Senior year schedule decisions

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hi, I’m about to finalize my senior year schedule and I wanted to know everyone’s thoughts, since there’s some concerns.

AP English Literature
AP Government and Politics
AP World History
Spanish III
Psychology/sociology (purely for graduation requirement)
Marching/symphonic band (EC commitment)
Gym (state requirement)

I plan on studying politics/int’l relations. My guidance counselor wants me to take a math (financial algebra), but math is by farrrrrr my worst subject (84/B in Geometry, 80/C in Alg 2, currently at an approx. 82/C average in Statistics) and I don’t think it’s worthwhile, since I have no plans to major in anything close to it.

However, I’m aware it could work against me (me vs. an applicant who took 4 yrs of math) so I’m curious if people think it’s worthwhile to have that extra AP class (I’d be switching out AP World for financial algebra) or to take the math course.

[If this is in the wrong subforum I apologize!]

2

You should definitely take a math…

  1. Does your state require 4 years of math
  2. Why limit yourself to colleges that dont’ require 4 years of math?
  3. It is okay to have a B in math

Yes, swap out AP Gov or AP world history for a math.

I also notice you dont’ have a science. have you taken Bio, Chem and Physics?

3

@bopper

  1. No, it requires 3, but recommends 4.
  2. Most colleges I’m looking at only require 3, but I’ll have to look at it further.
  3. My main concern is the trend of C’s from soph/junior year that will probably carry into senior year

I’ve taken bio, chem, and AP environmental science. I opted out of physics because of my poor math skills

4

Political science will need quantitative skill for such things as analysis of elections and polls. Also, many colleges have a math or quantitative reasoning general education requirement. Check these general education and political science major requirements for the colleges you may be interested in.

5

Could you take AP stats? It’s the most useful math class for your major and since you already took regular statistics you should have some background to help you.
Can you take psychology/sociology online over the summer? Or is there a physical education class you can take over the summer?

6

@MYOS1634 No, I’m actually planning on doing a finance course over the summer because I need it to graduate and it wasn’t fitting in my schedule (having band as an elective ever year can sometimes be disadvantageous).

AP stats is being offered for the first time at my school next year by my current stats teacher. I’d definitely consider it but her teaching style isn’t the best (for me) and there’s no way I wouldn’t struggle (as I already am in honors stats).

Alg 2 is definitely harder than stats though so I think that’s why I’m so nervous to take financial algebra (I don’t know much about the course either)

Alternatively, I’ve also considered taking AP macro. My school considers it a history course but I’m not sure if colleges could see it differently and consider it a math? Also, if I took it, it’d fulfill my finance requirement too and I wouldn’t need to take one over the summer

7

AP macro is a social science course (economics).
Look at the curriculum for AP stats (it’s online) and compare to financial
How can your high school require all three sociology, psychology, and financial literacy??
Are you sure AP world doesn’t cover the socio science requirement for your HS graduation?

8

Do you think it’d work against me then and I’d be better to take something like AP stats?

9

Yes, 4 years of math would put you in a much better position than 3. Taking 2 history/social science AP courses vs. 1 would not make up that difference, imho.

10

AP stats > sociology & psychology.
Math is a core. Sociology & psychology are electives in social science and you already have 2 APs in social science.
Is AP gov full year (US + comparative) or one semester (US only)?

11

It’s full year.

AP Gov is a HIS (history); AP World is a HIS; psychology/sociology is a CCS (consumer science)

My other options for a CCS are:
Law/economics
Criminal justice
AP macro

The reasons I stray from the first two is because the tend to be very easy, non-challenging courses and filled with distracting students.

My two remaining requirements to graduate are CCS and FL (financial literacy, hence the summer course)

12

Would AP Macro cover what you need for CCS?
Could you take gym and Financial Literacy over the summer?

13

Yes.

I couldn’t take gym over the summer but FL I could as long as it’s being offered.

14

The normal path for math is algebra one, then geometry, then algebra 2, then precalculus. It looks like you’ve gotten through algebra 2, so you should definitely take precalculus if it is offered to you (which it should be).

15

@nomood It is, but my math skills are so poor that I opted to take statistics instead. I would fail precalculus especially with the course load I plan on having

16

What are the colleges you are considering?

17

Honestly, precalc is really not that hard. It’s like algebra 2.1 - the jump from algebra 2 to precalc is minor. But if you are sure about not taking precalc, you need to look at the colleges that you want to apply to and see their requirement for math and make sure that you’re not accidentally limiting your options.

18

I second (or third) looking over the admission requirements for any schools you might be interested in. DS is applying to just a mid-sized regional school, not an elite college by any means, and it requires 4 years of high school math.

19

Statistics is okay(AP statistics if you got a B in algebra2) instead of Precalculus for students with lower math skills but you do need a math class.

20

Won’t AP stats cover a lot of what you are doing now in Honors stats? Is there another non-honors non-AP math course you could take?