Should I Change My Schedule To Become More Competitive?

<p>Hello everyone, I am sure you are tired of schedule concerns but I am in desperate need of assistance.</p>

<p>I am going to be a junior next year and I really want to impress the colleges I am applying to. My school only offers 5, face-to-face AP's. My schedule right now is hard but I don't feel it is hard enough. I will be ranked first but I am only taking two AP's due to the nature of my school's AP schedule.
Here is what I originally signed up for (my school runs a block-schedule) :</p>

<p>1st Semester</p>

<ol>
<li>AP Biology (yearlong two-course sequence)</li>
<li>AP English Lang. (yearlong two-course sequence)</li>
<li>Honors US History (mandatory)</li>
<li>Honors Physics (no AP)</li>
</ol>

<p>2nd Semester</p>

<ol>
<li>AP Biology</li>
<li>AP English Lang</li>
<li>Honors Psychology Online
4 .Honors Pre Calculus </li>
</ol>

<p>Since we run a block schedule (4 classes a day), it is very hard to "load up" on AP's.</p>

<p>Here is another option with more AP's:</p>

<p>1st Semester</p>

<ol>
<li>AP Biology </li>
<li>AP English Lang</li>
<li>Honors US History </li>
<li>AP Psychology/ AP Statistics Online (alternate days on a A/B schedule since they are online)</li>
</ol>

<p>2nd Semester </p>

<ol>
<li>AP Biology</li>
<li>AP English Lang.</li>
<li>AP Psychology/ AP Statistics</li>
<li>Honors Pre Calculus</li>
</ol>

<p>So what option should I choose? If I pick option 2, then I won't be able to take Honors Physics since my school offers this course every other year. Do you think I desperately need Physics before college???? And pertaining to the AP's, AP Biology and AP English are year long and everyday while the two online AP's are yearlong but every other day. </p>

<ul>
<li>I want to go to Chapel Hill or Wake Forest if that helps.
Thank you very much for the help! :)</li>
</ul>

<p>I’m a rising junior as well, so I don’t know if my advice would help at all. But if you want to be valedictorian, take option 2. If I were you, I would do option 2. At my school, that schedule is pretty average, but I go to a VERY competitive school. </p>

<p>I would go for option 2. I don’t think physics is THAT important.</p>

<p>actualy, i disagree with bluedevil(but I’m a freshman, so my advice probably isn’t top notch). the ap’s you listed in option II in place of physics are all considered “jokes” generally(doesn’t mean they are easy, but easier than other AP’s). physics honors, on the other hand, is often considered a very challenging class, and colleges will know that. In fact, I would actually call option I more “competitive”. I would go with physics.</p>

<p>^ I somewhat agree. The APs aren’t super hard, but I wouldn’t call them “jokes”. Like I said, to be vale, option 2. For more challenging… honestly, both seem equivalent. Physics is tough, so are APs.</p>

<p>Just go with option #1, take physics!!! Physics looks better in your application ;)</p>

<p>Ah okay. I will be in first place with either schedule, so option two would put me WAY ahead GPA wise. I want to major in Radiation Oncology or Neurology so I dont know if Physics is that important for those majors. But do you think I can still get into Chapel Hill with option 1? And thank you!</p>

<p>Definitely go with option 1… the schedule could be harder, but I’m pretty sure colleges are supposed to take into account the context of your school. Especially if you’re 1st in class, you should be fine, in my opinion. I would choose option 1 because you need physics and the AP classes in option 2 aren’t really known for being difficult.</p>

<p>Man you are lucky that you can be number one with that schedule. I also live in NC and the school I go to has the number one student taking 7 AP’s as a sophomore…</p>

<p>Thanks to all of you that replied! I think option 1 is the right one for me and that I need a basis in Physics before college. </p>

<p>@1017bricksquad: I am taking the most difficult schedule out of anyone in my school next year. I’m betting you have 7 classes a day and go to a competitive high school, making 7 AP’s possible. We aren’t as fortunate at my school, only 3 AP’s are available to juniors (none to sophomores) and it is unheard of to take all 3 since that would fill 6 of our 8 classes. Running on a block-schedule makes it impossible to “load up” on AP’s.</p>

<p>We have 4 classes a day block scheduling… 7 AP’s a day is harder lol…</p>

<p>Oh my bad… do you run them on an A/B schedule? Taking 4 AP’s at my school would fill up our whole schedule.</p>

<p>Its just 4 classes a day each semester and the AP’s are semester long (most of them). AP sciences, Ap biology and Ap chemistry and Ap physics are yearlong. Ap sciences are weighted as an Ap 1st semester, then weighted as an honors class 2nd semester</p>

<p>@1017bricksquad: Oh that explains it. All of our AP’s except online ones are yearlong courses. The first semester is honors and the second is AP.</p>