<p>Does anyone have an opinion on DS's schedule for next year? He's currently planning to take Religion, Honors English, AP French, APUSH, AP Calc BC, AP Physics and AP Chemistry. I know it sounds heavy, but they are all really good classes, and similar to what his older brother did as a senior. The workload would be heavy, but since he will probably major in a physical science, he doesn't want to skip the AP Chem. (That's really the only question at this time.) He only has to take 6 classes. If he takes this load, I think straight A's are out of the question, but his school only uses a weighted GPA anyway. I think he'd learn a lot from the Chem, but I'd like to see him have some fun, also. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Taking two AP sciences as well as BC Calc sounds pretty brutal, and AP USH usually carries an awful lot of reading with it. (At my kids' HS the counselors used to say to think of the college app process itself as a course in terms of the time commitment required, too.) Seems to me the schedule your S proposes carries a risk of real burnout as well as possibly compromising grades. I'd skip the chem--keep in mind that if he is planning to pursue sciences in college he may well be advised to take a relatively intro chem course even if he has the AP credit that would technically cover that course.</p>
<p>Thanks, Mattmom. I'm inclined to think you are right. He WANTS to take the Chemistry class, but I think he feels it will help in college admissions. I was considering signing off on it, since I think the more hard classes a student takes in HS, the easier college is. But I am concerned about burn-out, especially since he'll also be completing his applications. By the way, I actually think that it makes sense for students to take an intro class even if they've had the AP, depending on the college. The AP just helps prepare the student sometimes.</p>
<p>sjmom:</p>
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I know it sounds heavy...
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<p>It IS heavy for all but the best and brightest. (I know a kid who tripled in the big three sciences and took calc, but this guy's IQ has to be off the charts.) Application season is really tough on the kid and household. Then, of course, senior-itis hits even teh best of them. So, if he really wants to take Chem, why not skip Physics?</p>
<p>ps -- the hardest conceptual part of Physics B occurs first semester, during app season.</p>
<p>Thanks, bluebayou. He is thinking that he will major in Physics, so there's no way he'd skip that class! He is very bright, but I agree that these classes just involve a lot of WORK. His older brother had the same schedule as a senior (actually was down 1 level in English -- not his cup of tea!) and I remember that he spent almost all of his time outside of school and EC's on homework. It was stressful for the whole family, and I'm not sure I want to relive that experience. So maybe Chemistry is out.</p>
<p>my ?
what sciences did he take 9th, 10th & 11th?
Neither of my Ds took more than one science at a time ( actually it wasn't offered- not enough teachers)
Religion sounds more like a social science than an arts- has he also taken arts courses?
has he already taken honor chem and doesn't he need calc * before* he takes physics?
( it isnt rhetorical, I really dont know)
Sounds like too, too much, IMO, a strong schedule would still be had by dropping a science course - I would want him to ease up a lot, and have a chance of at least remembering his last year of high school</p>
<p>Is he on block schedule? In that case, it might make sense. If not, it is too much. AP-Calc and AP-Phys are likely to have regular homework--as would AP-Chem, as well as lab reports. If he wants to major in physics, he should definitely take Ap-Calc and AP-Phys, but he can wait until college and see if he still wants to take Chem.</p>
<p>Xposted with EK: usually, students take AP-Calc BC and AP-Physics C concurrently unless they were able to take AP-Calc before senior year.</p>
<p>His schedule this year is: Religion, Honors English 3, Honors French, APUSH (first year of a two year course), AP Calc AB, AP Biology, and Honors Physics. He's already taken the arts courses, Honors Bio and Honors Chem. When S1 took a similar senior schedule, I think the Chem class was pretty tough from a homework and lab point of view. Thanks for all the input -- I'll have a talk with him about the schedule.</p>
<p>Sorry, forgot to add that he's not on a block schedule so he'd have all seven classes five days a week.</p>
<p>Given that he's already taking AP Calc AB, unless he plans to major in math, I don't think he needs to take AP Calc BC. In our HS, kids took either/or, not both. If he's really interested in the sciences, then I would suggest he focus on those. Plus, if you're concerned about college apps adding to your S's stress level, you may want to encourage him to work on his apps and essays over the summer.</p>
<p>Aha, not necesarily as bad as it looks. APUSH over two years is only half the work (relative to a one-year course). Ditto Calc, since BC is the typically a one-year calc AP sequence at many high schools, i.e., a AB first semester and BC second semester; but, that assumes a strong pre-calc program. The Chem-Physics double is still a tough curriculum, however.</p>
<p>I disagree with little mother, since BC is the basic calc course, and if he is gonna major in physical sciences, BC is a minimum requirement.</p>
<p>For AP-Physics, what he's learning in Calc AB is probably enough. But if he wants to be a Physics major, he ought to cover BC. There's lots of math in Physics. In fact, to major in Physics, one has to take additional math classes.
AB covers about 2/3 of the BC curriculum, so BC should be fairly easy for him.</p>
<p>is it typical to take BC after AB at your son's school? at mine it is also either/or. don't let the two letters AP scare him from taking the courses he wants...</p>
<p>i'm a senior now, and taking AP gov, AP Span, AP Lit, AP phys, AP calc bc, Latin III, and Shakespeare...it's difficult to adjust to the workload for some kids...i took all of APUSH as a junior and that wasn't particularly difficult, although history is my thing...frankly, physics is my hardest class by far, so if he's good at it, i don't think he'll have much trouble...calc bc is even tested on the ap as a supplement to ab, so that one also shouldn't be as hard as it sounds...if he's got a good grasp on integration and differentials from AB, he'll do fine. my friends that are in AP chem say it's really hard, but if he's a sci kid, it shouldn't be unbearable...if all else fails, take advantage of the auditing system...you can get AP credit and take the test, but not have to worry about doing every single assignment...</p>
<p>good luck to your son!</p>
<p>ps taking a "real" load senior year looks really good to colleges...and keep in mind that with almost entirely APs, he'll have a heck of a May, but be nearly free in June.</p>
<p>I agree Marite. His school does the AP Physics, AP Calc BC with the same teacher back-to-back, so I think it's easier to connect the two classes. Our goal has been to help the kids really prepare for a science major in college, not just get into a particular school. I'm more interested in seeing the kids get OUT of college than get in, if that makes sense. I think it's very challenging to major in the physical sciences, so I hope they can take all of the science and math classes they can in HS. I just don't want this son to bite off more than he can chew -- life in our house can be intense enough already!</p>
<p>sjmom:</p>
<p>If he does want to be a physics major, he does not need to take Chemistry. He can, of course; my S had fun in that class. But it is not necessary for Physics the way math is. </p>
<p>With the same teacher teaching both Physics and Calc, the homework load can be adjusted more easily; and if he is already taking Calc AB, the pace for BC should be fairly slow. But I would suggest talking to all the teachers and the GC before committing to a particular schedule.</p>
<p>"Plus, if you're concerned about college apps adding to your S's stress level, you may want to encourage him to work on his apps and essays over the summer"
This I think would be a HUGE step to preventing first semester burnout and lower grades, especially with the schedule he is planning!</p>
<p>If he's already done half of APUSH that should make it much easier. It was pretty labor intensive for my son. My son took Calc BC directly from Precalc. (They did a couple of months of calc in precalc though.) He never seemed to work hard in that course or AP Physics C which had a very laid back teacher. If he's a top student with a math brain I think he'll be fine. At least for my kid APUSH, AP Latin and APBio have been the most time intensive courses.</p>
<p>S1 applied to WAY too many schools -- had to meet mom's financial/safety criteria and his own ambitions! S2 is talking about applying ED, which we may consider. If that works out, the pressure of apps will be greatly reduced.</p>
<p>IMO...class scedule doable...but...necessary?...I am guessing the language is 4th or 5th year? It may be the throw away in this instance. Also, has he already had honors levels in any of the APs..if so, he may want to branch out into another elective...JR. year was stressfull with the PSAT, the SAT, the APs and the SAT II, and the desire to earn all A's..SR year the stress may be heaviest the first semester with desire to maintain all A's and be creative with essays/applications..there are just so many 24hr days available!</p>
<p>Son took AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Chem, AP Euro, AP English and the required Goverment course (at an honors level). He was also a chem lab aid, and joined all of the remaining academic teams that he did not already belong to (for fun; he also want to art club but that was the girls and the cookies). </p>
<p>All kids are different. If Chem looming as an issue (and your son is not enthusiastic about taking it), the rest of the schedule looks ok to me without it. As APOL says, there are just so many 24hr days available.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input, everyone. Actually, DS is the one driving the AP Chem -- H and I are not so sure, but don't want to discourage him if he really wants to take it. At this point, he's already signed up for the classes, but I'm sure he can decide to not take Chem up until school starts in the fall. I think we'll see how the rest of the year works out, and how he feels over the summer. But I really appreciate everyone's insight.</p>