Hello, I am non-STEM junior looking at the T20s and am not sure what course(s) to sign-up for my Senior Year. Most T20 colleges tell you that 4 years of Math and 3-4 years of Sciences is required/recommended. As a Junior, I am taking AP Calc BC right now and have taken Honors Chem, Phy and Bio. The easy route would be to do AP Stats and AP Env Science, but then AOs may look at that and say that I ‘slacked’ off in my senior year by taking these 2 APs.
So my Question is - Is it ok to NOT take Math AND/OR Science in my Senior year and instead do something like AP Art History And/Or AP Pscychology? Any other suggestions/alternatives?
As with many things, the answer is “it depends.” It depends on the university. It depends on your potential major.
There is zero expectation that the courses be AP. But there is almost no response to the above “it depends” questions where I would advise taking math as a senior. If you’re taking BC as a junior, you clearly have no math phobia.
AP Stats isn’t considered much of a slacker class. I’d definitely take that. My son applied to colleges this year and he took AP Stats and AP Lit this past semester. I’d take any other AP classes that interest you.
AP Stats isn’t a slacker class. And in fact, it’s a very useful class with practical applications. If you are interested, take it.
You seem to have plenty of rigor so far. My thought is that you shouldn’t take things just because you think they will look good to colleges with minuscule acceptance rates. It seems that you will enjoy AP Art History more than AP Env. Sci. You should enjoy your last year of high school, not just try to fulfill a preconceived idea that really selective schools expect to see all kids take the same classes.
What is the hard route? What math options are available and what science options are available? We have toured a LOT of T20 schools and the vast majority say (or even state on their website) that challenging oneself in all academic areas all 4 years is important, not just the areas you like or excel. So, if you want the best chance at T20s, take the hardest math and science options available at your school (with the understanding that without a GPA or scores, it is not clear if you are in the realm of competitive in the first place).
Have a 4.0 UW GPA, 1580 on SAT, have taken 9 APs so far (including Junior Year, all 5s). Do not plan to go into STEM. For Math, the school offers an Honors Class called KAM which is a fairly rigorous course developed by the faculty. For Sciences, it would mean taking any of the 3 APs in Physics, Chemistry or Biology. All of those APs are double block classes which means I have to give up some other class if I choose one of these. I would like to take AP Art History along with AP Research, AP Literature, Independent Study, Creative Writing and AP World History. That leaves space for 1 class for either Math or Science (not really because as I said, that would mean giving up another class).
Where is your foreign language? My thoughts may differ, but if you are aiming for T20 - I think it would be wise to make sure you have 4 years of science, language, english and math. You can take Art history in college and not sure if I would consider Creative writing with your AP.
I hate to steer you away from your interests, but we see over and over again that colleges in the rank you are targeting want to see rigor all the way through HS. If you are more flexible on your college list - then your senior schedule can reflect that too.
A good place for advice would be making an appt with your school counselor and get their thoughts on your schedule and how that maps up to previous students accepted in your top school choices.
With those stats you can definitely handle the rigor: Take the KAM rigorous class OR AP stats, plus take one of the AP sciences, whichever you like best. OR don’t. But taking the most rigorous available in your school does matter(And rigor is determined by the AO looking at what is available vs what you took, it is not dependent on a box your counselor checks, at this level of school). As I said the schools you are aiming for emphasize this in their on-campus info sessions as well as on their websites. They say they want kids who challenge themselves across all areas, and like to be challenged–I think it will be to your advantage to follow that advice.
I took AP French in my Sophomore Year and have been pursuing French outside of school. Just took and passed my DELF B2 Certification from the French Government. I love to write and want to take the Creative Writing course because the teacher who teaches it knows me really well and would make for a strong recommender.
Take AP Stats.
You have all 3 of Bio, Chem, and Physics, and for a future non STEM major that’s what they’ll look for. Your choices, as expressed above (AP Art History, AP Research, AP Lit, Creative Writing, and AP World) are very rigorous AND make sense for a student interested in the Humanities, perhaps some social sciences - that matters much more than checking items on a list (as long as you have the core classes they expect, which you do since you completed Calc BC&all 3 scienes already). AP Stats is Math BTW.
Sorry, was going to comment on FL but just saw you completed AP Sophomore year AND kept challenging yourself to pass the DELF B2 (IMPRESSIVE).
Take AP Stats. It is math but so practical for a non stem person. Useful for future research. My Senior loves the writing/explaining component of APStats. She got into Georgetown taking APES and APStats her Senior year. No calc at all. You have demonstrated success in tough stuff already. Just do well and make sure your intended field of study is reflected in your course selections.