<p>My DD is rising sophomore in HS and taking her first chemistry class at our local CC over the summer. She like new chemistry lab at cc and would like to take second chemistry class in fall. She will also take 2 AP classes (APWH and APCS) at her HS. Now we have a dilemma with her science path in HS.
1. Take H. Physics and self-study for AP Physics B (she is taking pre-calculus this year, not ready for physics C until next year), also take second chemistry class at cc and self-study for AP Chemistry
2. Not to take second chemistry class at CC, but take AP Chemistry at HS (HS does not have chemistry lab, school has new chemistry teacher every year for a few year already)
3. Take AP Bio at HS (took H. Bio last year at HS), take second chemistry at local CC and self-study for AP Chemistry.
Any advises would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Is the CC chemistry course a college frosh level chemistry course, or an introductory chemistry course that is more like high school chemistry?</p>
<p>It is generally considered best to have at least one course in each of biology, chemistry, and physics while in high school. Beyond that, college level or AP courses could be a bonus, depending on her eventual college academic path.</p>
<p>If she is considering pre-med or pre-law, note that grades in college courses taken while in high school do count for GPA for medical and law school admissions (AP scores do not count). A or A+ grades can be a good way to pre-load one’s GPA, but lower grades can set the student back on the pre-med or pre-law path.</p>
<p>She is currently taking introductory chemistry. Next one will be general chemistry 101. She is planning to apply to Caltech, MIT, Stanford or UCLA engineering program.</p>
<p>If taking general chemistry at the CC is not much of a hassle (commuting or whatever), that may be a better option than the high school AP course (she can take both the CC course and the AP test to maximize the chance of transfer credit).</p>
<p>But engineering majors will take a relatively rigorous physics sequence in college. Doing so without at least a high school physics course will be more difficult.</p>
<p>(As an aside, the four schools listed are not safeties for anyone. She needs to find safeties for her application list, although it is still pretty early to think about that now. As a parent, be sure to figure out the finances and discuss the net price limits with her by late junior year so that she can make an affordable application list.)</p>
<p>I would let her work ahead but not too far ahead and you might want to consider what kind of burden on her time traveling to and from a CC is, high school juniors get mighty busy and senior year is even worse. And despite what it sounds like top colleges like their kids well rounded as well as good academicians. You might want to look at the four colleges you do have listed and see how they even treat AP classes…colleges are all different. Some let kids replace freshman classes, some use the AP scores for placement and some don’t use them much at all. The same for her college classes balance the “need” and the “want” in your D…just make sure you aren’t loading up on things that won’t make a huge different when she goes through the application cycle in a year (AP vs. CC) since more is not always better and you don’t want to end up missing some crucial high school stepping stones and experiences.</p>
<p>I was surprised by how High School GPAs were calculated differently by various colleges. Some weight AP classes more highly than college classes. Some give weight to Honors classes, others don’t. It helps to understand the GPA calculation system at the colleges you are applying to. It might make a difference in your decisions.</p>
<p>It is kind of early to be thinking about what colleges to apply to. I hope that high school does not become too stressful. Personally, I feel strongly that high school should not be geared totally to future education, but should be an experience that is valued in the present.</p>
<p>Colleges like to see applicants take the most rigorous classes that are offered by their high school, but don’t penalize if, say, the school does not offer labs. That said, if she truly enjoys chemistry lab, that would be a good reason to take it at cc (though she can wait until college to take a lab course, if going to cc is stressful in any way).</p>
<p>Is she ready for AP Chemistry at school? (I am curious why no lab: does the school actually not have a lab room? It is hard to imagine an AP chemistry class w/out lab.)</p>
<p>She could also take the second chemistry course next summer.</p>
<p>Wait on the physics until she has taken more math. She is already ahead on math for her grade, so there will be plenty of time for physics (last two years of high school).</p>
<p>Does she like bio? She has already taken honors bio so she can do AP bio if she wants to. I think interest in the subject should be her guide. AP bio is not necessary: she is already taking two AP classes next year. That is plenty for a sophomore.</p>
<p>To me, this post and the whole scenario convey an impression of stress and pressure. Make sure she has some downtime and some time to be a kid, try new extracurriculars, get to know herself, hang out with friends, and enjoy high school.</p>
<p>If chemistry lab is her version of fun, though, then the cc class sounds like a good idea :)</p>
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<p>I don’t want to derail this thread, but would like more information on this. I was under the impression that most colleges followed a formula where they unweight the GPA (they do not give more credit to APs or honors courses). Otherwise how could they fairly calculate a GPA for kids who did not have a lot of APs or honors courses offered at their high schools? I am also under the impression that some schools take out “non-academic courses”, like Arts and PE.</p>
<p>They separately consider the rigor of the student’s courseload in light of what was available to them. So a student who attends a high school that does not allow the kids to take AP classes until senior year is not penalized when compared to a kid who can take APs starting earlier. It is judged relative to what is available in their school (guidance counselor form asks this question).</p>
<p>Last year my D had four courses of college credit earned in the summer (at a four year university, not a community college). Our guidance counselor indicated that it was not likely the colleges would even use the grades in the course in their GPA calculation even though they were sent a transcript (too bad, all "A"s :)). So I am unclear on how 4 year or community college coursework is considered in the GPA calculation by colleges – they may use them if the student is dual enrolled or something like that. But our GC used to be an admissions counselor at a top 20 LAC, so I believe at least the school she worked at didn’t take all college coursework into consideration when calculating the GPA.</p>
<p>Back to the OP’s questions – one “trap” (at least I consider it a trap) that many students and parents fall into is thinking that taking the most/hardest/highest level/highest amount of academic coursework in a subject is a ticket into the types of schools listed by the OP. My advice is for your D to look for some extra curricular activities in her area of interest (science) and start working on research or a club (any science olympiad at her high school? Could she start a club with help from a teacher for one of the olympiads?) in her area of interest. Rather than self studying for AP tests, IMHO a student is better served by working hard at an EC that also moves their interests forward in some way. It also adds some variety to their time that might make high school more fun.</p>
<p>IntParent, I hope that someone more knowledgeable than I can weigh in on the hows and whys of GPA variance. I am very inexperienced and wouldn’t want to spread inaccurate information.</p>
<p>My D’s situation was that she attended an Accredited Homeschool Program, which did not offer AP classes. She took a rigorous program, with all Honors classes. She also took dual enrollment classes at a 4 year college her senior year.</p>
<p>So, some colleges gave weight to Honors classes, most didn’t. Some counted the grade from her college courses, some didn’t. Most schools considered the Dual Enrolled College classes as about equal to AP courses.</p>
<p>We lucked out, and she got a better scholarship because her school weighted extra for Honors but not for College Courses.</p>