<p>There are always scheduling conflicts at our HS and I don’t know how there can’t be. There are many classes (band, yearbook, chorus, most of the AP’s) that are only offered for one period. It’s actually surprising to me how well the schedules end up.</p>
<p>My S has to decide between H. Spanish III or his AP English. He chose to sit out Spanish for a year and do his third year of Spanish in his senior year. I am hoping colleges value the AP’s more than 4 years of a language as long as his GC can explain that it was a schedule conflict. Not comfortable with it but dont have a better solution.</p>
<p>sabaray,
Our students have 7 blocks a year. Block 1 is for an hour every day. Even days are 1, 2,4 & 6. Odd days are 1, 3, 5,& 7. Since AP Chem is 2blocks you would have lecture block 6 & lab block 7. You go every day 1.5hrs. It is treated as two grades, two credits & two AP exams. Your first block is luck of the draw. You may end up with AP Language every day, or Algebra 2/Trig. Over the long haul the time in class works out the same.</p>
<p>We have the same problem with scheduling between AP 5 foreign languages, chorus/orchestra/drama, and IT classes…many that are only offered once a day. You get a conflict and you get creative. Like others here, our students turn to virtual classes (either during the year or in the summer), or dual enrollment to keep up with classes they would have to bypass otherwise.</p>
<p>I dont think our school allows outside courses. Is just 3 years of FL a deal breaker for higher level schools (Ivy etc)</p>
<p>I really think it depends on the intended major - a future engineering student will not be penalized as much as a future humanities major and it can really depend on the school. My D was very successful in apps with only 3 years of a language but she is a future engineer. I don’t know what the outcomes would have been if she had been a different major or at different schools.</p>
<p>Ultimately though take what you love and can fit in your schedule, don’t schedule everything around what may or may not impress colleges because that is only a piece of the whole puzzle.</p>
<p>Calmom, thank you. I’ve wanted to hear someone say something like this-- I think it’s a shame to force a ‘most rigorous’ schedule across the board on a kid who wants to follow his/her own interests. My D may well end her language study now, after French 3-- the teacher is terrible, and she wants to take AP Art History, AP Psych, and Music theory, none of which are exactly slacker courses! It seems like a college would want someone who clearly worked hard on her own interests…but the ‘most rigorous’ mantra has been repeated so often, I start to worry!</p>
<p>My older kids just took three years of a FL and that’s all youngest one will take also. I don’t think that many colleges, except those tippy ones that many people on this forum focus on, really care. The only downside is that they had to take a year of a FL at College because they didn’t pass the proficiency tests.</p>
<p>D is in an engineering program but she did take through the AP course. Language is a passion/interest of hers- helps to balance out all the math/science courses. She’s continued with it in college. Interestingly, there is no FL proficiency requirement for most engineering programs- althought IMHO I would think proficiency would be a plus in a global economy. Maybe we should redefine the “most rigorous” program as “most rigorous in the context of student interests”.</p>
<p>^^yes, sabaray, that would seem much more sensible! I think colleges would want to see students energetically pursuing their own interests instead of following a prescribed program.</p>
<p>I think that selective colleges look at the whole picture. They don’t want to see kids slacking off, or kids who opt for easier classes just to keep up the GPA. So it might be a red flag to them if they see open periods or study halls on the student’s schedule, or non-academic options. On the other hand – my d. did have a very light schedule the spring of her junior year, because of scheduling issues after she returned from a fall-semester foreign exchange. But that’s just one more example of “common wisdom” having no bearing whatsoever. </p>
<p>I think my daughter ended up getting into colleges that were the best she could possibly have attained in any circumstances, and if anything an out of the ordinary high school transcript was a help, and not a hindrance, to reach colleges. </p>
<p>I do think that colleges look at the overall pattern of courses and student interests. And the irony is that its kind of hard to develop some interests if the student is overloaded with AP’s trying to impress colleges with the “most rigorous” curriculum available at their high school. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that every high school is different – sometimes the “most rigorous” question is there just as a way for a g.c. to certify that a particular high school doesn’t have more to offer. So if a kid comes through with no AP’s and only 2 honors courses in 4 years – that looks pretty weak – but if that is all that is offered at that particular high school (let’s assume a small, rural school) – then its a big boost for the applicant if the g.c. can check that “most rigorous” box.</p>
<p>Both my kids made choices that may have given them slight dings in the acceptance department. For example, both refused to take AP or honors English senior year a big no no on CC. For the oldest he didn’t get into MIT or Caltech, but did get into Harvard and Carnegie Mellon Computer Science. For the youngest (with quite iffy grades) he still managed to get into U of Chicago, Vassar and Tufts. Colleges will forgive a lot if you have good reasons for the choices you make. Both my kids (esp. the eldest) had pretty clear interests that they followed. Their curricula were rigorous, but not as rigorous as possible.</p>
<p>My oldest the comp sci major took AP Latin even though it wasn’t really an interest, because he was very good at it. My youngest droppped Latin after Latin 4 his junior year because the B- he got that year was a gift. We hope he’ll do better in a modern language with an immersion experience, because he’s hoping to major in international relations.</p>
<p>Most rigorous is certainly something to strive for, but I agree with Calmom, that it shouldn’t be at the expense of the things the student really loves.</p>
<p>While many Ivies prefer four years of a language, it’s never a deal breaker if they want you.</p>
<p>“…if they see open periods or study halls on the student’s schedule…” - that made me laugh, remembering that my son couldn’t get into study hall freshman year. It was full believe it or no. As was the PE class that would have been nice to get out of the way. (He had to take it his last semster, with mostly underclassmen.) Instead he was stuck with business class. Ironically study hall would have given him a higher class rank due to weighting methods.</p>