Disqualified is a touch much, but will this be a question mark for AOs at highly selective schools. Our LPS even puts in the school course selection guide that if you want to go to a selective school to make sure to take all 3.
Someone already posted the very helpful Wesleyan stats…I would wager that the 20% who got in not having taken bio/chem and physics were primarily in one of 3 categories: people with clear majors that had nothing to do with science OR were literally unable to take all 3 OR from very underserved areas were AOs assume kids don’t have anyone telling them they should take all 3:)
When my kids were in HS they always met with their teachers who recommended classes for the following year. They also met with their guidance counselor. I basically stayed out of it until they came home and told me what was recommended. Does your HS do this?
My kid goes to a good PS in a top-performing state and they don’t really do this. Kid selects what they want to take in a portal. Meets with counselor for 10 minutes. If counselor sees something really wacky they might say something, otherwise that is that. That said if kid is smart and proactive enough to ask for help, they likely will get good advice.
Also, one year they didn’t even see their own counselor but a fill-in, as theirs was sick, so person had zero context.
Her school, which is a highly regarded school with lots of children of HYPSM professors and think-tankers, lists in its Program of Studies several “science pathways” that have physics as optional. For example, the “life science focused” pathway has Bio I, Chem I, AP Bio, and another AP science or elective, and the “physical science, chemistry focused” pathway that includes Bio I, Chem I, AP Chem, and “AP science, Organic Chem, and/or Physics or elective.” The Program of Studies does not encourage all kids to take Physics, though it is listed as the “Year 3” course in the “Traditional” pathway. But I very much appreciate all of the discussion in this thread.
Re your math question, the class after Calc is “Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra.” For anyone who is more advanced than my daughter and takes that class as a junior, they are permitted to take math at the Ivy school in town after that.
If you’re asking me (the OP), my daughter has visited some schools with her brother as well as Bowdoin (her dream school) and Smith just with me. She has clear opinions on what she wants: cold, smaller, and rural, or Harvard (eye roll). She will probably wind up applying to Dartmouth, Harvard, the non-Connecticut NESCACs, Smith, Wellesley, and a few “safer” schools, and it will be a very painful process with lots of rejection and hopefully some acceptances. She doesn’t do anything the easy way.
AP Calculus and AP Stats would be sufficient, unlikely to get her turned down if her intended major is Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, or Chemistry.
More math, when available, is always good for CS, DS, Math, Physics, and Engineering majors, but you indicated it wasn’t the path your daughter was interested in.
I know you asked about selective SLACs (just picking on @Lindagaf), but keep in mind there are LOTS of schools where this won’t matter at all for admission. There are many great paths into medical school also. For example, it wouldn’t matter at Utah. They have a great dance program if she wants to continue, although that might be a lot to bite off. When people say something can’t be done, there are all sorts of anecdotes of when it was. For example, Josh Dobbs was the quarterback at Tennessee, arguably the most time demanding sport and position in college. He graduated with a 4.0 in Aerospace Engineering.
Kids are different- some see rejections as “I’m glad I aimed high, their loss” and immediately pivot to reality. Others feel the wound on a deeper level.
I think the parents can really help here- regardless of your kids innate personality. The biggest thing i learned (fortunately it was with my eldest) is that you must, must must find “something to love” about every college you visit or consider seriously. It can be the ice cream in the student center (unlimited toppings!) or the rare book library with original Shakespeare folios, or “I’d have great hair at this place- no humidity” or something equally inane. But it gives you all the vocabulary to remind each other that college is about tradeoffs, LIFE is about tradeoffs, and every college- even the dreaded “sure bets” have something to love.
I’m going to assume that with so many faculty children in her HS, the college guidance department is top notch, yes? They will likely help with the terrible "bunching factor, which usually plagues public HS’s with ambitious kids since they don’t always have the college counseling resources that the prep schools and parochial schools have.
In my town (for example) the Catholic HS is renowned for making sure the seniors “spread the love”. It’s a LOT easier for every senior to end up in their first or second choice school when every single kid isn’t gunning for Yale or Georgetown!
ETA I just saw your post about likelies…but read this anyway.
I am going to suggest you read this thread I’m about to link. I’m also hoping you told us just part of her list and that she has some sure things for admission on her application list also.
The student in this thread really was top notch. Class val, national merit finalist, excellent ECs, excellent LOR. No one expected him to be shut out of all of his applications, but he was. I will say…he took a gap year and landed well on his feet, but his second half of his senior year and into the summer were really awful. You don’t want your daughter to be this student. And admissions have become even harder since 2005 when this took place.
It’s an older thread but a must read for any student who is only thinking about applying to elite schools.
I meant painful mostly for me, because I’m sure I will be stressed about it. Thanks for the advice re helping her find “something to love” about all the schools. Unfortunately I haven’t been impressed with the college counseling at her school. About 15 kids per year go to the local Ivy and many more go to top schools, but I think it’s more a reflection of the kids and the fact that most of their parents tend to be sophisticated.
She does not want to study dance in college. If she goes somewhere that has a student ballet company, she probably would do that recreationally.
Hey, once you approach it as “this is the last big step my kid is going to need my help with” your stress level goes down remarkably! You’ll realize that she’ll be picking a life partner without your help; finding a job/profession without your input; buying a condo, applying to grad school- YIKES. In the grand scheme of things, these are MUCH bigger decisions than deciding between fantastic college A or terrific college B. And she won’t need/want/even consider your input by then…
The stakes are really much lower than any of us will admit (even to ourselves, alone, in the dark.) Kid goes to Skidmore not Vassar; kid ends up at Bates not Bowdoin; kid goes to U Mass not U Conn… I’m sure we all have neighbors or college friends who have kids serving in the Armed Services (more decisions the parents have no input into- do the Joint Chiefs of Staff think about what Mrs. Jones wants for her kid before sending him to South Korea to monitor missile activity over the border? No they do not…). We all have the luxury (here and IRL) of obsessing about very minor differences among 100 or so fantastic educational institutions.
I found that perspective helped me keep my anxiety in check! And no, none of my kids have sought my input on their choices of spouse, how many kids to have, where to apply to grad school, or which job to accept (or leave for that matter…) College was the last time I got to have an opinion!!
Again, the context of her HS is important. What are most high achieving kids taking - the reality is that MV is considered more rigorous and advanced than AP Stat.
And when the time comes to make an actual college list…start with these two sure things for admission and affordability that your daughter likes. Get those pinned down first. Then build your list UP from there.
), but keep in mind there are LOTS of schools where this won’t matter at all for admission. There are many great paths into medical school also. For example, it wouldn’t matter at Utah. They have a great dance program if she wants to continue, although that might be a lot to bite off. When people say something can’t be done, there are all sorts of anecdotes of when it was. For example, Josh Dobbs was the quarterback at Tennessee, arguably the most time demanding sport and position in college. He graduated with a 4.0 in Aerospace Engineering.
Thanks for the advice re helping her find “something to love” about all the schools. Unfortunately I haven’t been impressed with the college counseling at her school. About 15 kids per year go to the local Ivy and many more go to top schools, but I think it’s more a reflection of the kids and the fact that most of their parents tend to be sophisticated.