really, really in need of some help & advice :)

Applying to College
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<p>hey guys. so i need to start figuring out my schedule for my senior year, & will be meeting with my gc soon. but i srsly need a vague idea of my next year's course load, b/c honestly, i have no idea [for once :/]</p>

<p>so sophmore year, in planning for this year, i made a huge error in judgment :( i made it so i'd be taking 4 APs this year--APbio/APpsych/APvirgil/APush</p>

<p>...except for now my GPA is low AND i have very few AP choices for next year :( i would take APlit, but apparently honors lit is wayy easier, so i figure why put myself in misery reading all of these extra books i don't care about, lol. i'll also be taking h. physics & most likely regular calculus [not a math person, so why even bother?] and as far as continuing history goes..i guess i'll just have to take anthropology one semester & sociology the next, or w/e.</p>

<p>oh, & my school is...for the first time in years...re-instating the option of a 'study hall' first period. which would like, make my life. except i reallly need to raise my GPA next year, seeing as how in most of my AP/h. classes i get Bs :/ </p>

<p>i also don't know if i should drop h. latin next year [yeah, junior year we got stuck with AP. senior year is h. ***] & replace it with APes [which is supposedly super easy at my school & would therefore raise my GPA. BUT colleges who r familiar with us supposedly know it's easy, or something? so i'd just look like a slaker :(]</p>

<p>so the major problem is not only raising GPA, but also the fact that i'll be dropping down from 4 APs this year->1 or 2 [or none at all!!!] next year. i mean, there would still be honors stuff, but it would look awful on a transcript, wouldn't it? :(</p>

<p>ahhhh, basically i need lots of advice. thanks to anyone putting up with my insanity, lol.</p>

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<p>Take the study hall. It'll help raise your unweighted GPA. If you can't stay in 4 or more APs, then there's really no reason to fret. Just take as many as you think you can do reasonably well in. I think you should take AP Lit, but you may want to drop Latin.</p>

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<p>First off: Chat talk, not unlike drugs and alcohol, is great, truly marvelous, IN MODERATION. </p>

<p>Secondly, you're absolutely correct that going from 4 AP's Junior year to 1-2 AP's senior year will look bad. How much it will "hurt you" in admissions really depends on the selectivity of the schools you're planning to apply to. If you're applying to elite universities you really have no choice but to take as many AP's as you can AND maintain a high GPA. Whereas if you're applying to a less selective university it's not that bad to drop a few AP's in order to raise your GPA.</p>

<p>
[quote]
BUT colleges who r familiar with us supposedly know it's easy, or something? so i'd just look like a slaker

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Don't worry about that. No college adcom is going to discredit your grade in a particular class because "he heard it's easy."</p>

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<p>sorry for the chat talk.
no, not really;i just typed whatever came to mind ;)
but thanks for that last piece of info.</p>

<p>i coulddd take ap stat, which i hear isn't that bad, along with calc. not that i'm going into anything calc-related, or anything :-p but that would have to replace my 4th year of history. does that fourth year even really matter? :/</p>

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<p>......bump</p>

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<p>Have you fulfilled all of the graduation requirements for your state?
If not, which classes that you can take next year will fulfill them?</p>

<p>Have you fulfilled all of the graduation requirements for your school district?
If not, which classes that you can take next year will fulfill them?</p>

<p>Have you completed all of the courses required for admission at your home-state public universities (your probable financial safety school)?
If not, which classes that you can take next year will fulfill those requirements?</p>

<p>Once those questions are answered, you should consider which classes you would actually LIKE to take. First, because usually people get better grades in classes that they actually enjoy, and second because this is your last chance to do fun (and maybe even useful) stuff for free. Hate the thought of Calculus? Well, why not take Consumer Math and learn to balance a checkbook, calculate a mortgage, and read a credit card statement. Can you cook? Can you re-wire a lamp? Lots of high schools have Tech. Ed. and Family and Consumer Sciences departments where you can learn some of those skills. Do you really like Latin? Well, just stick with it another year! Are you really tired of it? Drop it.</p>

<p>Think about what you might like to do with your life when you are done with high school and college, and then see which (if any) AP courses make sense for helping to meet your goals.</p>

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<p>yes, i have completed my requirements of 2 semesters of 'arts' & 2 semesters of 'tech' courses.
i think at this point i have everything i need at the most basic level [3 years of english, 3 of math...]
i would prefer to replace calc with ap stat, but i don't think that's really an option. i mean, i assume calc is viewed as the standard 'senior year math level'
yes, i think i will drop latin & replace it with apes, which i actually find semi-interesting.
i actually really love psych but was an idiot & took it this year when it would have oh-so-conveniently fit into my schedule for senior year :/</p>

<p>at this point, the thing i honestly want to do most is raise my unweighted GPA while taking challenging courses, but not be so miserable next year. i think 2-3 APs will work for me + 1-2 honors + that study period. but i agree with u on the point that i really need to start thinking about courses that can help out my future. thanks for your help (:</p>

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<p>anyone else? bumppp
p.s. would it look very slackerish if i WERE to take the free period/study hall thing? i mean...i might just end up sleeping in half the time :-p it's the first time we're offering it so i don't really know how it works, lol.</p>

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<p>If you are filling your after school hours with other activities (sports, band, theatre, major club committments, volunteer work, working 15+ hrs/week) then your first period study hall will look like you are trying to maintain sanity your senior year.
My daughter had a study hall 1st period junior year, which just made her 3 varsity sports, extensive club activities, 150+ volunteer hours, and busy club soccer schedule look manageable. With only a 1980 SAT and ranked 3rd in her class at an unknown public high school, she got in to Johns Hopkins ED. So taking as many weighted courses as you can MANAGE is key for a junior and senior year.
One more note on what impact it can have by taking weighted classes in senior year: My son started as #4 in his class, moved to #2 at mid-term, and graduated valedictorian. He was the only one of the top 5 who took only weighted classes. BUT he worked his tail off his senior year and never, never blinked as others slacked off and socialized! It can happen!</p>

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<p>agreed.
after freshman year i was 16/120 </p>

<p>i'm graduating 3/118.</p>

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<p>thanks everyone! there's no ranking at my school, so that's not really an issue. i just really wanna raise my gpa as much as humanly possible, so i really need to be smart about what classes i choose :/</p>

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<p>hmm any other advice out there?</p>