mirandastern

At my school, to graduate with honors, one requirement is a physics course must be taken. My senior year I was planning on taking:

AP Government
AP Biology
AP Calculus
AP Lit and Comp
AP Chemistry
and
French III

Will taking AP Physics really improve my chances that much? I have a pretty heavy course load that year and will be extremely busy as it is. Do you think that would matter more than graduating with an honors diploma?

thanks

bruno14

Brown doesn't really look at whether or not you graduated with "honors" at your high school, especially as most high schools don't give that distinction. What they want to see is that you've challenged yourself in the courses you've taken (which it looks like you will be your senior year, at least), and that you've done well in those hard courses. You're already taking bio and chem, so you're clearly fulfilling enough science to be well-rounded, so I see no point in you taking Physics just to get an "honors" diploma.

greekmom1

Most universities are looking for a well rounded student not just in academics but in all areas of life. What type of life do you have outside of the classroom? Are you involved in extra-curricular activities at school or community? Most colleges look for people who can juggle work inside and outside of the classroom successfully.

mirandastern

Yes, to name the major ones:
I hold a job at the community library
Work at King's Island (theme park) every summer
Founder and President of the first UNICEF High School chapter in the state of Ohio
I volunteer at the Dayton Historical Society year round since sophomore year
One of the head leaders of the school's Enviornmental Club
Part of the WAVE Foundation at Newport aquarium, take part in the Summer Naturalist program during summer
Active member of Mock trial since sophomore year
Student Council
Pride Committee
Interact Club
Leader of Make a Difference Club
Volunteer Swim Coach to special needs elementary and middle school students
Teen Mentor (similar to big brother big sister)
Took part in an summer academic endorsement program at Wright State Universtiy that focused on Archaelogy and Marine Biology
Swim Team
Tennis Team
Will take part in a Marine Biology summer program summer before senior year



I know that depth matters, and I try to focus many of my extra currics around History and Biology, as those are my favorite subjects. I want to study both in college and plan to eventually teach one the two as a profession. As of now, do those sound good for my application or should I consider more/others? I know that many people have really outstanding records and mine seem a bit slim..

Thanks!

mirandastern

Also, next year I am eligible to apply for NHS, which I hope to be accepted into. I'm also going to apply to PKOM which is a group at our school that counsels incoming freshmen. Thought about running for secretary or treasurer at for my school, not sure yet.

Still deciding if I should apply to the Cincinatti TRIBE program, which is basically an internship to the zoo and allows teens to work as a junior keeper.

Thanks for the advice!

T26E4

NHS is not necessary. What's your GPA and SAT/ACT?

As for the "graduate with honors" thing, Brown won't care. Congrats, though.

mirandastern

At the moment my gpa is at about 4.2 weighted, 4.0 unweighted. Since it is the beginning of my sophomore year I have not taken the SAT or ACT yet. I've been preparing for it for awhile and plan to take it more than once for the best score I can get.

mom22girls

Skip the AP physics - you already have two AP sciences. Instead Spend the time studying to get the best SAT scores you can.

LoremIpsum

I agree. My son had too much on his plate to bother with yet more paperwork and chasing down unnecessary recommendations; it didn't hurt him.

Remember that NHS is a derivative organization: By that, I mean NHS is pretty much meaningless in itself, the high grades and community service work required to get in stand on their own merits. If Brown is sufficiently impressed with your grades and community service projects, do you think whether or not you were "vetted" by NHS means anything?