D26 is signing up senior year class this week. She wants major in business as well.
She will take AP Cal AB, AP Stat, AP Lit, AP Government, AP Microeconomy, Business/entrepreneur. The last class she is debating is AP CSA or AP Psychology. Any suggestion? CS or Psych?
Thanks.
Either CS or psychology could be somewhat relevant to business.
Has she taken AP CS principles yet? That might be a better overview of CS for a student who will not major in CS, although it may not get that many “rigor points” from a college admission reader. Or she can go through https://cs10.org if she just wants to learn about CS without worrying about credit.
AP CS A is programming and data structures that is more for likely CS majors.
Does she have all of biology, chemistry, and physics for science courses, and what level of foreign language has she completed?
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Our school doesn’t provide AP CS Principles and she doesn’t have any CS background. It seems it may be challenging for her then.
Yes, she finished Chem H, Bio H, AP ES, APWH, APUS, Marketing, and Business intro from CC last summer. Done with 3-year Spanish, refuse to take AP Spanish and AP Physics for the difficulty. 
Whichever she prefers or neither. That’s a lot of APs. If she’s not done stuff with computers, then Psych.
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Both could be helpful in business depending on what area of business your daughter wants to enter into, however, tech, marketing, etc. but she should take what she enjoys, what she can learn and understand, and “do well” in. I like the word, excel. However, just know that high school APs are just simply a taste of what she will learn in college and depending on the teacher, either a good or bad taste. I’d probably find out a few things, 1) how are your daughter’s teachers? 2) how did students in years past do in the AP exam? 3) what college business programs interest her and do they give any credit for her AP scores? 4) Is she interested in a LA type school, maybe the classes will help her pass out if certain liberal arts requirements? If a school that has a strong placement in tech, maybe getting her feet wet on CS may help her decide to venture out into this realm? 5) Look at the passage rate of the AP tests, which ones have a higher passing rate? It could be a waste of time to take an AP and get a 1 or 2 and struggle with the class and get nothing out of it?
Do they offer AP macro? If so, a passing AP score in both micro and macro may pass her out of Econ 1 or whatever intro to Econ class she needs to take.
Appreciate all the great advice, we will definitely look into it. Her school doesn’t have AP macro econ, we max out most the AP classes, except the AP physics and AP Spanish that she knew she cannot handle. I don’t know she really needs physics for business major, also, she prefers to take Spanish 3 in CC during summer break after gets into college, if college requires foreign language.
So many things need research, headache. Feel like college application becomes more and more competitive.
Thank you so much for the insights.
I know she cannot excel or work well on Physics. That’s too challenged.
She is not a STEM person, from her math we can tell, highest she can try is AP Cal AB. We may need pre-study AP Cal AB this summer break before her senior year starts.
Thank you for the advice. 
Where is she looking to go ?
I think you are way over thinking and way overloading.
There’s a zillion great b schools where much of this is unecessary.
College apps are not more and more competitive, short of maybe a few schools.
Don’t confuse not knowing how to build a list vs extra competitiveness.
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I’d do AP Psych over Comp Sci A since she’s going to have 2 math classes next year.
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For what it’s worth, both S20 and D24 did not take Physics at any level and both got into many good Econ and business programs across the country. Big public, large private, small liberal art, Catholic. Is it helpful, I’m sure. Is it necessary, no. If Physics is not a good fit, I wouldn’t worry about it. There are so many great business programs across the country that your daughter will be fine! Maybe the top50 colleges are very competitive but there are many very good programs that are very good but much easier to get into and your daughter will enjoy her experience just as much! Just make sure she applies to a good variety of colleges, safeties, targets, reaches. What part of the country interests her?
We are in Los Angeles, so the reach school will be USC Marshall and UCLA business econ. USC Marshall may change its business and accounting major to ED for 26/27. Those 2 will be a long shot. She has not decided which target schools, but safeties will be CC and transfer later.
She also likes East Coast schools, but OOS will be very expensive for us when there is no financial aids.
My S20 and D24 also are in SoCal. Son did average in high school and only took two AP classes. He got into good schools, such as Santa Clara, USD, University of Portland, Baylor, San Jose State, UC Riverside, ASU, UoA. They may not be the top schools, but that is OK. The school he attended, fit him perfectly. He enjoyed it and learned a lot. He made close friends and was well prepared for the workforce. He had an internship, participated in summer abroad, and had a couple of job offers both before and after graduation in his field of choice. Majority of his friends who also majored in various aspects of business, including marketing, accounting, finance and operations technology also found jobs in their fields within six months of graduation. His school prepared him to do his work and he says that his college actually prepared him practically.
My daughter, on the other hand, graduated towards the top of her class and took eight AP courses. She did get into most of the UCs, USC, Chapman, Pepperdine, along with the West Coast Catholics, UVA, UIUC, Richmond, and Cornell TO. She did not get merit scholarships at USC or the East Coast privates. She received great merit from the West Coast schools. The schools that she did not get into were BC, WashU, Emory and Notre Dame. But that’s fine since it saves us $100K a year! She’s attending a UC and seems to be enjoying it.
Anecdotally, this tells me that there is a college for your daughter that will be right for her. If she does well at her high school in rigorous courses, and her application is looked at favorably, she can get into some very good schools, even UC or USC, however merit may be tough to get at SC. However, even if she does not get straight A’s or take all APs, there are plenty of very good schools out there that she can and will get into as long as she applies to them with a chance at decent merit!
UCR, UCI, UCB and lots of CSUs have business majors. So do lots of WUE schools.
There are many financial/merit aid schools and there are many cheaper than UCLA in state - that are out of state publics.
And if she wants to be an accountant, then why UCLA at all ?
And you can become a top tier accountant from any school that has the major. Even lower tier schools like UNLV get recruited by the top schools.
Choose a college with the desired major - first and foremost. UCI, UCR, some CSUs. I don’t think a student needs to go to CC. I think you’re over estimating the power of that UCLA or SC degree vs other schools, especially if accounting is the goal.
She doesn’t need the extra math but she does need, preferably 3 lab sciences. One needn’t be Physics AP. Could be APES, as an example.
Your student’s schedule is already too heavy.
Don’t know the GPA etc but unless you have budget issues, a CC will not be needed. Some - outside the in state publics, you’ll need a top test score.
Honestly - for accounting, don’t apply so much pressure on your student. They will have loads of opportunity at varying costs. For other majors too , in fact.
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I think UC is our target, except top reach UCLA and UCB (Haas). We research UCI and UCR has pretty good business program too. Let her decide what’s her favorite. We, as parents, are always there support our kids.
I told her don’t stress yourself, do your best. If gets in top school, it is perfect; if not, it is always not the end of the world. There are many other options.
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Yes, agree, may set those as our targets. UCB I heard it is hard to get in its business program though.
I am in the accounting field, and I totally understand it is a good choice in our reality. But my girl’s generation, I feel like they don’t like accounting that much nowadays I don’t think many colleges have accounting major as bachelor.
Yes, she already took Chem H, AP Chem, Bio H and APES, should be good for science category class. Her unweighted GPA is 3.97 with 1 B in AP Chem, expect no Bs end of junior year.
Thanks for the advice.
If she doesn’t like accounting, then fine.
There are tons of colleges with accounting as a bachelor degree. Many, many - I’m not sure why you’d think there isn’t?
There’s over 80 schools offering accounting as a major in the WUE (Western Undergrad exchange) alone.
So yes, UCLA, regardless of the pedigree, makes zero sense if it’s possible they want to major in it - and it is a great major.
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Note that the CPA exam prerequisites in California include 150 semester credits (225 quarter credits) including a bachelor’s degree and 78 semester credits (117 quarter credits) in specified subject areas. So a typical 120 semester credit (180 quarter credit) bachelor’s degree by itself is not sufficient, though there are various ways to get the extra 30 semester credits (45 quarter credits).
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