Back in April/May, I put together a schedule for my senior year that essentially was like this:
AP Lit
AP Calc
AP Environmental Science
AP Bio
Spanish V Honors
Study Hall (because AP Calc and AP Bio have three lab days total, and my guidance counselor “didn’t want to cut in on [my] lunch period”)
Gym
Lunch
Now I’d already taken two AP classes in my junior year (APUSH and AP Lang), and those two were alright enough, but I’d initially gone to guidance with three APs on my schedule instead of four. My guidance counselor wanted me to “beef up my schedule” and she convinced me to add another one on (AP Environmental is a non-lab class but still seems really interesting so I didn’t mind the idea of it). But, well, now I don’t think I want to have all four APs on my schedule.
Right now I’m considering dropping my AP Bio class and trying to replace it with either Bio II Honors or World Affairs Honors to lighten my load and also possibly shorten my school day. If I got rid of AP Bio (AND it’s two awful lab days) then I could also get rid of that study hall, and I could have the Calc lab during my lunch or gym period instead. Then, instead of staying through eight periods, I’d be there for six or seven (six only because if my lunch is at the end of my schedule, I can just leave).
I’m really only considering this because 1) I want to clear up my day so I have more time for volunteer service and a part-time job and 2) I really do not want to stick around my hotbox of a school for any longer than I have to.
I’m just SUPER concerned about seeming like I’m slacking off or trying to laze about. I have around a ~3.9 GPA and I only got a 2060 on my SATs, and I just. I’m lost. Can someone let me know if this is an okay idea or just slap some sense into me?
A 3.9 GPA and 2060 SAT are great. You should worry about that.
I’m still confused on APES. Do you want to take that class? It seems to me that your counselor just added it on a whim so that you could have another AP on your transcript (which she shouldn’t do). I think you should drop APES and then work from there.
Take Honors world affairs because top 50 schools will expect a social science senior year.
Then choose either Bio 2 honors or apes.
Do check with your guidance counselor whether she’ll check the 'most rigorous ’ box on her report, and if she says no, ask which class you’d need to add.
Focusing on activities where you make an impact is smart, BTW, but better if it’s a measurable impact.
4 years of social science aren’t required by a whole lot of colleges and one in OP’s senior year probably isn’t needed, especially if it isn’t the route they’re headed for. If OP can make up for a social science by taking a different class then I don’t think it should be a problem, but if they’re going in as Undecided or something of the sort then it might be good to take World Affairs.
Typically, top 50 universities and LACs expect 4 years each of English, social science, and science, plus level 3 or 4 or AP in foreign language and math up to pre-calculus or calculus.
While some variations are okay, cutting social science to take apes wouldn’t cut it.
By this point, I’ve mostly been looking at the differences between AP Bio and APES - AP Bio will inevitably cause my schedule to bulk up in periods and although I’ve heard good things about the class/its teacher, APES is lab-free and tends to go out on “field trips” for their mini-labs often, which sounds awesome. It’s also been known as more of a “teach yourself” class (to a level other APs aren’t, at least), and I always have more ease taking those kinds of classes.
As for the social science versus any-other-class thing, World Affairs seems like my best bet if only because my school isn’t really the greatest with our class selection… It’s actually pretty awful, but whatever.
Thank you guys so much for your help.
It sounds like you really want to take apes and world affairs. Go for it. 