I am a rising senior. I am debating on what to take for my final year of high school and hoping to beef up my college apps as much as possible as it is my last year of high school and I want to apply to highly selective schools (such as Rice, WashU, UPenn).
I want to go on the pre-med track and probably major in biochemistry. My current schedule looks like this:
core classes: Ap Literature, AP chem, AP Gov/ AP Econ, AP Calc
Elective: AP Physics C??, band, AP Stat, Independent student mentorship class
I, unfortunately, did not realize how important foreign language was in the college apps process. I stopped after freshman year meaning that I have 2 years of Spanish foreign lang credit.
I have an “open” spot for electives in which I’m not really sure what is best to take. Right now I have taken AP Physics C (hence the question mark) but I am not sure that is the best choice anymore as I am not naturally good at physics and I feel like that would be a lot of stress especially with college apps. I am debating between taking Spanish 3 (even though I have had 2 years of gap), AP Physics 2 (as it is good for pre-med according to the college board), or AP Environmental Science (as it is an easier ap class and it will allow me to have less stress and focus on college applications and other extracurriculars while still being a science class).
I do not mind putting in extra work but I just want to make sure that it is worth it and I am going in the right direction. Could someone give me a recommendation on the best class to take or even suggest a different class for me?
It may matter what your intended college major is, what other science you have taken, and what colleges you are targeting, in terms of assessing the relative importance of Spanish 3, AP physics C or 2, and AP statistics.
You already have AP Chem. If physics is not your strong suite, AP Physics C can be swapped out for Spanish. If you’re planning premed, its good to have Spanish as a second language in college as well. AP Enviro is not considered a strong science for a future STEM major.
You have already realized that competitive universities look for a courseload of core courses at the highest level possible throughout all 4 years of high school. Work with what you have and apply to a range of universities.
If you are full pay, able to afford without loans, and have competitive stats, maybe apply to WashU ED? Many students start as premed and change their minds in college. So make sure whatever college you are interested in makes major changing doable.
Most people taking AP Physics C are gung-ho potential math/physics/engineering students, so your grades may suffer. Additionally, calc-based physics is not needed for med school.
Having one year of Spanish in HS will be less-than-competitive for T20S schools. Thanks Spanish.
Hi everyone thank you so much for the comments and help! It really means a lot.
Spanish 3 is now definitely my main choice, however I found another course that seems really interesting for me so I was wondering if you guys could help me out to figure out if spanish 3 or medical micro is a better course choice for me.
Medical micro is a super hands on lab oriented course and it studies microorganisms and the effect of them on the human body. As I am going health science track, I think this would be a good career oriented course to have (as I am also interested in research). However, it is weighted a point less for GPA calculations than spanish is. Still, I know my GPA won’t change much now that I am a senior.
Could someone let me know which course is more practical and smarter to take for college apps?
I was a terrible spanish student in high school and the only skill from high school that i used extensively in residency and med school was spanish. Everything else is learned again in college and med school. If you have the ability to take more spanish, esp conversational spanish, it will not only make you a better applicant for college but a better medical student and doctor (and person in our increasingly multilingual country)