Am I weird for doing this?/Schedule Help

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>First order of business. Some of my friends are telling me that it’s weird or unnecessary to be planning out my entire HS schedule even when I haven’t finished Middle School (I’m graduating this year). Do you think that it’s odd, or do you think that it’s best to plan ahead as far as you can?</p>

<p>Secondly, my cousin (who is one of five of my relatives who have gone to MIT, arguably my dream school) has told me that it would be in my best interest to take all three Science AP’s - AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics B, in my case. They don’t offer C. :(</p>

<p>As you would expect, in order to take the AP science class, you have to have already taken a Regents or Honors level class in that same subject in a previous year, but you’re only allowed to take them in your Junior or Senior year. That means that if I want to take all three of them, I have to have two of them in one of my two upper years.</p>

<p>However, there’s one problem. Labs. All of the science classes in my school require that you take additional classes in that subject (labs). Regents level science classes require you take the lab for that class for two days out of the six day subject. Honors and AP’s require three labs every six days. Three more of those days are taken up by Gym, which is required all four years. So here’s my issue - if I want to take two AP science classes in my senior year, I have to have two periods dedicated to labs and free periods on the off days. The only ways I can manage that are either to fix it in a way that it’s only ten periods OR opt out of my lunch period, which I don’t really want to do unless I have to.</p>

<p>For the record, here’s my schedule. Tell me what I can remove or switch around to make this work. Your assistance would be appreciated.</p>

<p>Grade 9 (Freshman)</p>

<p>Geometry H
Biology H + Lab (3 labs per 6 day cycle)
English 9H
Global History 1H
French 2R
String Orchestra
Introduction to Science Research
Computer Programming I & II
Gym (3)</p>

<p>Grade 10 (Sophomore)</p>

<p>Algebra II & Trigonometry H
Chemistry H + Lab (3)
English 10H
AP European History
French 3R
String Orchestra
Biotechnology
AP Computer Science
Gym (3)</p>

<p>Grade 11 (Junior)</p>

<p>Pre-Calculus H
AP Biology + Lab (3)
Physics R + Lab (2)
AP English 11
AP Micro/Macro Economics
Independent Study in Science Research
Health (Fall)/International Business Economics (Spring)
Gym (3)</p>

<p>Grade 12 (Senior)</p>

<p>AP Calculus BC
AP Physics B + Lab (3)
AP Chemistry + Lab (3)
College English 12 (SUPA)
AP US & Comparative Governments
Independent Study in Science Research
College Business Law
AP Statistics
Gym (3)</p>

2

<p>It is not weird to plan out your schedule… it is just unusual for most people entering high school! Trust me, when you are graduating and applying to colllege you will be happy that you did. Anyways, about the AP sciences, I have taken all three of them. I took AP Chem Junior year and am taking AP Physics C and AP Bio senior year. The way I handled my schedule was talked to my guidance counselor and asked her if I could take some classes over the summer before Junior and Senior year to free up my schedule to include Labs that were necessary for those classes. For instance, I took a class at the local Community College and transferred those credits to my high school graduation requirement. That is my only suggestion for it! Hopefully it helps!</p>

3

<p>i just want to make the comment that i would be surprised if you didn’t get into MIT. You seem VERY intelligent for an 8th grader and you have FIVE relatives that you graciously pointed out have graduated from MIT.</p>

<p>Unless you end up changing in a away that makes attending an elite university inconsistent with your aims, then you will probably end up at one i think.</p>

4

<p>Our high school encourages the 8th graders to sketch out their entire high school plan. </p>

<p>You might want to speak with your high school guidance counselor about taking either Biology or Chemistry in the summer so that you can take one of the APs as a sophomore.</p>

5

<p>trust me…DO NOT TAKE 2 AP SCIENCES IN THE SAME YEAR. Take chemistry and bio freshman year so that way you can get Ap bio + APES sophomore year</p>

6

<p>^Why would you suggest that he take AP Bio and APES after saying not to take two AP sciences in the same year?</p>

<p>I planned out my schedule too when I was a freshman…Ended up deviating <em>very</em> far from what I had planned. Moral of the story: it’s not bad to plan, but don’t feel the need to follow what you outline.</p>

7

<p>I planned it all out. But then i decided on different classes. and learn more about grad. requirement.You’re pretty lucky. I can’t take AP Chem or Physics cause i need Pre-Calculus to get in(I’m a junior).</p>

8

<p>Suggestion: find out which of AP Bio and AP Chem is harder, and take the harder one junior year.</p>

9

<p>Also, I see that you’re dropping your foreign language after two years. Terrible idea…Foreign language education is among the primary components of a full education, and colleges/employers will be looking for that. 3 years is good, 4 is best.</p>

10

<p>I’ve already taken it for two years. Besides, some sacrifices have to be made.</p>

11

<p>You took it for two years in middle school…That doesn’t count.</p>

12

<p>Noted. Nobody ever said that you HAVE to take four years of Foreign Language to get into any specific college. Besides, right now, I’m more interested in what I’m going to be doing in the future - French probably won’t be of much use to me. I don’t plan on living there. Also, maybe if I was given the chance to study Mandarin in school, I might have wanted to do it for more than just the minimum required for an Advanced Regents Diploma.</p>

13

<p>No one said you HAVE to. Just like no one said you HAVE to get a 3.9+ or 2100+ to get into top colleges. But it is highly recommended and most likely needed. Just take the fourth year of french. The two years in middle school count as one year, and you should really get to at least French 4. Just take out the international business/economics classes junior year. But honestly, you can make that decision when you get there. </p>

<p>Everything else looks good, but why aren’t you starting the science research class sophomore year? That’s a unique opportunity, so the more you have of it, the better.</p>

14

<p>I second the recommendation to drop the international business/economics class. Just take those classes in college–you’ll get a better introduction and thus a better foundation.</p>

15

<p>If I drop International Business Economics, I won’t be able to take French 4R, I’m just going to have a big fat free period for half of my Junior year, because Health is a required one-semester class for graduation.</p>

<p>@alwaysleah Biotechnology is the 2nd year of the Science Research sequence.</p>

<p>I checked today - yes, the first two years of foreign language DO count as one year of learning it, so my schedule would technically have me taking three years of French in its current state.</p>

16

<p>I was always told to aim for four years in five core areas - english, math, social sciences, science, foreign Language - and just do my best to fit anything else in. </p>

<p>You have college to specialize and for now, your extra-curriculars. I typically think of high school as breadth and college/graduate school for depth and specialization. </p>

<p>You say you want to go to MIT and you have science research/comp sci electives so I assume these would be the areas you’re interested in as a career. Others have mentioned doing four years of a foreign language and I’m inclined to agree unless you don’t do well in those classes. A foreign language would be very much linked to science/comp sci. A lot of scientific terminology is derived from languages such as Latin and studying a foreign language often helps you learn these. It is also very much linked to computer programming languages. Foreign languages will definitely be helpful in these career paths. Does your school offer any language other than French?</p>

17

<p>Other than French, my school offers Spanish and Italian, the latter of which only if there’s sufficient applicants interested in it.</p>

<p>But yes, you are correct, the computer science/research/engineering field is the one that I am most interested in. I am only in 8th grade French, but I have an above 95 average in that class. I’m not sure my grades will be an issue.</p>