Taking fewer classes but harder classes senior, will it look bad to colleges

Applying to College
1

I have always taken 7 classes every year at my high school.
However senior year I will be taking only 3 classes(2 AP classes, Calc AB and Physics A) at my highschool and leave middle of the day to take 1 class at a college (it will be a foreign language class not offered at my highschool).

Will it look bad?
The summer before senior year I will take Composition, Political Science, and Econ at the college which was necessary for me in order to leave high school mid day.

I can take up to 4 classes at my HS and still be able to leave school early to take the college class. Or I could sign up for additional courses at the college.

2

The only question that may arise is -why are you taking classes at a college?
If if is because you have already taken the most rigorous classes your HS offers,[ and your HS counselor will say this in his LOR’s to colleges], and you wish to further your education and continue challenge yourself, then relax.

3

@menloparkmom

I want to take Japanese in college and my high school doesn’t offer it.
Do I really have to ask my counselor to write my LOR when the AP/Honor courses are listed in the school profile? I’m not asking my HS counselor to write my LOR, she hates me lol.

I have took every AP/Honors course my HS has offered except for AP Art, AP Gov, AP Econ, and AP Lit.

4

only taking 3 classes (not including the college one) might look like you’re slacking senior year. colleges don’t know your reason for choosing to take only these classes and therefore might make an assumption that you’re slacking. cutting down from 7 to 4 classes seems a bit extreme to me. is there any way you could take at least 2 more classes at your high school?

5

@marie122
I can take as many college courses I want and up to 7 high school classes.

Yea, I agree looks like major senoritis.

I was thinking of 4 classes at my high school and 1 college courses, sound better? I’m not taking any electives.

6

Taking “fewer,” not “less” classes

7

@elleruthking

Yea, yea I know. Ironic because my English teacher last week commented how Walmart’s speed check out says 25 items or less.
Cut me some slack, it was 2 AM when I made this thread.

8

“I’m not asking my HS counselor to write my LOR, she hates me lol.”

Just a heads up, but you will be required to submit a LOR from your HS counselor…

9

@suzy100

Wow really, I thought you could have a teacher write one instead? What if you apply to a state school where they don’t take LOR? There are 600 students in the senior class. She would have to write 600 LOR??? I hope it won’t be bad. But if everyone has to submit a LOR from a GC, I won’t be scared to ask her then.

10

BOTH teachers AND your HS counselor have to submit LORs, but the counselor one is the most important, because she also submits a profile of your HS, and is asked to check “yes” if you have taken “the most rigorous classes offered” at your HS.
So you’d best add a lot more HS classes, including electives, and take japanese on the side if you want.

11

@menloparkmom

Oh no that makes me really nervous now if she will check the box. Is 4 classes enough for it to be most rigorous? Most other seniors at my school have a couple electives like Ceramics or Art or have study halls. Here are the classes I was going to take at my HS.

Environmental Science- All year
Etymology-first semester, Nutrition and Wellness- second semester
AP Calc AB- All year
AP Physics A- All year

12

"Is 4 classes enough for it to be most rigorous? "
NO.
ESPECIALLY because your transcript will show this:
"I have always taken 7 classes every year at my high school.
So IF your counselor will NOT confirm that you are taking College classes because you have ALREADY taken the most rigorous classes offered at your HS, then I STRONGLY suggest you add 2 -3 AP classes, [ if you have not already taken them, and if they are available]
I’d choose from among AP Gov, AP Macro/ MIcro , AP English Lang and a foreign lang. class, and drop the Environmental Science class.
One science class SR year is enough.
IF she will sign off, then I’d add additional classes to Get it up to at least 6 HS classes.
Ducking out of HS school 1/2 way through the day , to take ONE CLASS at a college, will not look good to any college, Unless there are no other AP classes that you can take.
Lets review what AP classes have you already taken- What did you take Jr year? What was your Jr year GPA?
And what is your overall GPA and SAT scores?

13

@menloparkmom
I actually had to talk to my GC last week in order to get permission to let me leave mid day to go to the university. So she knows, but I hope she won’t forget.
My HS doesn’t offer that many AP classes so that’s why I have to take classes at the university. The university sort has a partnership with my school. The nice thing is that these classes are weighted the same as APs since they are the same difficulty.
I can take more than 1 college class.
I got a 2360 on the SAT. My GPA is 3.7 which puts me in the top 4% of my class- inflated GPA…
Like I said my school doesn’t offer many AP classes but a lot of honors classes(which aren’t weighted).
There was only in total 3 AP courses offered from Freshmen year to Junior year. They were APUSH, AP World History, and AP Art. I took APUSH Jr. year and AP World History Soph. year. I don’t have the artistic ability to do AP Art.
Senior year the only AP courses left are AP Econ, AP Government, and AP Lit Comp.
I’m taking Fund of Econ, Intro to Amer Politics, and Reading, Writing, & Inquiry 1 at the university during the summer break before senior year. Surely these 3 college courses would be okay substitutes for the above AP courses I will miss?
I have took 6 out of the 7 honors courses offered at my HS. Only one left is Honors English 12 which I don’t need since I already have the 4 years of English. If it will really look better I could take it instead of Environmental Science or Etymology.

I can take more than 1 college class during the school year. I was thinking of taking Essentials Of Nutr along with the Japanese course. So that would be 2 college courses and 4 HS courses in total. Will that be enough? I’ll able to squeeze in maybe 2 more evening college course if necessary.

14

Most high schools don’t offer Japanese, but you’ll have the opportunity to take it once you go off to college. Have you considered waiting a year until you’ve entered college or taking Japanese during the summer and a regular course load during the school year?

Looking at your original post, you’re planning on taking three college classes over the summer. The summer semester is shorter than any other semester, so most people only take 1-2 classes and still have a lot of classwork and studying to do outside of class. You’re condensing what is normally taught over a semester into the span of two months (about half the length of a semester).

What about taking AP English Lit at your high school, so that you’d have 4 classes at high school + the language? You should really be aiming for at least 6 classes total as a high school student looking to go to college, so you could take just one class over the summer and get a part time job or something.

To put it in perspective: I take 5 classes per semester as a college student and took 7 classes each year during high school, and you’re considering taking 4 classes during your senior year.

At least you’ve realized that you need to add more classes. When thinking about taking college courses, remember to also consider whether the colleges you’re applying to would accept the credit. Check to see if they offer the same/very similar course.

15

@sungoose
Japanese isn’t offered in the summer at the college. I just really want to take Japanese plus the college is air conditioned unlike my 95 degree high school classrooms…

These summer classes are offered online from 29-JUN - 07-AUG.
I think you might be right 3 might be too much in the summer, I might reconsider dropping the Composition class and taking Honors English 12 at my HS instead.

If I take AP Lit I would have to drop either AP Calc or AP Physics. AP Lit is offered only in periods 5 and 7. AP Calc and AP Physics is also offered only in periods 5 and 7. I would have to give up one of these classes to take it.

16

Take Honors English and add one more class to your schedule, and you’ll be set. God luck in finding a balanced schedule. I had a scheduling conflict like that my junior year of high school. Sometimes it’s best to start with the core academic classes–Math, Science, English, and Social Studies, and take them all four years of high school. Good luck in finding a balanced schedule.

17

I’d advise you take AP physics, AP CAlc, AP Econ or AP Gov, honors English and either ES or Etymology. at your HS and call it a day. And skip the japanese until college.

There will be one additional task that you DO have give yourself enough time to do during the first Semester of your SR year, and that is the whole time consuming process of applying to COLLEGE. Many Srs , to their determent, do not give themselves enough time for this most important task , by scheduling an open class period. It is like a part time job and takes a lot more time than you think it will !

I’d start out by asking teachers for LORs now, or early, early in the school year. Research colleges and find financial safeties that your parents can afford to send you to. Check out FA calculators at different colleges. And have the money talk with your parents soon! Find out what they really can afford or will feel comfortable spending.
NOTHING is worse than getting in a college that you want to go to but find out too late that you cant afford it !!
There are lots of resources and very knowledgeable, and experienced parents here on CC who are here to help you.
Practice writing essays- look at the questions or prompts colleges have given this year or in the past and start finding you voice.
That is a much better use of your time this summer than taking college classes.

With your STATS and GPA, there are a lot of colleges that will pay YOU to go to college.
But only if you dont look like you are taking it easy your SR year .
5 classes should do the trick. Your HS counselor can mention, if necessary, the class conflicts prevented you from taking AP lIt in his LOR.
But taking 4 AP Classes your Sr year should make it easy for her to check “yes” that you took the most rigorous classes offered at your HS. Good Luck!

18

@menloparkmom

5 HS classes will be better than 4 HS classes with 2 or 3 college courses? I thought college courses are equivalent to AP courses in terms of rigor to colleges?

I’m already taken fundamentals of econ and Intro to Amer Politics in college, do I have to take AP Econ and AP Gov? The GC told me herself that these classes are substitutes for the Econ and Gov credit the school district requires. These classes probably cover the same material, maybe even more than the APs.

And I apologize if I’m starting to get annoying, I’m just really stressed right not trying to get into a good college. Thanks a lot for the help so far.

19

I’m not trying to make you more stressed, I hope you know that.
I’m trying to make sure you are getting the best advise.

You are clearly a very capable student and will do great in college.

“I’m taking Fund of Econ, Intro to Amer Politics, and Reading, Writing, & Inquiry 1 at the university during the summer break before senior year.”

Are these summer college classes and your grades going to appear on your HS transcript?
Ask your GC- Have other students in your district done this? Substitute SUMMER college classes for AP classes?
Where were they accepted to college?

“I thought college courses are equivalent to AP courses in terms of rigor to colleges?”

The fact that you WONT be able to take AP tests, which would validate to colleges that you did understood the content of these classes, and that they were AP equivalent classes ,until next May , is a concern. Perhaps taking SAT subject tests in the Fall can solve that issue.

“5 HS classes will be better than 4 HS classes with 2 or 3 college courses?”
HS classes last a full year, and college summer classes last only 6 weeks .

If you are not going to fill your Sr year with more rigorous classes, taken during the school year, or by doing something else, in addition to taking 4 classes, you will look like you are coasting. They are going to think- what else did you do with your time?
And may give the nod to a student who made better use of his time during his Sr year.
As currently planned, you will end up with a too light a schedule, in the eyes of most admissions officers, especially those at the best colleges.
For a highly capable student, That will not make a good impression.

I feel that the safer route for you is to either take additional year long AP classes that your HS offers, and knock them out of the ballpark. Or take a regular or online college level classes in addition to your 4 HS classes.

If you want to take college classes this summer to help prepare yourself for your Sr year classes, so much the better! There is no downside for showing a love of learning.

20

@menloparkmom
Yeah I know, and I appreciate the advice so far.

Yes they appear on my high school transcript and my college transcript that I could request. Yes they were accepted to colleges. These college classes are quite rigorous, obviously since it’s college.

“Or take a regular or online college level classes in addition to your 4 HS classes”

I will be taking 4 HS classes and 2 college classes(in the fall and spring) during the school year. Is that enough college classes to make up for the HS classes I missed or should I take even more college classes in addition to the 4 HS classes?