Hello all. At the moment, I’m a Freshman who’s trying to get a grasp about his plan for future High School courses. In the end, my goal is to be accepted by a University such as Johns Hopkins, Columbia, UCSD or UW and major in Neuroscience & Behavior or Neurobiology.
My plan for my courseload is as follows:
• Sophomore Year: UWHS Pre-Calculus, Honors Chemistry, AP Physics I, AP World History, Honors English & AP Macro/Micro Economics
• Junior Year: AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Physics II, Standard (maybe AP?) US History, English 101 (taken at local Community College) & AP Psychology
• Senior Year: AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, UWHS Bio-118, AP Comparative Gov/Street Law, English 102 (also taken at local CC) & Cooking/Auto Mechanics I
As can be seen in Senior year, I have a period that is open to do an elective class or double up another subject, so I have chosen to fill that in with Cooking & Auto Mechanics I (both are a semester). Is this heavily looked down upon selective colleges, considering the fact that I could double up on another subject instead (like math, by going through my local CC)? If so, how much would it affect my chances of being admitted to any of the schools listed above?
It’s not looked down upon at all assuming that it is not at the expense of a core subject. The lack of a foreign language anywhere is more problematic.
@skieurope That’s good to hear. I plan on doing a couple of my other required classes such as PE and French online over the course of my summers in High School.
Make sure your school will allow you to count those summer classes. Many don’t allow students to take summer classes except to make up failures, or only allow classes taken with prior permission as part of a college program. Some also won’t allow you to do so to earn credit for required courses (PE is most likely required to graduate, and some schools also require foreign languages). Before you make grand plans, speak to your guidance counselor, or you might find yourself having to scrap your plans and fit those classes in Senior year, rather than the ones you plan.
@CTScoutmom Thanks! I have been working closely with my Counselor and Principal to make sure the programs are allowed by my District and luckily all of my plans have gotten approved!
Why do you have both AP biology and a college biology course senior year? Seems like any college biology course that is for biology majors either overlaps with AP biology or is a more advanced course that requires college general biology or AP biology as a prerequisite.
Also, have you already completed high school level 4 (or AP level or college equivalent) of a foreign language, since you have no foreign language courses listed in your proposed schedules?
Also, some universities want to see art courses in high school.
@ucbalumnus My bad. I should have elaborated on the need for both bio courses. The UWHS Bio-118 is actually a human physiology course, and because I would like to major in Neuroscience, I feel that it is crucial to have an understanding in it before I start college level, Neuroscience classes.
Furthermore, at my High School, a fine art includes Orchestra. This year, I’m taking Chamber and Concert Orchestra. Over the next three years, I’ll be continuing to do Chamber Orchestra as my zero period class.
Lastly, for the languages, I’m currently in French II. Over the summer and potentially into the beginning of next school year, I’ll be taking French III online, then French IV the summer after my Sophomore year, and maybe doing the same after my Junior year with AP French.
will the online foreign language classes be listed on your transcript?
Cooking/Automechanics will actually be looked at favorably by elite colleges since 1° they’re practical and 2° unusual/not cookie-cutter.
However your schedule is very ambitious. Make sure it’s not at the expense of extracurricular activities.
You’re completely right about this schedule being ambitious… it’s just a start as I may drop the AP history classes, and maybe even the math classes if I can take them at my local CC.
• Sophomore Year: UWHS Pre-Calculus, Honors Chemistry, AP Physics I, AP World History, Honors English & AP Macro/Micro Economics
• Junior Year: AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Physics II, Standard (maybe AP?) US History, English 101 (taken at local Community College) & AP Psychology
• Senior Year: AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, UWHS Bio-118, AP Comparative Gov/Street Law, English 102 (also taken at local CC) & Cooking/Auto Mechanics I
Don’t take 2 sciences Junior year. You are not expected to take all the AP sciences.
Take calc after pre calc. Decide if AP stats or Calc 2 at a local college would be the way to go senior year.
Why take English at a CC? If you are giong to top colleges, they may not accept it… Why not AP Lang?
Why not take a forieng language during HS and not in the summer?
My question is why are you taking precalc sophomore year and the calculus senior year? I would recommend taking calculus right after precalc, and then stats senior year, so you don’t forget everything you learned in precalc.
If you are a science person, then it’s completely fine to double up in science, but if you’re not, don’t do it just to say you did it.
Regarding the foreign language class issue @skieurope mentioned, Johns Hopkins’ Common Data Set section C5 “recommends” 4 years of foreign language classes. That’s going to be tough to do just by taking summer classes.