I’m a ninth grader with a schedule that’s already crammed. I was hoping someone would have suggestions for how I can fit AP Physics C and AP Chem into my schedule by the time I graduate. I’m not changing anything about my music electives because they make school bearable on the worst days. The engineering classes are required by all kids in the STEM program. (smaller classes and better teachers)
Current Schedule:
Honors Symphony Orchestra
Freshman Choir
Pre-AP Physics
Pre-AP Algebra 2
Required Engineering Class (PLTW)
AP Human Geo
Pre-AP English
Online French
Online AP Computer Science
Sophomore Year:
Honors Symphony Orchestra
Varsity Choir
Pre-AP Biology
*AP Calc BC
AP World History
Pre-AP English 2
Required Engineering Class (PLTW)
Online French
Junior Year:
Honors Symphony Orchestra
Honors Varsity/A Capella Choir
*AP Statistics
AP US History
Pre-AP Chem
AP English 3
Required Engineering Class
Online French
PE Alternative Online
Senior Year:
Honors Symphony Orchestra
Honors A Capella Choir
AP Gov/Economics
AP Physics C
AP English 4
Required Engineering
?Math?
AP Online French
*I might test out of Pre-Calc over the summer. I asked my counselor if I could use the extra math space as an elective. She told me that I would be able to only if I took all the math classes. (AP Calc BC is the highest math class in my school) I don’t know if she means I would have to go back and take Math Models or something like that. I really like science and wanted to take two science classes senior year. At my school, we’re discouraged from/not allowed to mess with the sequence for science. This is the only plan I worked out, but it leaves me with no math class senior year. Will that look bad to colleges?
I would take a math senior year. Could you take AP Bio over the summer online? Then move AP Chem to that spot, which would still make both AP Chem, AP Bio, and AP Physics doable?
If your going into engineering then you don’t need to take AP Bio
Do you also have to take AP Statistics? If your taking Calc BC sophomore year it would probably be better not doing a math class in Junior year than in Senior. If you have the option to dual enroll for math senior year that would be a good option. But it looks like if you skip a year of math you could fit AP chem too.
@southernbelle16 I can’t accelerate out of a science like you could with any other class. Something about the lab experience. AP Bio isn’t a prerequisite for any science classes. I would rather be able to fit chem into my schedule rather than bio. @17Angel I’m being forced to take AP Stats junior year by my counselor. The only year you’re allowed to take a break from math is when you are a senior and all your math options have been used up. I was thinking about taking multivariable calc at the local community college, so I don’t fall behind too much. Will colleges be able to see that I took community college course senior year? Regarding the math sequence, someone else previously told me to take AP Calc AB, then BC after.
Do you guys have any other recommendations for how to fit Chem in?
Your math acceleration plan is worrisome to me. You are in Alg 2 now - but that isn’t trig/pre-calc at your school, right? You say you plan to test out of Pre-Calc then skip AB and go right into BC? That is very aggressive.
The AP stats is kind of a waste, would you be able to relax a little and do AB then BC then still skip senior year math?
Between your heavy commitment to music and your school’s rules about taking pre-AP before AP sciences, you are just not going to be able to fit much more in.
But the important thing is how this compares to the “hardest schedule available” at your school. Your counselor will be asked by colleges to rate your schedule’s rigor against that of other students in your school. So with the prerequisite requirements, you will likely not be able to fit in all the AP sciences. But neither would other students at your school.
What has worked for kids in my child’s school (which has a similar prerequisite requirement before AP sciences) has been to take summer version of accelerated or online sciences as the pre-req then take only the AP version in school.
If you maxed out in math at school, and took AP physics C senior year, colleges will not see this as “slacking” and your calculus skills will get plenty of work out I would not advise accelerating further in math (like at CC) in order to impress colleges. If your school lets you count that at “Math” your senior year and you can therefore take it in addition to the full slate listed here - that would be great.
You may be better off doing summer school Chemistry than trying to accelerate the Math sequence.
@VSGPeanut101 I didn’t think of the fact that AP Physics C still has a math component to it. I was worried I would be extremely behind in college after not being in a math class for a whole year. That was the only reason I wanted to take community colleges courses for calculus. In my school, you don’t take AB and then BC Calc. It’s one or the other. With the question of the rigor of my schedule, compared to others at my school that would be a definite yes. A lot of the kids in my school either drop out, go to cc. or start working after graduation. In a school of around 2,500 kids, there are only around two class periods for BC and one teacher. Most of the school ends up taking math models or pre-calc senior year. I don’t want to take AP Chem just because it looks good or it’s rigorous. It’s because of how interesting the class itself is. I’ll ask my counselor if she’ll let me take the chemistry prerequisite in summer school, but she’ll probably say no.
Thank you to everyone who’s given suggestions! Are there any other ways to manipulate my schedule?
I would not advise accelerating further in math (like at CC) in order to impress colleges. If your school lets you count that at “Math” your senior year and you can therefore take it in addition to the full slate listed here - that would be great.