Schedule Help?

Applying to College
1

<p>Reposting in hopes of more views.</p>

<p>Hey all, I'm currently in the process of selecting classes for the coming year.
After some review and discussion with my counselor, I found a problem.</p>

<p>I know all selective schools encourage taking the most challenging schedule possible, which is what I am planning to do for junior year.
I'll be taking AP English Lit (2 semesters), (1 semester) Physics 30~Grade 12 physics and selfing physics C, AP Bio (2 semesters), AP World ( 2 semester). </p>

<p>I am out of math at my school and my local university will not allow me to sit in on any classes. So I was thinking of taking Linear Algebra and Calc 3 from UIUC Netmath. Are top schools okay with online math classes? I'm not too big of a fan, but this seems to be the best option.</p>

<p>Also for foreign language- I am taking grade 11 and grade 12 french (no honours) online. This is because I moved from the States a while ago and did fairly well in a very high level French class which does not match up well with the new country's curriculum.Are top schools okay with online foreign language? I plan to enrich it by doing some additional studying and possibly writing the AP in Senior year.</p>

<p>Lastly, if I go through with my desired schedule, I will only have 1 class of interest left for me- AP Euro. I'll be done with all the English, Math, Science and FL that my school offers. I was thinking of just taking AP Euro then and possibly spending the rest of my time doing research in a lab. Is this all right, or would you advise me to try taking some more classes online? </p>

<p>I was thinking of graduating early, but I talked to my parents and they would prefer for me to spend an additional year for some personal reasons. I'd also have more time to boost my app, which is a plus.</p>

<p>Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for everything</p>

2

<p>Seriously, over 300 views and no replies? Does anyone know if colleges like online classes in general, because I’ve heard that they don’t? Anyone? My schedule needs to be done soon, so any advice would be fantastic.</p>

<p>Anyone???</p>

3

<p>Why do your parents want you to stay in high school if you have exhausted its academic offerings in most subjects?</p>

<p>Seems like going to a university would be the obvious next step, especially if taking university level courses (either courses at a nearby university or transferable courses at the Canadian equivalent of a community college) while still in high school is not an option.</p>

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<p>And why does your app need boosting?</p>

<p>You could try calling the Admissions offices of a couple of colleges you’re interested in, and asking them what they think about online courses.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for responding! </p>

<p>@UCBalumnus. Well, I think they don’t really want to let go of me a year early (typical parents :slight_smile: ) and say I’ll be more mature and whatnot if I wait another year. They also think that applying as a junior could possibly hinder my chances at admissions.</p>

<p>@LasMa,
Well, I think my app is <em>good</em>, but not extraordinary. I am doing well in terms of grades, am friendly/close with my teachers, have good ECs that I’ve been seriously committed to- research (multiple internships, possibility of a publication), Model UN and have some national/state level awards in science/business/writing.</p>

<p>However, if I stay another year, I will be able to better develop two clubs that I’m starting: Science Fair club and Model UN. I’m genuinely interested in both topics, and the sponsors of the clubs are likely teachers who I will ask for recommendations, so this might be a good chance for me to ‘show leadership’ for an extended period of time. I mean, I’m starting the clubs this year, but still.</p>

<p>Also, if my schedule pans out, I will have taken several AP classes and written the exams. If I do well on these, it might also show that I’m ready for college/a good student. </p>

<p>There are a few more science competitions that I’d like to pursue (ISEF), and if I do well at those, that also might make my application stand out more. </p>

<p>In essence, the idea is that I could strengthen my app by a strong junior year performance and prove myself more. </p>

<p>Do you think this is a sound idea? or would I be better off just taking the plunge early? I have really been on the fence about this for some time now- I thought I was for sure going to go a year early before, but now I’m not so sure.</p>

6

<p>I will definitely send out a few emails/call up some admission offices to get their take on the matter. The only downside is that it will make things more complicated if they do say they aren’t okay with online classes :-/, but better than being ignorant!</p>

<p>It just sucks that the local public university (big research school) is so against the idea of high schoolers taking classes. I think that they’ve become so big that they don’t really need to care about people who don’t ‘fit’. There’s another university that might be a little more receptive, but it’s literally on the other side of the city (in a pretty sketchy area), so I don’t know if my parents will be receptive to that suggestion. The university is also pretty ‘new’, so the classes might not be of great quality. </p>

<p>I’d really appreciate anyone’s thoughts on this, honestly.</p>

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<p>I think the problem is that when many of us think of online classes, we think of technical colleges which give degrees in medical billing and vet tech. That may be why you’re not getting much response; the idea of legitimate online university classes is new to us. This is probably going to be a big trend in the future, but right now, it may be new to colleges as well, and many of them might not have formulated a policy yet. This is just a guess; I know virtually nothing about it.</p>

<p>If you want to take one more crack at it, you might try titling your thread “Online Courses” or something. There’s probably someone on this board who knows about this, but they might be passing by your question because they think “Schedule Help?” means you’re wondering whether to take Chem in the morning or afternoon. :)</p>

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<p>^That sounds like a good idea. Maybe it’ll help to keep the OP a bit briefer too, haha.</p>

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<p>As long as your school will accept the online classes on your transcripts, I don’t think staying is a problem. However, will you be expected to take a minimum load in school as well as the online classes? Checking with colleges you are interested in is always a good idea. In general, homeschoolers take online classes, including foreign languages, at high school and college level and have no problem with them being accepted by admission offices.</p>