Senior Year Course Selection Help!

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hi everyone,

**TLDR below!

First things first, thank you for reading and I’d appreciate any advice or tips regarding my course selection. I’m really out-of-touch with the American college application process as I’m Canadian and a first-generation college student.

I am Canadian, but I am doing full-online schooling through an American program, so the courses should be familiar with everyone on this forum. Before I get into what I’m planning to take, I’ll give you my current plans for college admission:

I am planning to apply to nearly all of the top 50 schools in North America (with the exception of UC schools because of online science credits not counting). I will apply to all these top schools, some safeties and a few select schools which I would enjoy regardless of education (Pepperdine/SDSU/University of Oregon/etc.).

all ivies
Stanford
MIT
CalTech
University of Chicago
NYU
John Hopkins
Duke
University of Michigan
University of Washington
University of Texas (Austin)
University of British Columbia
University of Toronto
Northwestern
McGill
USC
Brown
Vanderbilt
UBC

University of Oregon
Oregon State University Bend
Oregon State University robotic major
SDSU
Chapman
UBC Okanagan
Multiple University of Colorado Campuses (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver)

With that said, I know I can’t really check off all the course requirements for all of these schools-- this is kind of where I’m struggling. I’m not sure what courses I should or shouldn’t be taking to appeal to a lot of these schools.

Past Courses:

Grade 9: homeschooling, pass or fail, was really poor classes
“Grade 9 ELA”
“Grade 9 Social Studies”
“Grade 9 Math”
“Grade 9 Health”

Grade 10: switched to an elite online school
“World Lit”
“World History”
“Geometry”
“Biology”
“Computer Science and Coding”
“Entrepreneurship”
“Business”

Grade 11: currently enrolled in
“AP Lang and Comp”
“Ap Psych”
“Honors Alg 2”
“Chemistry”
“French 1”
“AP Computer Science Principles”

SUMMER 2019:
“Honors PreCalc”
“French 2”

Grade 12: needing advice on
“AP Lit and Comp”
“AP Calculus BC”
“AP Physics”
“French 3”
Art class
“AP Computer Science A”
“AP Microeconomics” (half credit)
“AP Macroeconomics” (half credit)
“AP Statistics” *Would enroll only once I think I can handle it, otherwise, I wouldn’t take it. I’m just really interested in it.

TL;DR–

I need help picking my Summer 2019 / Grade 12 classes. I included my college list and my list of past courses above as well as my planned upcoming courses. Any information is greatly appreciated!!! I want to major in Computer Science, but it’s possible that I would major in either Robotic Engineering or Psychology depending on which school I get into. I am a Canadian student doing full online high school at an American elite online school.

As a side question, would two years of French really hurt my chances? I’m having a real tough time completing this course and would much prefer to take only two years rather than three.

Thank you, everyone!!

2

As another side question, is there any site that has all the top universities and their course requirements/recommendations or maybe CDS? Going through each site and finding it can be a tedious process, which is fine, but I would be surprised if there wasn’t a site to help out.

3

Even if there were (and I don’t know that there is), it is likely not updated. For many colleges, requirements/recommendations evolve each cycle. It may be tedious, but looking at each college’s CDS is the best way to go.

For top colleges, you need to assume that most applicants will have 4 years. 3 is better than 2. As an FYI, you’ve listed Brown separately; it’s part of the “all ivies.”

Also as an FYI, SDSU is part of the California State University system, and has the same a-g requirements.

Now for your question. 6-7 APs will likely be too many given the hidden class, “College Applications & Essays.”

I’ll refrain from commenting on the wisdom of applying to all the schools on your list given your test scores because that has been covered to death on your earlier thread:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2111517-weird-academic-record-chances-at-elite-schools.html#latest

4

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1995563-faq-high-school-college-prep-base-curriculum.html

“I am planning to apply to nearly all of the top 50 schools in North America (with the exception of UC schools because of online science credits not counting).”

Most of us readers aren’t going to get past THAT. The majority of kids don’t even apply to 15 or 20. Some posters on these boards think that if you have to go over 6, you’re not doing enough research.

Scholarships for international students (whether or not you attend an American school) are few and far between, so you will likely be full price at most (if not all) of the American schools on that list. It costs about $50-$90 per school to apply to each of these schools. Plus there is a $12 per college cost to send SAT scores. They don’t all accept the common app, and even if they did, you have to write a sincere and thoughtful essay for each school on why you want to go there. With seven AP classes in the line-up, you’re in for a rough ride.

The link at the top should help you with class selection.

5

@Groundwork2022

It’s like throwing a Hail Mary in football-- I don’t have anything to lose from applying to these schools, and everything to gain. Sure I won’t likely to be admitted to any of these schools, but it only takes one to potentially change my life. I don’t really care about the cost of applying nor do I mind the lack of research. I have a list of schools which I have done extensive research on, but I’m still going to apply to the ones which I haven’t. If I get accepted then I will do a lot of research and tours to see if it is the right fit for me.

As for the tuition and scholarships, I am aware… thank you regardless!

The reason I wanted to make a specific thread is that the last time I made a thread, I learned about things that weren’t on that list (calc is extremely important for my major, American History is necessary for most colleges on my list, etc.).

I have catered to the list you’ve mentioned, but I would appreciate a more personal review as there are some things which I probably missed!

The seven AP Classes seems like a lot, but AP Micro/Macroeconomics are essentially one course, AP CS is relatively easy and low-effort, and I likely won’t take AP Stats.

Thank you for all the help! I would appreciate any course-specific tips for my plan (is American History necessary? Should I be taking Calc AC or BC for my major? Is there any courses that would help my admissions to these schools? etc.).

6

7 AP’s in the senior year with a busy summer before the school year (2 credit courses) is very hectic IMO - especially with your plans to apply to so many schools.

In terms of course requirements - CDS for each college is the best resource. It’s tedious to check all the colleges - but that is the best/sure shot confirmation. Having said that, a general info I received is to have this set of courses thru high school to cover “most” colleges:

  1. 4 years of English (one course every year) - with at least one of the two AP’s (or both) to show the rigor.
  2. 3 years of Foreign Language - note some T-50 colleges require/recommend 4 years of Foreign Language - many students start taking fl in middle school and continue it in high school to show 4 years of fl - which maybe best. In your case max possible is 3 years - it may eliminate some colleges (checking cds is the only option to confirm).
  3. 4 years of Math and I would say 4 years of Science - as you are targeting CS - with 2 or 3 AP’s.
  4. 4 years of Social studies with US History and World History - with 1 or 2 AP’s
  5. some combination of electives micro/macro/stats/psych/cs etc - with 1 or 2 AP’s
  6. courses in physical ed, health, art (as per hs grad requirement)

For the rigor, taking 7-8 total AP’s is good - anything more is icing on the cake (some say don’t over do it). By this general advice, think you are mostly covered except for FL; though there is too much load in the final year.

7

Figure out a way to fit in French III. AP stats is unnecessary. You will be plenty busy with your other APs.

I’m with @Groundwork2022 - applying to 50 schools is not a good strategy. Most of these schools will have a number of supplemental essays. My daughter applied to 8 schools and had to write 19 essays. I honestly don’t think you can do a good job on your applications if you are trying to crank out that many.

Also, there is no way that all these schools are going to be a good match for you. You say you want to do CS - If you are wanting top programs, Carnegie Mellon, GT, UIUC, Purdue, and schools like that should be on your list.

Saying “all ivies” makes it seem like you haven’t done your homework and just prestige hunting. This is not a good strategy for choosing a college.

Look at which schools have solid CS programs. Look at if they are direct admit or FYE. Do you want a city or a rural setting? Large or small?

Also be aware that there is very little merit money at the big state schools. Can your family afford US tuition? As an international student, you will likely be full pay.

Lastly, do not look at the general acceptance rates for schools - CS programs are much more competitive than many school’s general stats. Your list is incredibly reach heavy.

I would really encourage you to rethink your strategy of applying to so many schools.

8

American history is necessary for US applicants; in fact it’s an almost-universal HS graduation requirement. No college will expect a non-US citizen residing outside the US to have USH. For colleges, you will need 3-4 years of history/social sciences. Which does beg the question: Are you fulfilling the requirements for a HS diploma since I see neither USH nor Canadian history?

9

@skieurope

Thank you for the comment!

Oh okay, that makes sense. I’ll spend a day saving all the CDSs of my list.

I’m still so surprised why colleges care about foreign language. In a time where you can put a hundred dollar earbud in your ear and communicate with anyone from any language, it seems extremely redundant, especially when considering that time could be spent on so many other more important courses such as the language of the future, Computer Science. Regardless, I’ll be sure to try and complete 3 years! Thank you for the advice.

Thank you for the advice on the courses, I’ll cancel the AP Stats course. Apart from that, I think I will be fine! I really enjoy computer science so I don’t really put that in the same ballpark as the other main courses.

As for my college list, this one is actually far different than before, but I understand why you’d want to refrain from commenting. I’m not looking for college list help at this time, but I’d still love to hear anything that could potentially save me from any future problems. I decided that the standard list of the reach, safeties, dreams, and probable schools aren’t really my thing. I want to apply to all the top schools simply because I can afford to and then will have a few more focused schools to aim for.

Wait, SDSU won’t accept my online science labs? That’s really disappointing as I toured there and really enjoyed the campus. Thank you very much for the information! That’s why I come here!!

10

@momofsenior1 @Groundwork2022

Alright, I’ll rework my list!! Thank you for the help on that. I’ll work on that list after I’m done with my courses. I didn’t realize there were so many essays involved, there is no way I’d be able to complete nearly a hundred essays, haha!

I didn’t plan on all the schools to be a good fit, I just figured I’d check out the few schools I might have gotten accepted to and then go on from there. I’ll be sure to check more CS focussed schools, although I should note that I chose these schools because I would likely change my major depending on where I ended up. Also, I wanted to focus on states that I would enjoy living in-- education is important to me but I want to feel comfortable with where I live for those 4 years.

I’m not really prestige hunting, but rather know that these schools have a fantastic education. I figured that I’d apply just to see if I get in. My thinking was “I’ll never know when a school is looking for someone like me. May as well apply to the top schools.”

Thank you! I’ll readjust my schools.

@skieurope

That is honestly so great to hear. History is my least favorite subject so if I can sub it with AP Micro/Macroeconomics I’d be really happy. I’ll check to make sure, but I don’t think any history is required for graduation. I did take World History if that applies.

So if I cut AP Stats and finish 3 years of French, will I be looking good to fulfill most college requirements/recommendations? Anyone have any tips or suggestions for courses?

Thank you all!!! Can’t tell you how much this means to me. I was truly lost in the process before joining these forums.
Have a great weekend everyone