Background: Since Freshmen year of High School, I’ve indulged myself in all AP/ Honors courses available. Next year, my senior year, I will have AP Calc, REGULAR Modern Euro, AP Eng, French (5th year), Physics Honors, and AP Psychology. I registered for these classes before I realized that applying to college is like another AP course. At the moment, I am considering dropping French and Psychology to add AP Envi Sci. This way my schedule will be freer and I’m learning something that I really enjoy: the environment.
Thus, my question is this: If I dropped those classes and added on Envi Sci, am I at a disadvantage compared with other applicants towards top institutes?
Do not take anything to look good. Take what you want to learn about.
While I agree, if other students from your school are applying to the same colleges and they are taking 6 classes, you will be at a disadvantage with 5.
If you like the environment then sure, take AP Enviro. 5th year French should be around AP French which combined with AP Psych is probably more rigorous than AP Enviro.
Could you take Honors modern euro to beef up your schedule?
If you are appealing to colleges, drop the Psych and keep the French. However, Psych is a really interesting class and I loved it. I would only drop one of the classes, but not both. But follow your passion rather than kill yourself!
@rdeng2614 I was passionate for the French language until last year when I lost interest in it. I only continued due to the advice of my counselors. Most people quit after their 3rd year when they have the credit so I think it would be best if I don’t take the class anymore. ~~ Sadly, we do not have honors euro. What if I drop out of AP Calc to regular Cal (again, we don’t have honors), drop French class, keep psychology, and add on AP envi sci? I heard from my friends that the class and material is easy and enjoyable. Plus, I already have 2 years of Biology under my belt!
@skieurope that is true. Compared to my other friends, I took the least amount of AP classes. In short, one could say it is an above-par schedule compared to that of last year.
@atcmainz Yes, that is what my parents have been telling me. 5 years of french is more appealing to colleges than AP Envi Sci. (Read my post #6 to see where I am standing currently). I don’t want to kill myself, but I am applying to top ranking universities so I guess I should suck it up?
Take what interests you. Don’t drink the “top college” Kool Aid. Inform yourself yourself more deeply about what a top college" does or does not do for you. There are a couple hundred very fine schools in the US in which the quality of education is about the same. I hope that you have been learning a growing in high school. Maybe it is just how your post is written, but you come off as just racking up classes.