<p>Son is a jr, and very interested in biology. Currently taking AP Physics C and AP Calc AB (and APUSH). He detests Spanish, and it is taught poorly in the HS (que lastima! Es una lengua mas practical!). How would he be viewed if he dropped his sr year of Spanish and took AP Chem and AP Bio instead? He will also take AP Gov (required), prob Eng IV H (good writer, but doesn't want too much stress with another AP), AP Calc BC vs AP Stats.</p>
<p>according to those on CC, taking AB then BC calc is a little bit of a waste…(the first half of BC is AB)…although, they also say that 3 years of FL are fine for all schools…</p>
<p>That being said, our HS also gives BC after AB and strongly encourages the 4th year of FL…(unless the student already completed Sp IV as a junior)…</p>
<p>Curious to hear more responses from others on CC…will probably tell you to take the double science and forget about the FL…(but IMO you could drop the BC calc and keep the FL…)</p>
<p>Most kids take AP Stats after Calc, but I’ve heard the course is a waste of time (I think Stats is extremely important, but maybe better at the true college level), so he will take that if not BC.</p>
<p>My S’s calc teacher (S took BC) also noted that AP Stats is rather a waste for a student with decent math skills. It’s not that taking Stats is a bad idea, it’s just more likely that the version of it in college will be better.</p>
<p>So, my junior S is taking an on line class in linear algebra, to go along with his AP Physics C and other classes. We’ll face the same issue next year. He went to a language immersion elementary school and so took AP Spanish Language as a sophomore and got a 5. He’s not taking AP Spanish Literature this year due to the need to fit in a visual/performing arts class (photography) this year to meet the UC requirements. And now he’s thinking he doesn’t want to take AP English Lit AND AP Spanish Lit next year. Sooo … who knows what will happen? Maybe he’ll do AP Chem and AP bio the same year, along with his on line class in multivariable calc.</p>
<p>It’s pretty clear at this point that his interests and skills fall into the math/science arena.</p>
<p>It depends on what level of Spanish he will have completed in his junior year.</p>
<p>If he will have completed Level 4 or higher, he should feel free to drop it. No college requires language beyond Level 4 for admission, and only a very few will require that he take more of it in order to graduate (and given the poor teaching of it at your high school, if he does have to take it in college, he might want to repeat a level before going on).</p>
<p>If he will have completed only Level 3, though, he might be wise to continue. Some colleges prefer that students complete foreign language through Level 4.</p>
<p>He will have level 4, and has 0 interest in AP Spanish. He knows most colleges will require a language, but he is willing to pick up a new language- considering Portuguese, which is handy for New England, I guess.</p>
<p>Since he’s had 4 years of Spanish he’s fine. It’s not that taking BC is so bad, it’s just that many schools offer BC straight out of pre-calc, so it’s hard for us to imagine how you could stretch BC out for a whole year when you’ve already had two thirds of the material in AB. However many schools will give you two semesters of credit if you’ve completed BC and may or may not give credit for statistics. Statistics is a useful course however, even if it’s more complete at the college level. Taking both AP Chem and AP Bio should keep him busy.</p>
<p>Ditto the OK here as long as he has had Level 4 - my D had to drop Latin to double up on AP Bio and Physics this year, but she had the four years from 7th grade to junior year (7th and 8th counts as the first year and is on the HS transcript). Depending on the college though a language test may be required for placement, particularly those with a language requirement, so you may want to take that into account.</p>
<p>Consider the long range implications. Many colleges/degree programs require demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language. High scores on the AP Lang/Lit tests will usually suffice, but at some schools a high SAT II score will also meet this requirement. If he doesn’t want to continue taking Spanish in college, it may be worth his time and effort to study up for the SAT II in Spanish to try to get a qualifying score on the June test or even studying over the summer for the first Fall SAT II. It will be even harder to pick up the language (or pass the college placement test ) frosh year if he doesn’t take it Sr. year.</p>
<p>But I do understand the desire - daughter’s schedule was similar - Jr yr 4 APs (inc Span Lang) plus 2 honors. She’s not taking AP Span Lit Sr. year and I don’t blame her (4 other APs plus college level math).</p>
<p>I disagree with Andorra409 about the SAT Spanish Subject Test.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s valuable for placement, but the college might also consider it in admissions. Scores on this particular subject test tend to run low, perhaps because many native speakers take the test and their presence affects the curve.</p>
<p>You say that Spanish is not taught well at your son’s high school. I don’t think he can anticipate getting a Spanish Subject Test score that is as high as he would get in other subjects.</p>
<p>Moreover, if he doesn’t take Spanish for a year, he will lose some of his proficiency in the language. If he is then placed in a college Spanish class on the basis of his year-old SAT Subject Test score, he could find himself in over his head. He might be better off taking the college’s Spanish placement test when he gets there.</p>
<p>He has no desire to continue with Spanish. Obviously, he might find out that this is a mistake if he ends up in the medical profession. He wants to start a new language in college. For some reason, he wants to take Portuguese (he has been to Portugal), which is similar to Spanish, albeit a prettier, softer language.</p>
<p>I think for kids in the class of 2010 they’ll be able to use score choice and be able to not send a language SAT2 to colleges. I haven’t read the fine print on just when and how it kicks in however.</p>
<p>if he does not like Span drop it since he’s completed 4 years, correct. Just one caveat, however, as more and more colleges require a language competency for graduation, the AP level in HS could mean he complies with the college requirement.) The Subject Test is not easy for non-native speakers, so it would not be recommended for someone with a poor teacher or someone not taking AP Span. Note, your S could take the subject test late in senior year (when it won’t count for admissions) and, depending on the college, still pass out of the language requirement with a good score. All, of course, pending on the new score choice rules.</p>
<p>Stats is a great course, and is highly recommended for any and all, but the analytical ability to do well is only Alg 1. Thus, BC is a no-brainer to complete the sequence. Yes, the two-year AB/BC sequence takes the twice the time as is offered at many high schools, but adcoms will see that the two-year sequence is typical of your school, so it won’t be held against him. The other option is to double math: BC + Stats.</p>
<p>Findaplace: a 5 on the AP Language test is good-to-go for any college, particularly the UCs.</p>
<p>I agree with most of the other posters: </p>
<p>If he has completed Spanish IV, that’s all he needs to meet the admissions requirements at every college in the country. So if he has no interest in it, he should not bother taking Spanish in his senior year. If there is a foreign language requirement at the school he ends up attending, there is still a chance he could demonstrate proficiency by passing that school’s placement test. (He could spend some time reviewing and practicing before he takes the test.) If not, he would certainly have to take just a semester or two of Spanish to complete his requirement, or he could just start all over with another language like Portugese.</p>
<p>I would also advise your son to take AP Calc BC rather than AP Statistics. Because statistics really doesn’t require any advanced math, many colleges do not give any credit for AP Statistics and/or will not count it as satisfying their core requirement in math. Also, if he plans to major in biology or another physical science, he’ll need to complete the full calc sequence anyway and it’s best to get a head start now. He should do very well in the calc class since he already has more than half the subject matter covered in his Calc AB class.</p>
<p>ooops, misread earlier post.</p>
<p>At my son’s HS, a student needs an A to get into AP CalcBC. He had a 91 average- B- so was recommended only for AB. Although BC might be some review, he would get credit for Calc if he did OK on the AP exam. Many colleges give nothing to very little for AB.</p>