<p>I am a rising senior and am still deliberating on my schedule for summer classes at UCLA and for this upcoming school year. My mom is upping my level on the stressometer by trying to push me into taking AP Calculus BC at school or a calculus class that would start next Monday at UCLA and would be for dual enrollment credit. I'm already enrolled in two classes for the summer session and that's the maximum UCLA permits for high school students without special permission. I'd either have to drop one of my classes or submit a petition to the unit cap to be able to take a third class. I'm working at my dance studio 30 hours a week this summer teaching classes and choreographing dances for the upcoming year. I also want to have some free time to just ENJOY being sixteen and spend time with friends who've graduated and will be leaving for college in August, and with my boyfriend. I don't want to cram obligations into every minute. She thought I was going to take AP Calculus this upcoming year and is not pressuring me to take the UCLA class.</p>
<p>The math classes I've taken in high school are: Algebra II with Trigonometry Honors (9th), Precalculus Honors Accelerated (10th), and AP Statistics (11th). I'm taking AP Physics this upcoming school year and passed the proficiency test in Calculus for it. I took Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and Geometry in middle school. Those classes will not show up on the transcript I'll submit to colleges, but if the admissions committees look at the course descriptions for my math classes they'll see that all three were prerequisites for my 9th grade math class. I took the SAT Subject Test in Math 1 last fall and scored a 720. I'm going to take the Subject Test in Math 2 in October. I've only taken the SAT once thus far (fall of junior year) and earned a 2280, with a 680 in Math. I'm taking the ACT in September and retaking the SAT in October. </p>
<p>I go to an academically prestigious private school that is intense. Many colleges are aware of its reputation and its rigor; it's on Forbes' list of the top 20 prep schools in the US and has received other acclaim. I'm taking numerous Honors Seminars, which are the highest level of study in the academic discipline and require special permission. The science classes I'm taking might sound fluffy but are actually demanding. This is my class schedule right now, but I might change it: 1. Honors English Seminar; 2. Honors History Seminar: US Foreign Policy (fall), Honors Humanities Seminar (spring), 3. AP World History 4. Forensic Science (fall), Nanotechnology OR Honors Seminar in Evolution (spring)
5. AP Physics 6. Senior Thesis in Drawing and Painting (fall), Portfolio in Drawing and Painting (spring)
7. Psychology (fall), Regional Studies: Modern Middle East (spring).
I'm not taking a foreign language because I've taken the highest level French offered at my school after taking it every year from 7th through 11th. I received a 5 on the AP exam for French last year and did very well on the SAT Subject Test French with Listening, so I think that demonstrates fluency. I'm planning on submitting the arts supplement in dance and painting, so the art classes are important. I won't drop them. </p>
<p>My extracurriculars are solid. I've been a competitive dancer for ten years with national titles; I'm in the choir; I have been on the newspaper staff since 9th grade; I've played four sports, two at the varsity level; and am in several clubs. I was the president of my class in the 10th grade. My unweighted GPA is 4.0. My mom, sister, and brother are Stanford legacies, though I'm not positive if my mom counts because she went there for law school and not undergrad. </p>
<p>Do I really need to take Calculus? I've always done well in math, but it is by far THE most stressful subject for me. I feel like it's going to just crush me. I can't handle that much more than what I've already taken on. </p>