I’m currently a high school freshman. Because my school has a lot of required classes for graduation and I’m also in a lot of music activities, I will most likely only be able to take either Spanish 3 or AP Biology sometime throughout high school. I’ve already taken Spanish 1 and 2, and I’m planning on taking all the other science AP’s my school offers (AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, and AP Physics C). For competitive college admissions (T-20, Ivies, Caltech, MIT, etc), which class would be a better choice to take?
By the way, I’m also taking the AP Chinese test later this year (I’m a native speaker), and if I get a 5, how would this impact how many years of foreign language I have to take?
You need one year of bio, chem and physics, not necessarily at an AP level, for most competitive schools and FL at least through level 3, if not 4, with the same foreign language (not your native language).
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I’m currently in honors biology, and next year I’m taking honors chemistry, so I’ll have at least a year of every subject.
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It’s not either/or. But at least Spanish 3, and possibly Spanish 4, should be taken.
With the exception of the UCs, it won’t. Admissions expectation of foreign language study is coursework actually raken in school. The below is the comprehensive list of universities that are impressed by a 5 in a heritage language:
- There are none
Below is the comprehensive list of colleges that Re impressed by raking every AP science offered and award bonus points in admissions:
- There are none
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Physics 1 is not worth taking if you can take C instead. With a 5 on the Chinese AP, it would be ok to stop at Spanish 2, but better to do more. Your competition for MIT and the rest will have all the science APs (not physics 1 or 2, but yes C) and 5s on them.
If you’re already taking Honors Bio and Chem, you don’t also need APs in both. So choose one, and make room for at least level 3 (ideally 4 or AP – not necessary but nice to have) in Spanish. Most selective schools will want to see at least three years in a foreign language that’s not a heritage language for you, and they’ll want to see all the lab sciences. Do you have to take AP Physics 1 as a prereq for AP Physics C? Do you have to take Honors Chem as a prereq for AP Chem, or can you just jump right into AP Chem? I know plenty of people do that, but it depends on your comfort level and probably your math background.
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And the rules of the HS
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I just want to reiterate that getting a 5 on a (heritage language) AP test, won’t look good, to admissions committees. They’ll be able to figure it out. Especially if you’re trying to avoid another year of a foreign language.
My heritage language is Spanish. When I was in high school, way back in the dark ages, I was told by a really good counselor that the colleges looked at rigor, and stepping outside of your comfort zone. I took French for 4 years, then, I took it again in college as a “fun” class and it was an extremely good experience. I didn’t realize that years later, I would be using while traveling in Europe.
Since you’re starting your high school career with a very strict schedule, I would recommend that you take some time to have some fun and be yourself in high school.
Please don’t focus on Ivies (a Sports Conference) or the top 20 schools right now. I realize that there is familial pressure to get into those schools, but there’s only so much time for you to be young. Take your required courses take your musical courses and enjoy them. Learn to spend some time outside occasionally.
Remember that schools like Caltech and MIT are introductions to a lifetime of research. (Our son attended Caltech.) Your nights and weekends will be spent studying constantly, by yourself. Before you start scheduling every hour of your life, spend some time getting to know yourself.
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I’m pretty sure AP Physics 1 is a prereq for AP Physics C, and honors chem is also a prereq for AP Chem, but nobody’s tried going straight to AP yet so I’m not sure
I also feel like taking the classes in the order without skipping anything would be good because then I’ll be able to learn the concepts better
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That’s definitely true. I asked because at my kids’ HS, you don’t have to take the honors class before the AP class. In that case, decide which AP(s) you’re going to give up. It’s important to at least get that third year of a language.
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Thanks everyone for your advice! I’ve decided to skip precalc next year and that would open up a year so I can take both AP Bio and Spanish 3. Would not taking Spanish 4 put me at a disadvantage when applying for schools that recommend/require 4 years of language though?
The short answer is yes, it will be a disadvantage for schools that require 4 years. What is more concerning is the skipping of Math classes. You need to have 4 years of Math also.
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Stopping math at algebra 2 is not a good look for admission to highly selective colleges, and (depending on your major) you may have to then take precalculus in college in order to prepare for calculus in college.
If you mean that you will skip precalculus and go directly from algebra 2 to calculus, that is not advisable unless your high school’s algebra 2 course is accelerated to cover sufficient material so that those who do well in it are ready for calculus.
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You definitely need to take a math class each year. Which math class are you planning? When will you take precalc?
It might help to list all the classes you are planning.
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This is not a good idea. I’m not sure if you’re talking about stopping math at Algebra 2 (seems unlikely), skipping a year of math, or going right into Calc AB, but none of these are good options. Sequential learning is very important in math instruction, so if you’re planning to skip directly to Calc AB, you’ll miss crucial building blocks (and if you’re going to be a sophomore next year, you’re already ahead, so build on that). If you’re talking about interrupting a year of math and picking up later – also not a good idea.
You need four years of math.
You should have 3-4 years of a foreign language, depending on the schools you’re considering.
You need four years of science – you don’t need all the sciences. Pick which ones you want, make sure you’ve got one each from bio/chem/physics and if you’ve got room for more, great. But you don’t need all the APs, especially if your school requires you to take the honors level before taking AP.
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Agree with @Shelby_Balik . Skipping pre-calc is just a terrible idea.
Please work with your guidance counselor to create your schedule.
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Hold on a second. Skipping precalc, with a very strong Alg 2 foundation, can be a reasonable path (if going into Calculus BC and completing the summer work and doing well in that course).
Everyone’s piling on, but even though a “heritage” 5 on AP Chinese may not look as great as a 5 on the Latin or whatever, it’s still an achievement.
The OP wants to aim at MIT and similar. This means that his competition absolutely will have all the AP sciences, and yes it will matter if he doesn’t compete in that realm.
The only reasons not to skip precalculus are: (a) you cannot do well in calculus; (b) your school will be annoyed and it will come out in not being recommended for various internal awards/opportunities. Sometimes students can take alg 2 and precalculus simultaneously to avoid these problems.
This isn’t true if you’re trying to be competitive at the level the OP is. The other applicants will have all the science APs except maybe Enviro.
Another reason not to skip precalc is that the school might not let a student skip precalc and take AP calculus, I doubt our school would’ve ok’d that (and students need permission to take AP classes).
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Yes, this is a possibility.