Will this help my chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello all! I am facing a dilemma when choosing the classes to take next year (senior year). I will have a lot on my plate next fall. I will be taking 5 AP courses, training to run the NYC Marathon, and of course applying to colleges.

With this in mind, I am faced with a tough decision on wether or not to take Linear Algebra (fall) and Differential Equations (spring) at the local community college. I do enjoy math and don’t really worry about the actual course and balancing my schedule, I just dread not having a lot of fun senior year because of so many activities. Basically, I think it boils down to wether this will improve my chances when I am applying to schools.

My top 3 choices are:
Caltech (recruited swimmer)
Brown
Columbia
(I have safeties too, don’t worry! These are just my top choices)

Here is a little more information that may help determine if this is a worthwhile endeavor:
GPA: 4.0
Class Rank: 2/575
ACT: 33C (35E, 34M, 31R, 33S) I realize this is low especially for Caltech, but the swim coach said this wasn’t a deal breaker
SAT: Took in May. Expecting a higher score than ACT, but who knows
SAT II: M2:800 Chem:770

I will have 13 AP classes upon graduation.

Various EC’s with a focus in science (research in quantum chemistry, published paper, Google Science Fair, Marathoner, Triathlete etc…)

So in your opinion, would taking these classes help my chances or would they be trivial?

2

I think they’d be trivial. Your GPA is perfect and your ACT score is above Brown’s average 32 ACT score and is average for Columbia. Good SAT II scores also. You’re also already being recruited for Cal Tech and running a marathon is not something a lot of high schoolers do. I think it’s going to boil down to what makes you special. AKA what passions do you dedicate yourself to that other students don’t. Remember, these universities want to fill the class with “lopsided” students to make an all-around strong class.

3

Thank you for the opinion! And I’ll keep that in mind when applying.