<p>I'm curious what high school seniors are taking as they try to make their last big splash before most colleges make their accept/reject decisions.</p>
<p>My son's schedule was just finalized yesterday:</p>
<p>Microbiology
Multivariable Calculus (basically Calc BC)
Speech
AP Chem
Organic Chem
English Comp</p>
<p>At the end of the year he'll be taking the AP tests in Calc BC and Chem.</p>
<p>English is a concurrent credit course with the local State U, so whether he takes the AP English test depends on where he decides to go to college; if he stays in-state, it will be moot.</p>
<p>Speech is a blowoff (we've heard) that may not look great on his transcript, but our state requires it for graduation. Meh.</p>
<p>As long as your son has completed sufficient courses in social studies and foreign language prior to senior year, his schedule looks fine – and it’s obviously suited to the tastes of a student whose main focus is science and math.</p>
<p>In most schools that I know of, though, AP Chem would be a prerequisite for organic chemistry, and BC Calculus and multivariable calculus would be distinctly different courses. But perhaps your son’s school organizes its courses in an unusual way.</p>
<p>Your son is lucky to have so many special-interest electives, such as multivariable calculus and microbiology, available to him.</p>
<p>It’s been a while, but if I remember correctly, my son, who planned to major in computer science, had a senior year schedule something like this:</p>
<p>Honors English
AP AB Calculus
Physics
AP Computer Science
Digital Art
Sociology
One period spent as an aide for a Preengineering course that he had taken previously</p>
<p>My daughter, who was an IB diploma candidate, planned to major in economics, and had completed BC Calculus and AP Spanish as a junior, had a senior year schedule that looked like this:</p>
<p>IB HL English 2
IB HL History (Europe) 2
IB HL Music
IB SL Environmental Systems
IB Theory of Knowledge (1/2 year)
Law (1/2 year)
AP Economics
Symphonic Band</p>
<p>Like your son, each of my kids had senior year schedules that may have differed from the standard high school schedule but fit their own needs and interests.</p>
<p>We’ll have to see how scheduling works out, but the plan was this:</p>
<p>English (up in the air as to whether he’ll do an elective or honors)
AP Euro
AP Calc BC
AP Stats
AP Physics C
Regular Orchestra
Special program orchestra (meets before regular school every other day)
Health/Gym on alternating days - he’s signed up for CPR as part of this</p>
<p>I’m not quite sure how a kid who’s primary interest is history signed up for so much math based stuff! He’s not doing a foreign language having struggled through Latin 4 last year.</p>
<p>AP Calc AB (not BC because D is afraid of doing both that and Music Theory)
AP Music Theory (supposed to be the hardest AP the school offers)
AP Euro
AP Lit
Play Directing
Honors French 5</p>
<p>Astute observations! I said Multivariable is “basically” Calc BC, but as you note, they’re not really the same. The way they’re structured at my son’s school, however, there is enough overlap that students who complete Multivariable typically take the Calc BC exam afterward. And as for chemistry, they’re making an exception to the prerequisite requirement because of his performance in the Chemistry Olympiad last year. He tied for first in his school with students who had already completed AP Chem, so they’re giving him the benefit of the doubt. We’re thankful for their flexibility, but it will certainly be a challenge.</p>
<p>Hmm, I just noticed I only listed 6 classes and I know it’s 7. I just can’t remember what else she’s taking…</p>
<p>Oh yeah…Honors Physics.</p>
<p>Oops.</p>
<p>Just saw your post, m.s.
The answer is “I don’t know” They actually offer an AP French class the level after this one, but I have no idea what the curriculum is in either class. I suppose closer to AP test time, D can see if it is worth self-studying.</p>
<p>What is the “Lit” required for AP French? Are we talking “Le Petit Prince” or Zola?</p>
<p>Not to get off topic mantori.suzuki but AP Chem and Organic should prove to be very different content wise- my D had AP as a sophomore and organic as a junior and did not find much overlap.</p>
<p>LOL! My S told me at lunch about the senior boys plan for next year’s summer train trip across the country to the right coast. So I’m WAAAAAAAAAAY beyond schedules.</p>
<p>Oh, all right. Here’s what DS will be up to:</p>
<p>Multivariable Calculus (following the Linear Algebra from this year)
AP Chemistry (took AP Physics C last year)
AP Macroeconomics/US Govt
AP English Lit
Team Aquatics
Open period (perhaps continue research from summer work)</p>
<p>I don’t see how this is especially helpful except to toot a horn perhaps. I don’ t think there is a parent on CC that doesn’t care about what a kid studies, but just listing a schedule does seem a bit irrelevant, except to point out how advanced a student is. Some schools have a lot of AP options and some don’t. And it is true that you will want to take the most rigorous course of study a school offers. But if I learned anything this past year it’s that even the most accomplished “students” don’t make the cut at the most prestigious colleges and universities.</p>
<p>A few things to remember:</p>
<p>Perhaps more important than the senior year is the junior year where you have a final grade (and year-long composite gpa) for colleges to view.</p>
<p>If you apply ED anywhere, what you have on your schedule is fairly irrelevant because they will only see either the 1st quarter grades or maybe the first trimester before December 15 (ED usually announced).</p>
<p>AP exams (unless taken jr year) are also irrelevant for admission, although they are nice if you get 4&5’s so you can maybe have a few credits and/or advanced placement in the curriculum. A lot of schools won’t accept them in lieu of prerequisites or as credits if the subject becomes your major.</p>
<p>But I guess this begs the question, while we can agree it’s worth caring about a kids education, what exactly is the point your driving at here?</p>
<p>I thought the thread was interesting because 12th grade is often the first opportunity that a young person has to choose courses primarily on the basis of personal interest. Most of the courses required for graduation and college admission are usually completed by this point, so there’s often a lot of flexibility in course choices – provided that the school has an interesting variety of electives.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t be able to tell much about a person by what they study in 9th or 10th grade, but many of these 12th grade schedules tell you a lot about the students’ interests and preferences.</p>