Hi, I am an incoming Junior in High School, and here is my schedule for the next two years…
“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” - S. Hawking
I aspire to be an Astrophysicist like Prof. Hawking someday, and I want to MAJOR in Astro-Physics/Biology/Chemistry, & Physics. I want to MINOR in Evolutionary Biology, Rocket Science, and Business.
Here as a JUNIOR, these are the AP Courses I will be taking:
AP English Language and Composition
AP Music Theory
AP Micro/Macro Economics
AP Biology
AP Physics I
HERE ARE THE AP COURSES I WILL BE MISSING OUT AS A JUNIOR THAT (Offered in HS):
AP Psychology
AP Computer Science Principles
Then as a SENIOR, these are the AP Courses I will be taking:
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Calculus AB
AP Statistics
AP Environmental Science
AP Chemistry
AP Physics II
HERE ARE THE AP COURSES I WILL BE MISSING OUT AS A SENIOR (Not offered in HS):
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics C: Mechanics
SO THE OVERALL QUESTIONS GUYS TO ANSWER, ARE:
Should I self-study for the AP Courses I will be missing out?
For the next two years, is this a good foundation for AP Courses that will lead me to my majors?
Which courses are worth self-studying for, assuming they do not fit into my class schedules?
I didn’t do well on the AP Computer Science A Exam last year…should I retake it?
THANK YOU for answering my questions in advance guys!
Some advice:
It’s nearly impossible to major and minor in all of that. If you go to a college that accepts your AP credits, you still won’t be able to graduate in four years. This kind of thing will take six years, maybe even more b/c STEM is hard.
Don’t worry about self-studying. It’s kinda useless b/c unless you know what college you want to go to, you won’t know what credits they’ll take.
Yes, the foundation is fine. However, I saw on your other thread that you have only taken two years of Spanish. I advise you take a third, because most colleges want three years. Some even want more. Also, if you want to go into STEM, it’s generally advised you take four years of math, unless more isn’t offered. Take stats or calc junior year, and the other senior year.
See point #2.
Don’t worry about taking that AP exam score again. However, I should note that most physicists use CS in their work. If you don’t like CS, maybe physics isn’t for you.
Colleges care more about what you took with what you were given at your high school. They’ll understand that you weren’t offered those AP courses, but still be impressed with everything else you’ve done.
I don’t recommend self-studying AP courses unless you genuinely believe you will be able to dedicate enough time and focus to these. It doesn’t seem it, but the AP tests approach super fast, and I had to realize that after 8 months of poor teaching in AP Chem, and crammed 3 days before the test.
I do recommend dual enrollment if at all possible, because the courses you’re missing out on (especially physics) are very important for your intended major.
If you can take AP Computer Science Principles (if that isn’t AP CS A), I do recommend that you do, as Equationlover pointed out, CS is very important.
If you could also take AP Calculus AB junior year then AP Calculus BC senior year I highly recommend that as well, getting into Calc III freshman year is a big up for your math/science course load when you get into uni.
Other than that, you’re challenging yourself, which is what universities like to see! Don’t focus entirely on just your courses though do extracurriculars that are meaningful to YOU, and make your summer meaningful too! Be on the lookout for summer STEM programs as well, such as Summer Science Program.
Like a lot of people in HS I’ve seen here, you need to RELAX.
I don’t want to rain on your parade, but taking all of those APs is going to burn you out at some point. Just because you have APs available to you doesn’t mean that you should just dive in. It’s nice that you want to double major and triple minor, but with what you want to get into, I don’t think that any of those credits will go through. I’m not criticizing your intelligence, rather those majors involve fields like calculus, biology, and chemistry. That means you’ll most likely have to go through those courses again in college.
For junior year, you’ll have a lot on your plate given that you have bio and physics. If you want to go to a good school, I suggest you take standardized tests and have EC’s that you enjoy. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t have ECs. Two students at my high school had amazing GPAs and 1600s on their SATs, yet they didn’t get accepted ANYWHERE even Rutgers. This was because they spent so much time studying that they never had time for EC’s.
I urge you to take caution with regards to your intended majors. It’s nice that you want to go into fields, but with what you want to do, you’re going in for a rough time. Spend your junior year looking at schools want to be at. Visit campuses. Ask questions. See if this is what you want to do for at least the next four years of your life.