Science/Computer Programming Scheduling

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

i think i’m either going into the medical field or the computer science field but i need to figure out my classes for senior year!! please help
Option 1:
regular english 12, spanish 4, photography, regular physics, ap biology, differential equations, ap statistics, ap computer science
Option 2:
regular english 12, spanish 4, photography, ap physics, ap biology, differential equations, programming 2, programming 3

(i am currently taking programming 1 and programming 2,3 is more advanced c++ where as ap comp sci is java)
Please help me out thank you!

2

This is a tough one. Are these the only options that would work? Ideally you’d incorporate AP Physics in with AP stats and a programming class. It seems a little unorthodox to take prog. 2 and 3 at the same time.

Personally, I think C++ is the better language to learn, but there’s always the draw of an AP. AP Stats is extremely useful. Is there any chance of working in AP Physics instead of photography in option 1?

3

As a computer science major you’re either
1 Business (don’t need biology)
2 Software Design (biology an fulfill natural science category)
3 Science Option (You need University Physics and probably not Biology).

If AP Physics doesn’t fulfill the University Physics requirement then you’re just going to have to take it again anyway in college if you go the Science degree plan route and if you go the Business/Software Design route you you can probably use AP Physics to fill a Natural Science requirement.

If you can replace Photagraphy with a study hall and use the time to test out of something via the CLEP Exams then that would probably be a better use of your time regardless of what options you take.

Also keep in mind that as a Computer Science Major you need at least this much Math just to take your first Com Sci 101 course:

College Algebra (CLEP Option)
Pre Calculus (CLEP Option)
Calculus I (CLEP Option)
Calculus II (this can be a co requisite thankfully)

Then, after that you get to take Com Sci 101. Then you still have to take the following math.

Probability (CLEP Option)
Statistics
Linear Algebra
Some Other Math (I think you get a choice for your fourth one).

Then, if you choose the Science option you’re stuck with the following:
University Physics I
University Physics II

University Physics I and II are basically Calculus IV and V from what I’ve heard.

My point is to go nuts with high school math your senior year even at the expense of taking AP courses because you’ve got a lot of math in store for your future.

Check out the CLEP resources:

https://clep.collegeboard.org/
http://www.4year-plan.com/WordPress/

Also seriously consider dropping something like Photography for a study-hall and either taking an online community college course from high school on your laptop (pick an easy one, obviously) or actually attempt to test out of something via one of the CLEP Exams you don’t already have AP credit for. I.e., maybe you didn’t take AP History when you had the chance and now you’re stuck with rehashing everything you learned in high school history your freshmen year of college.

4

@Stanccepted‌ my school has blocked scheduling so we would have four classes each day, every other day (if that makes sense). So for computer 2, 3, it would be an everyday class where you would take computer 2 the first semester and computer 3 the second semester.

5

Yeah, my school has block scheduling too.

AP Bio may be something you could drop, but you’d have to take it later anyway. It’s not really a prereq for anything though (besides med school itself). Honestly, I like Option 1 a lot but I’d really prefer AP Physics in there somehow. Which AP Physics is this? Electricity and Magnetism or Mechanics? AP Physics is important just because of the “physics mentality” it teaches you… you won’t actually need to use much mechanics in your major.

6

@Stanccepted‌ I’m not sure which physics it is but it’s AP physics 1- Algebra based. And I think i will end up taking that class thanks for the help!
But i’m still confused whether or not to take 2,3 or ap comp sci. 2,3 teaches you more advanced c++ than what i’m learning in programming 1 now and i will be more efficient in one language rather than knowing just the basics of two languages, c++ and java
But ap comp sci will show colleges that I can challenge myself and that class is more fast paced so i will be able to tell how college classes are like too

7

Yeah, that’s a tough dilemma and honestly one that’s up to you. Knowledge or college app stats. Although I don’t know Java (well, not much), I’m pretty sure it would be very easy to learn online. C++, on the other hand, is a tad more complex.

There is an “additional info” section on the common app where you can put details of circumstances. I explained a similar thing there, and maybe that’s what you should do. It seems like you want to take the C++ classes (which, honestly, make way more sense… Matlab isn’t in Java, it’s in C++ish and so is like everything else in real computer science), so maybe you should take those and note in an essay or additional info section that you wanted to take the C++ classes (which were more advanced, highlight that) instead of Java because C++ is more useful or something along those lines.