Thanks for taking the time to read this - I understand that it’s far too late for any changes to be made, but I’d like reassurance (if deserving) or criticism (so I can reflect on the decisions I’ve made - and feel better about college admissions - and advise my younger sister who began this year as a Freshman).
Disclaimer: I’m applying ED to Dartmouth, but my sister is gunning for NYU (when the time comes, and I understand that her mind may change multiple times before then).
For the record, at my high school (a competitive public with a graduating class of about 600), AP (with ~20 offered) and IB Courses are considered as equal in rigor (with Dual Credit Courses running below and Regular Courses far below).
To begin - my schedule is as follows:
Eight Grade (classes that factor into High School GPA):
PAP Algebra I
Health (Sem.)
Speech and Communication
Freshman Year:
IB-Prep Ethics (Sem.)/ AP Comparative Government (Sem.)
Spanish II
IB-Prep Geometry
Art I
IB-Prep Biology
Physical Education
IB-Prep English I
IB-Prep/AP (it’s complicated) Human Geography
Summer:
French I
Now this is where I’m worried. I made the decision to discontinue studying in the IB Program because I felt I’d be better off with the Social Science Electives and Language Electives that interested me. AP courses are often more rigorous but, or so I’ve heard, are viewed as inferior to IB by some Unis - is this true?
Sophomore Year:
AP World History
Pre-AP English II
Pre-AP Chemistry
Business Information and Management
Pre-AP Algebra II
French II
Pre-AP Spanish III
AP Psychology (Sem.)/ AP US Government (Sem.)
Junior Year:
AP Spanish IV, Language and Culture
German I
Pre-AP French III
AP Physics I
AP US History
Pre-AP Pre-Calculus
AP English III, Language and Composition
AP Microeconomics (Sem.)/ AP Macroeconomics (Sem.)
Senior Year (This year) - I couldn’t get German II because of scheduling conflicts, unfortunately:
AP French IV, Language and Culture
AP Biology
AP Spanish V, Literature and Culture
Medical Microbiology (Sem.)/ Pathophysiology (Sem.)
AP European History
AP Environmental Science
AP English IV, Literature and Composition
Russian I (my teacher is leaving at the end of the semester, which leaves me with a potential hole come January)
Alright, so now that you’ve made it this far, how rigorous is my schedule (17 AP Classes and 11 Honours Classes) and should I advise my sister to take similar courses for NYU or should she pursue her passion (Theatre)?
It’s a good schedule! It’s funny, I’ve never seen a freshman take Comp Gov, especially without GovPol. As for your sister, she should follow her passion, but still try her best to have as rigorous a schedule as possible. Good luck with Dartmouth!
edit: also never have I seen someone take THREE languages. My only criticism is that there is no Calculus, but I have a feeling you’re not planning to go into that field.
I’m a prospective History Major, and math has never appealed to me, so I decided to skip it this year (I hope that’s not too much of a negative blot). I love SocSci, and AP Comp Gov was a nice challenge for Freshman Year.
I would have advised you to take Calculus instead of either the Russian or Microbiology - in my opinion it’s something every educated person should have some familiarity with and it cuts off a lot of doors not to have it. I also think very selective colleges like Dartmouth will be expecting it. I’m a bit puzzled why a prospective history major isn’t taking history as a senior. My younger son who liked history took two years of World History (req by NYS - 2nd year was AP), APUSH and AP Euro. He also took Calculus and two AP sciences.
17 AP classes is on the surface ridiculously rigorous, but I question some of the choices. Colleges aren’t counting APs - they are looking for a broad base in high school so that you can specialize more in college.
I definitely agree that you should take calculus before you graduate, as most colleges expect that of all students regardless of prospective major. The microbiology and pathophysiology seem especially weird. Why would a prospective history major take such specialized classes in biology while still in high school, but not Calculus or an additional history class? If it’s not too late, I would drop russian I, make a note that you couldn’t get into german II because of scheduling conflicts when you apply to colleges, and consider at least a semester of calculus. Not only is not taking calculus bad, but not taking any math class at all is especially concerning.
@NASA2014, language is something I love and have a knack for.
@mathmom, I am taking an history course this year (AP Euro) and I have taken all the social science courses offered by my school
@giraffeinatree, I’ve taken all the History/SocSci courses available but admit that specialization in Med Micro/Pathophys might have been a mistake. Unfortunately, having just spoken to my GC, my schedule for this year is locked in place.
The one thing I’m happy to report is that Dartmouth has expressed no preference for Calculus (it was removed from their recommended courses list and an admissions representative said that it was no longer deemed necessary if my major were in the SocScis).
4 languages total? Russian, German, French, and Spanish? 2 at the AP level? Idk what that means in terms of admissions but I think that’s awesome hahahaha
It’s something that has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. I use supplementary online resources and speak to whomever I can. My mom wants me to start Hindi lessons too this coming summer.
I would suggest calculus and/or statistics over environmental science and/or the elective biology courses (you already have AP biology in your schedule). Although it is probably too late to change if that is this year.
Statistics is generally useful in the social studies, and calculus can help you take a more advanced statistics course in college if you have need to go into more extensive statistical analyses for social studies. Also, calculus and statistics can be helpful if you study economics in-depth, since economics is a significant factor in many historical events, and therefore a good supporting subject in the study of history.
