I am a junior right now. I just made my schedule for senior year which is currently
AP econ
AP pol/gov
honors physics II (no AP offered but i can opt to take the exam)
dual credit english
dual credit calculus
creative writing
philosphy (counts as an honors course)
I am thinking of changing my schedule next year to add AP bio instead of creative writing and one of my philosophies (creative writing and philosophy courses are semester classes). I would still be taking 2 half credits of philosophy along with AP bio.
I want to take AP bio so I can have a more rigorous schedule to get into universities such as Georgetown and Notre Dame, but I am caught between actually switching to 2 semesters of creative writing and a full year course, ceramics. I am taking Creative Writing and Ceramics I this year and I enjoy them, so next year I would be taking a higher level of these classes.
If you’re applying with an interest in the humanities, then take the writing and philosophy courses.
The only case where that would hurt you is if you’re applying to colleges and saying that you want to do a science/engineering, and then when they see your schedule they see “easier” classes and think you’re trying to have a soft senior year.
I would say follow your passions as you will have a much easier time explaining to college’s why you succeeded or didn’t. That being said your course load does look a bit light. Can you add at least one more AP? I noticed you have no language in there that could hurt you a bit as college’s like to see a language taken all years of high school unless you are exempt by your school.
Since you are taking physics and calculus, that seems adequate for STEM courses senior year. I am assuming you have already taken a biology course in high school.If so, AP Bio is not necessary unless you are interested in the subject, or plan to go into the sciences. If creative writing and ceramics are your passions, then go ahead and take them. Your senior year in high school should be challenging, but also what you want it to be.I believe being authentic to the person you are will land you where you will best thrive.
You have all your core classes covered, except for foreign language. Have you already reached Level 4 or AP?
If so, your schedule, as is *, is perfect.
If not, either replace creative writing with a foreign language, or one among your two AP Social Science classes ( AP econ, AP pol/gov)
Philosophy is an excellent class to have for a future humanities major, and creative writing would be good to work on the skills needed to write good personal essays.
I am taking mandarin Chinese and there are only 5 people in my class. I am in my third year of the class and three years are required at my school. Therefore, nobody else wants to take the class next year except me. Therefore, I cannot take a 4th year because there aren’t enough people to make a class (1 person class against school policy).
If I were you I would drop creative writing/philosophy since I see them as filler classes and take AP Bio and a study hall. What do you want to do in college? If you are more science interested then take AP Bio. If you really like those classes then take them, when college see that you take it, it makes you seem well-rounded…and your schedule looks hard. Anyways, you can lighten the load by taking a reg. Eng, and AP Bio. Ceramics? If you want to do it then find space in your schedule and think to yourself “Do I really want this? Do I really want to worry about [story, art project] being done? Am I going to enjoy this?” It is up to you with your own priorities on how you’ll make this decision.
Comput1: you may want to explain to all these students that if they’re aiming for Top 25 (or even top 50) universities and LACs, 4 years of a foreign language are expected. A non negligible number of students apply with two foreign language at a high level and most who could took to level 4 or AP (or IB). Stopping at Level 3 will place them at a disadvantage in college admissions if they’re aiming for top colleges.
And how well do you think they’ll do on the placement test in August before Freshman year, if they didn’t take the language senior year?
For instance, students often register that Yale has no foreign language admission requirement, and totally miss the paragraph below, which indicates Yale expects them to have 4 years of all 5 core courses (English, Math, Science, Social Science, Foreign Language.) Students also may not see that the “default” in college graduation requirement for foreign language is AP Foreign Language (with one track for those who took the AP exam and want to start a new language, one track for students who want to continue the foreign language where they went up to AP and didn’t score a 5, and one track for students who took the AP class&exam and scored a 5. There are 2 other tracks for students who don’t have that level of preparedness in the language. All of them have to take a placement test before they can register.) Unless they start a new language from scratch, they’ll be expected to reach post-AP level to graduate from Yale.
CougarCatClan: suggesting a study hall is a TERRIBLE idea. Colleges frown on students who take study halls unless those are mandatory - you’re given the opportunity to take a class and you choose not to, what does it tell them about your intellectual curiosity, ability to handle a complex schedule, time management skills, and drive?
As for philosophy o_O do you have any idea of how rare and hard it is to take such a class in High School? For a future Humanities or Social Studies major this is a must-do (pretty good for future premeds too and for anyone who intends on going to a Jesuit university where courses in philosophy and theology and mandatory) and much more distinguishing than AP Bio (especially for a student who’s already planning on Physics2, a class that rounds up the “3 core sciences” colleges want).
Your transcript will show that you’re a bright kid, and colleges will recognize that.
But it should also show that you’re not a cookie cutter student. Take the courses you enjoy. Anybody working in admissions can certainly see that you have a brain, that you’re taking these courses because you WANT to, and not because you have to. Interviews will show that you’re a well rounded person with interests and passions, not merely another transcript with every possible AP crammed in.
Follow your passions. TRUST ME. Senioritis will hit you like a truck when you are in the 2nd semester and you will still have to do just as much work as you did first quarter. Then, you face a drop off in grades. Your schedule is already more than rigorous. Take creative writing. Take art. Take music. Because the last thing you want to do is be one of those students coming on in the spring freaking out about whether or not your acceptance will be rescinded.
In fact, if I were you, I would dial down on the rigor. I would get rid of dual enrollment calculus and maybe drop philosophy too. Remember, it won’t be like this year when you are just going to be doing homework. Next year, you’re going to begin the application process. That means writing personal statements and supplements and making portfolios and doing a whole lot of extra work while maintaining your ECs. That will probably take up about 3-5 hrs per week if you’re applying to elite schools. So make sure you factor that in.
Now, there has been some talk about foreign language. If there aren’t enough students to take Mandarin to allow you to take a fourth year, that’s good! If the class isn’t being taught, the colleges will see it as you fulfilling your requirement and doing everything that you’re allowed to do. You won’t be penalized for that. That’s a blessing in disguise!
As a senior, I can speak to the true nature of senioritis. It’s especially bad once you actually start getting your acceptances.
Okay another thing to add about the language situation is that I am planning on continuing mandarin through self study and taking the subject test in November (let me point out that I am neither a native speaker nor am I asian). I also may go to a mandarin immersion camp over the summer, but probably ot since it interferes with another camp I’m already signed up for. I honestly have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have thought about either architecture or something relating to history archives (like working in a museum). My school rarely sends kids to top 25 schools anyway since I live in the deep south and the kids in my mandarin class are years younger than me taking the class for high school credit (i go to a school that is middle and high school combined), so these kids are starting another language for 4 years. I cannot convince them. Honestly, me even getting into a top 25 school is a long shot. My grades were bad for a bit but they are improving. I am not sure, but my gpa as of now is probably around 3.5 or 3.6 (don’t know with my school’s weighting) I am going to apply to a few of these schools though just to see if by some chance I do get in. Mostly though, I am looking at catholic colleges since I am heavily involved in my faith. I am looking at georgetown (reach), notre dame, boston college, holy cross, etc. Also, I have considered either a major or minor in theology.
Since you live in the Deep South, you have a hook (you’ll bring geographical diversity to most northeastern and midwestern colleges).
Have you checked Concordia LAnguage Village? It may not conflict with that other camp you’re interested in?
For what it’s worth, you may be interested in Fordham, UDayton, UScranton, St Louis University, USeattle, UPortland (both would have a large Asian population), but also, good for your stats, for languages, study abroad, and financial aid, check out St Olaf and Dickinson.
Finally, depending on your cost constraints, you’d have to check into the Critical Language Flagships for Chinese.