Will it look bad if my schedule takes a step down senior year?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>This year my schedule is:
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Environmental Science
AP Chemistry
AP United States History
AP Calculus AB</p>

<p>Next year, I'll be taking:
AP Physics
AP World History
AP Calculus BC
Gov/Econ
English 12
Spanish III</p>

<p>The problem is, I've already taken all of the AP classes my school has to offer, so that is the hardest schedule I can take. Will it look bad when applying to colleges that I have an easy schedule senior year?</p>

2

<p>No it won’t.</p>

3

<p>If it’s the hardest schedule you can take, colleges won’t look down on it. But if you’re really worried, you can take a class or two at your local community college.</p>

4

<p>I agree, try to take dual enrollment Gov/Econ and/or English at a local college. At least at my school, those classes are an absolute joke at the regular level, and even AP Gov and Econ aren’t known to be very rigorous.</p>

5

<p>Have your GC mention in your LOR that you have taken all APs offered at your school.</p>

6

<p>Apply EA. Your senior schedule won’t even matter.</p>

<p>But yeah your GC should put something along those lines in the GC report.</p>

7

<p>Even if you apply EA/ED, you’ll would still need to show your senior year schedule AND you may even need to submit your midterm grades.</p>

8

<p>Your senior schedule is fine - mine looked less strenuous, too.</p>

9

<p>For EA a mid year report is for deferred applicants and determining if an admit will be rescinded. I’m not sure if my EA schools wanted me to list my senior courses or not. </p>

<p>That said, your schedule is fine. It’s senior year, you can relax with the course selection. You’ll be thanking yourself in the spring.</p>

10

<p>

Not true. A lot of GCs automatically send in students’ mid semester, not mid year, grades to EA/ED schools. Some colleges even ask for them before they make their decisions.</p>

<p>You shouldn’t relax with your course selection for senior year, especially if you are applying to top tier schools. Adcoms also do not want to see you drop down to easier course load spring semester. Any change to your schedule adcoms need to be notified. </p>

<p>OP is fine with taking easier course load due to his school’s course offering. For most students, they should be taking the most rigorous courses senior year.</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>None of my schools received this. Not even Harvard or Yale EA ask for a mid semester report.</p>

12

<p>I think EA/ED schools only ask for your senior year class schedule, not your grades. You send in your first semester grades through the Mid year report.</p>

13

<p>Look at Harvard’s website, they request accepted SCEA students’ mid year and year end grades, other schools (like Cornell) do not do that. </p>

<p>I have been 2 college applications, both of my kids applied ED. I know what schools ask for and what were sent to them. Your senior grades matter.</p>

14

<p>??? Nobody is debating whether they ask for a mid-year report. You were talking about a mid-semester report.</p>

<p>The question is whether the mid-year report grades factor into the admissions decision.</p>

15

<p>I think we are going round and round here. So here it is.</p>

<p>Whether you are applying EA/ED or RD, you need to list what courses you are taking senior year, and you also can’t change your courses spring semester without notifying adcoms first.
Some EA/ED schools want to look at your fall mid semester grades, and some do not. Because so many adcoms care, GCs (especially private schools) would just automatically send in your mid-semester grades to adcoms.<br>
Even if mid semester grades are not required for EA/ED, if adcoms are on the fence about an applicant, they will request for mid semester grades to help with their decision.
Once an applicant is accepted, schools like Harvard may require mid year grades to make sure you are still on track.
Every accepted student is require to send in year end grades.</p>