to send him anywhere with out it.</p>
<p>Now you guys got me scared again. Am I doing the wrong thing again? Will some colleges or private colleges insist on 3 years? </p>
<p>Should I insist on this as well?</p>
<p>If he were my son, I would insist on 3 years of foreign language. Then again, he’s not my son :)</p>
<p>His application pool will be against a majority of kids who have completed at least 3 years of a foreign language. It’s something to seriously think about.</p>
<p>PS—When colleges say they recommend something, it’s another way of saying they look for it in the application process.</p>
<p>I dunno. I can see both sides of this one. Here is a thread that discussed the very same thing:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1504530-foreign-language-requirements.html?highlight=language[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1504530-foreign-language-requirements.html?highlight=language</a></p>
<p>I do think it’s a bit odd that he’s overloading himself with AP courses, resulting in much more than the average, but he’s not even willing to do the recommended amount of language courses.</p>
<p>If he’s going to take AP Physics his senior year then just take AP Bio next year. To me, it doesn’t make sense to take honors physics then AP Physics. While the classes are obviously not exactly the same, a lot of it is going to be redundant. AP Bio can be another AP class that will, hopefully, look good on his transcript and allow him to get college credit in high school.</p>
<p>“Will some colleges or private colleges insist on 3 years?”</p>
<p>Yes, some will, if it is available at the high school. That doesn’t mean you have to force him to take it – it just means that you should make the decision about that with the understanding that some colleges will view the choice negatively.</p>
<p>OH MY!!! </p>
<p>nysmile: “If he were my son, I would insist on 3 years of foreign language.” </p>
<p>& calla 1: “I do think it’s a bit odd that he’s overloading himself with AP courses, resulting in much more than the average, but he’s not even willing to do the recommended amount of language courses.”</p>
<p>I HEAR BOTH OF YOU!! </p>
<p>Even though that UC Davis counselor said not to worry
Reading between the lines of “recommendation” means “better do it if everyone else is… and you want to get in!”</p>
<p>And every other admissions counselor in 50 different other colleges might feel or think differently. </p>
<p>And my gut is telling me, You guys are right!</p>
<p>Oh my goodness…I’m definately going to have to argue this one too aren’t I?!</p>
<p>Well, let’s put it in perspective. Are you aiming at tippy-top colleges? Or are you aiming at very good decent colleges that will give him a fine education and a great start in life? </p>
<p>CC can be a little over the top, honestly. He’ll do just fine with two years of language. He might not get into some of the highest colleges but he WILL get into others!! And those others may be the best ones for him!!</p>
<p>He also does NOT need all those APs. He needs sleep. He needs room to breathe and be a kid. </p>
<p>Here’s what I think: go back to the original plan that you came up with a few posts ago. Talk to him about the pros and cons of Spanish 3. It may open more doors to take it, but he’ll have a lot of doors opened anyway. If he resists, I think you should drop it. Then do your plan of Physics Honors, APUSH, etc. </p>
<p>My biggest concern for him at this time is that he will burn out. Time to put on the brakes and ease the pressure, IMO.</p>
<p>Regarding the foreign language, he should probably at least take two years. My daughter hated it also, mostly because it took away one of her six class periods and she preferred to fill that spot with something else. She only took two years of French and got into all the schools she applied to except the University of Pennsylvania which is very difficult to get into. She applied to three state universities and three private universities. She didn’t apply to any of the California schools so maybe they actually require three years.</p>
<p>Regarding your son’s workload. My daughter took three AP classes last year (AP Calc AB, AP US History, and AP English Language). That workload was doable but trying to play spring soccer on a rec team (practiced about 4 hours a week with a game on Saturday) and hold down a 10-15 hour a week job was difficult for her. </p>
<p>This year, she is taking five AP classes (AP Calc BC, AP Gov’t. (fall semester), AP Macro Econ. (spring semester), AP Physics B, and AP Comp. Science) and she also studied on weekends and holidays for the AP Micro Econ. test with her economics teacher. Her other classes were British Literature/Shakespeare and advanced accounting and she had homework in both of them. She cut out soccer but still has her job. She was also on the Knowledge Bowl team (Saturday competitions), a member of the National Honor Society (lots of community service required), in DECA (attended a conference and two competitions), in a Saturday morning youth bowling league, and participated in the Economics Challenge. She did all of those activities as a junior also except the Economics Challenge. She was overwhelmed although I think she’ll be well prepared for the workload of college. </p>
<p>I urge you not to let your son get too overwhelmed. Looking at all the AP classes on paper doesn’t seem too daunting but when he is actually in the classes, trying to keep up with the homework, it could be much different than he was expecting.</p>
<p>BTW, I think the AVID program pushes students to take AP classes (at least that is the goal at my daughter’s school). That could be why he wants to take so many AP classes.</p>
<p>Side note:
AP Physics B is not a prerequisite for AP Physics C.
AP Physics B solves physics problems with regular math, while AP Physics C solves physics problems with calculus (what your S learned in AP Calc AB and BC). Thus, AP Physics C will be the correct class for your S when a Sr. D’s school only offered AP Physics C, too.</p>
<p>Second note:
Yes, foreign language is yucky for many. It doesn’t start getting fun until level 4. 1-3 is just a slog of learning rules, vocab, conjunctions etc. I will bring up 2 points:
- Your S might hate it, but a B+ is still a great grade for taking it. I would definitely consider not taking further spanish if he is in C category, but for a B+, the benefits of taking Spanish outweigh the negative aspects.
- Living in CA, my friends tell me that of all the subjects that they learned in HS, Spanish is the subject that they use the most on a day to day basis. Thus, it comes in very handy knowing Spanish when living in CA. However, again, you don’t really start becoming proficient until Span 4, so just going to Span 3 might not be helpful for proficiency. Unfortunately, I took French, so I am worthless here in CA. All the kids I know go up to Spanish 4.</p>