In school:
Pre-calculus (Honors)
College English (Dual enrollment/AP)
Spanish 3 (Honors)
Art History (AP)
United States History (AP)
United States Government and Politics (AP)
Macroeconomics (AP)
Self-studying:
Physics C+ M (AP)
Biology (AP)
Chemistry(AP)
Calc BC (AP)
Statistics (AP)
Admissions is not impressed with self studying a bunch of AP classes. You are better off taking them at your HS. Are these AP classes not offered at your HS?
Why are you taking APUSH as well as Gov/Econ the same year? What social studies course will you take senior year?
If you self study for Physics, Bio and Chem, what science will you take senior year?
Agree with @Gumbymom.
The school admissions committees want to see what you do in a classroom and what those teachers say about you. That’s what every university will tell you during their college visits to the high schools.
They really don’t need, nor want to see more students who are going to stay in their rooms and study online by themselves. It’s contrary to a vibrant, active university (vs. the experience this last year with the Pandemic). The expect their university students to contribute, socially and academically, to their universities.
Your counselor can only address your “in school” experiences to the admissions committees. He/she cannot rate your self-study skills because it is not done within the school, so you are on your own.
Why is there no science course in your junior schedule? I am also going to chime in to say that selective universities and programs will be looking at your high school courses and grades, not your self studied AP’s. What math/science do you plan to take your senior year?
Rate my junior year schedule on a scale of 1-10 (1 being very easy and 10 being very hard)
Nobody cares about self-study. And few colleges are interested in one-dimensional academic drones. Plus you clearly have no concept, IMO, of the amount of work involved.
Drop one of the social science APs and replace it with APChem or AP bio. Then you’ll have a good schedule.
As others have said, forget about the self studying. For senior year take one of AP Calc courses, one AP science course, and whatever AP social science that you swapped out of junior year.
I had to drop physics because it was suggested, since I didn’t do well on the first test. I was told that not taking a science would not hurt my chances and it was too late to join another AP science class (school had been going for 6 weeks atp).
They offer above-AP math and science courses at my high school.
I had to drop physics because it was suggested, since I didn’t do well on the first test. I was told that not taking a science would not hurt my chances and it was too late to join another AP science class (school had been going for 6 weeks atp).
I had to drop physics because it was suggested. I was told that not taking a science would not hurt my chances and it was too late to join another AP science class (school had been going for 6 weeks atp).
Any reasonably selective college will expect a science class every year in high school. Self studying doesn’t count. It was poor advice to drop physics. Could you possibly still move into a lower level physics class? For example, if you were in honors could you still move down to regular? That would be better than not having any science.
Yeah that’s alarming to me. Sometimes self-studying can appear on transcripts, since a lot of my classmates do it through the school. Administration was very strict on not letting me join another AP class, since I would have to make up a lot of material. My school does not offer any honors science class besides Chemistry. I took honors Chemistry in 10th grade and got an “A”, so I don’t think retaking the class would benefit me. I should mention that I go to a boarding school that specializes in science and math for juniors and seniors. I’m assuming they don’t offer other honors science classes because most upperclassman would take AP or above-AP classes instead of honors. Also, it was a requirement to have already taken or currently be enrolled in honors Biology before applying to my school.
The fact that you are going to school like that and not taking a science class seems really strange. Why are you at this school if you are not taking what they specialize in?
It’s one of the best (if not the best) school in my state. My parents were debating if I should go to my home high school, so I could take the courses I want to take. But, this school offers a lot of opportunities that other high schools in my area don’t. For example, they offer research programs, AMC 12 test, USABO test, etc.
Well, those “opportunities” wont supersede nor substitute for a planned academic course load required to gain admission to the colleges.
Find a way to enroll in regular (not honors and not AP) Physics. Ask your GC whether the school partners with a virtual school since it should not be self studied.
Colleges will care that you took Physics, even regular (obviously, get an A).
With regular Physics added, your rigor is fine for any college.
The main problem is taking 3 (4 with ap art history!) Social science/history classes and no lab science.
Self studying doesn’t count for college admissions and science can’t be self studied due to labs (not to mention that you cannot self study Physics C while concurrently enrolled in Precalculus).
Senior year, plan to take AP Bio OR AP Chem. If you want one more science AP add APES or add a non AP science such as A&P or Robotics or intro CS.
In addition, take Calc AB or BC dependingon whether you got an A in Precalculus, a social science or history, Spanish 4, English, and a class you’re really interested in.
What opportunities are available to YOU?
This is very bad advice.
And I’ll pile on to what others said - “self studying” for an AP test is pretty much useless on a college application.
Are you a junior already? If so, Is this self study list already in progress? How do you think you will manage 4 of the most difficult AP courses via self study?
The high school would have to sponsor you to sit for the AP exams for the self studies and most boarding schools won’t do that, especially not 4 of them. If you don’t sit for the exams, that would be equal to you not having done anything (and agree, even if you do self study and get a 4/5, it won’t help you much with colleges-they don’t want drones) The AP English course you are taking is dual enrollment? They don’t have AP English in person at your school?
Have you spoken to your college counselor at the school? How long have you been at this school? Sorry, your list makes no sense and doesn’t strike me as something a boarding school would be in favor of. The lack of science is inconceivable.
I am still trying to understand how a guidance counselor at a school that specializes in math and science would recommend dropping physics and say that it wouldn’t hurt. Of course it will hurt. Any student that expects to do stem in college (and I assume that based on your list of planned self study courses) needs physics in high school.
I’m also concerned that all these opportunities that the school offers will now be closed off to the OP. The research positions, etc., are not going to the kid who dropped physics. So what is the point of being at this school?
OP: it sounds like this school may not be a very good fit for you. Maybe you should consider switching back to your public high school.