Hello, it is now time to begin selecting courses for senior year, so I was wondering if this schedule would be impressive for a student pursuing Business schools such as UPENN (first choice), Michigan University – Ann Arbor, NYU, MIT, and University of California, Berkeley.
So my schedule is as follows:
-AP Macroeconomics/Government Honors (must go together for a full year-course)
-AP Calculus BC
-AP Statistics
-AP Literature
-AP Environmental Science
-Full Year Study Hall (Opinion? – Will this be looked down upon by these very selective colleges?)
-Spanish 3 (There is no Honors option) (I am in my 3rd year of Spanish)
-Physical Education/Study Hall (Alternate day to day – necessary to graduate).
*Since I moved in Junior Year to a different school in a different state, I am now forced to take Spanish for two additional years to graduate (my other school did not require this).
The schedule looks strong and a study hall would not hurt you. If you have concerns, check with your guidance counselor and ask if they will mark your schedule as “most rigorous”. Top colleges will look for this along with a strong GPA.
AP stat and AP env sci are easy enough so I would take some real class instead of study hall. Maybe not an AP but something easy and useful like finance or something
Finance, econ, accounting, or business are good options. If you are strong in math AP Comp Sci would be another option. Good luck!
Have you taken all three of biology, chemistry, and physics? Can you take AP physics 1 or 2? Wharton will want to see evidence of strong quantitative skills and physics shows that better than either statistics or apes.
Can you take something else than a study hall to complement physical education? Even a fun, easy class like Personal Finance would be better than a second study hall.
I would replace AP stats with AP CS principles or AP CS programming.
Having Spanish 3-4 is indeed important and expected.
Note that high school ‘finance’'Business ’ or 'accounting ’ classes are considered vocational and wouldn’t help with the caliber schools you’re aiming for.
An issue is likely the combination of apes, AP stats (2 AP lites), physical education/study hall, and another study hall, when you should have a stronger science, another strong class, physicao education and a fun class, at a minimum.
I have already taken Biology, Chemistry and am currently taking AP Physics B and most likely will receive an A in the class. However, I do not intend to take Physics C because I do not have an interest in Physics, and have been told that it is by no means necessary for me (striving towards Business school). Link to this discussion: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1959991-no-science-during-senior-year-concerns-p1.html?new=1.
Also, my school does not offer a large variety of AP’s (AP Computer Science would be a reach for me – have no experience at all). I decided to take AP Environmental Science for the sake of a 4th year science and AP Statistics over College Accounting. I am hesitant to replace my everyday study hall with such a course load – would doing so make a big difference? Unfortunately, I could not take Spanish 2 in 10th grade and am now only able to take Spanish 3 in 12th grade. Will this significantly impact (or have any) impact (on) me in admissions?
Yes, you totally don’t need Physics C! You only need one unit of physics, so if you have it, you’re good.
Complete Spanish 3, you’ll be okay. Check out requirements as some colleges may want level 4 so make sure your gc specifies you couldn’t take Spanish 2 sophomore year due to a schedule conflict and can only reach Spanish 3.
Keep the every day study hall but perhaps plan a semester-long class to go with physical education?