I am going to be a senior next year and we are currently registering for courses. I am not sure which courses would be best to take for my last year of high school. I am looking to apply to colleges that are pretty competitive, such as Boston University, Tufts, UConn, and Boston College. I am leaning towards being a biology major. Below are my courses year by year.
Freshman Year:
-World Geography
-Spanish 2
-English 9 Honors
-Physics First Honors
-Algebra 2 Honors
-Advanced Concepts in Technology
Sophomore Year:
-AP European History (3)
-Spanish 3
-English 10 Honors
-Pre-AP Chemistry Honors
-Geometry Honors
-AP Statistics (4)
Junior Year:
-US History Honors
-Spanish 4
-AP English Language
-AP Biology
-Pre-AP Calculus Honors
-Web Page Development
Now for senior year. Here is what I know I am taking:
-AP English Literature (1 credit)
-AP Chemistry (1 credit)
-Gym (.5 credit)
And here is what I am deciding between:
-Spanish 5, AP Spanish, or no Spanish at all (both 1 credit)
-AP Calculus AB (1 credit) or AP Calculus BC (2 credits)
-AP Environmental Science (1 credit)
-AP Psychology (1 credit)
-Want to take Economics, Renewable Energy, and JAVA if I have room (each .5 credit)
I am also taking a Physics college course over the summer since I do not have room for that in my schedule. I have room for 7 credits in total. What combination of these classes would be best?
HI Rebecca,
My son is a senior and he had all the same choices to make last year. Here’s what I learned:
Spanish - AP for sure. Schools like to see you’re serious about learning another language and it will help you in the job market. My son is at a competitive HS, and he has found that AP is actually a little easier than Spanish 4 was. It’s less memorization and more conversation. Many states now have a Seal of Biliteracy program where you test and are determined to be fairly fluent. Good on your resume. http://sealofbiliteracy.org/
AP Enviro vs Psych - many others told him to take Psych. It was a good choice. Psych is actually a requirement for general ed at colleges, so you can test out of it with the AP exam. Environmental is not considered a “hard science” so you won’t usually get college credit. Check with the colleges to which you are considering applying. Many have a webpage that lists what your AP’s are good for. If you think Enviro would be fun, by all means go for it.
Also, AP Psych is one of the easier AP’s, since there are no prerequisites.
Calculus - depends on how much you like math. Also, see what other students say about the teachers, like is one better? Always go with the better teacher, even if it’s a more rigorous class. My son chose BC, and it moves super fast and the kids in the class are all very competitive. But he likes it.
Good luck. For sure challenge yourself, but try to take something you enjoy!
AP Spanish, AP Calc BC and AP Psych should be the main AP’s in your senior schedule along with AP English and Chemistry. Five APs will not only give you a solid foundation in college level work but will also give you a rigorous curriculum in the eyes of the adcoms.