High School Class of 2014

Pre-College Topics High School Life
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<p>Hi guys, just asking for advice about schedule/ECs</p>

<p>Honors Mandarin 3
Honors Chemistry
Honors Pre-Calc (skipped a year in math when I was in 6th grade—only incoming Sophomore in my grade of about 130 students to be in such class)
Wellness (gym —required)
Research Skills (required)
Internship (only elective available in that period for that semester)
Honors Physics(doubling up on sciences, again only person in my grade to do such a thing voluntarily—want to be working in the sciences when I grow up)
Honors English II
Honors US History 1</p>

<p>Freshman year I finished with all A+'s for final grades (whilst taking the hardest courses offered at my small school, it so happens I currently have the highest GPA)</p>

<p>EC’s:</p>

<p>-JV Soccer (have been playing soccer for a long time, but I am not very good at it and am slowly losing interest as I discover other passions)
-Indoor Track JV (this is a co-op with another, albeit slightly larger, high school)
-Outdoor Track (ran in Varsity meets and placed most times, but didn’t receive a varsity letter for some reason…I’m a hurdler, and I started track/hurdling this year. Also it would be noteworthy to mention that at the league’s freshman/sophomore meet, which involves 10 schools with 200 people per grade on average where freshmen and sophomores compete with another, I came in first for the 110 high hurdles)
-SADD
-Peer Leaders
-Key Club
-Volunteered 41 hours at the end of this school year at an elementary school’s afterschool care program, if that matters and looking to volunteer more often
-Play badminton, run, and ski in leisure time but frequently enough to be considered ECs</p>

<p>The three clubs mentioned above are the only clubs offered by my school unrelated to music or the arts, by the way.</p>

<p>Summer: 3 weeks at Brown’s campus taking a neuroscience-related course, not a big deal but whatever; also starting to play the xylophone because my Pop Music course this year inspired me to become more involved with the arts/music.</p>

<p>I know I’m not as impressive as most of you, so I look for your insight into how to improve my academics but moreso my extracurriculars. I’m going to send in applications soon to volunteer at nearby hospitals because I have a personal connection with how they’ve impacted my (dad’s) life, and I hope to volunteer there for an average of 5 hours every week during the schoolyear and 10 at the end of the summer. I am relatively foreign to all of the olympiads, internships, and competitions you guys have alluded to every now and then so if somebody could give me more background information, that would be appreciated greatly. Thanks:)</p>

<p>Oh, and go Class of 2014!</p>

462

<p>@ skisoccer, trust me, if any one is behind here it’s me. I live in rural land with an uncompetitive school. If we had a freshman or sophomore do an AP they would be looked at like an alien. If you went to my school you would be ahead of Many juniors. :)</p>

463

<p>@skisoccer2014: As far as grades/general ECs go, you’re definitely more impressive than anyone at my school pretty much, any grade.</p>

<p>What do you guys do for science type ECs? My favorite classes are humanities/social sciences and then regular science. After AP Physics this year, I want to email some professors at University of Washington to see about doing lab work for them, but I don’t know what else to do so I can show interest. All of my ECs are artsy, or will be, when I really have very diverse interests.</p>

464

<p>I’m so late to this thread, lol. My school normally only allows sophomores to take one AP, but ten years of Spanish study got me into the other one. We don’t have honors languages either.</p>

<p>Classes:
Honors English
Algebra II + Trig
AP World History
Honors Biology
Chinese 3
AP Spanish 5
German 1
25th Hour PE (exercise on your own time with a heart rate monitor)</p>

<p>ECs:
Superintendent’s Student Leadership Committee
Model UN
German Club
It’s Academic team (local quiz game show)
Dance</p>

<p>Summer: Confucius Institute Mandarin immersion program in Changchun and Beijing, China. It starts in ten days. So excited!!</p>

<p>But really, I don’t think this is adequate, especially compared to skisoccer2014 ;__;</p>

465

<p>@Dan2014: I’m in the same boat as you as in terms of high schools. Anyone in more than 4 Honors classes is seen as “the one going to Harvard” at my school, when I would be better off at UNC or Duke.</p>

<p>@skisoccer2014: A 3 week class on neuroscience??? I would kill to have a class like that during the summer. I just have to settle on getting ahead in my classes. Schedule and ECs are nice.</p>

<p>@LikeSomeJelly: Your stuff looks nice too. But, you can only do what your school lets you do right? German, Spanish, and Chinese in one year is amazing to me for a sophomore. I would die to take a Latin class, if it wasn’t online.</p>

466

<p>Are any of you guys planning on self studying AP classes? Or taking extra courses online?</p>

467

<p>Jelly: Are you talking about Chinese Bridge?</p>

468

<p>@evanb1996: I was only allowed to start German this year, unfortunately. Even though I did have the extra elective last year, my school is split into two campuses (9th and 10th-12th) and they couldn’t let me go to the main campus to take German. So I took Art 1 last year instead.</p>

<p>@canonlyhope: Yeah. Are you going/did you go?</p>

469

<p>@franzferdinand: I already bought my books online for AP Psych and AP Stats because my school doesn’t offer either and I’m planning on studying from them this summer as well as throughout this year (rising sophomore.) I’d like to take both exams this year, because I’ll be too busy once junior year rolls around with actual AP classes. I wanted to self study AP Chem, but I’m not sure about that yet; my issue is that my school doesn’t offer it, but I want to major in biochemistry.</p>

470

<p>Jelly: Yeah, I’m going this year.</p>

471

<p>@canonlyhope: Haha, what a small world. Are you with Mason?</p>

472

<p>I didn’t get accepted to any internships, and most were for 10th grade + Also costed quite alot of money I didn’t have :(</p>

<p>But my school gives the top 5-10 students in sophomore to go to an internship in harvard, so I will work up for that. Im already in the top 2 of my whole class. (I am ranked #1 currently)</p>

473

<p>@sardonyx827: Why not check out online high schools? Chem is a hard self study because of the labs.</p>

<p>Personally, I’m probably going to try to squeeze in AP Art History and AP Psych. With extra World studying because I’m Honors and AP isn’t offered, but I want to take the test. That makes four tests by the end of the year, if I decide to not to Econ/Human Geo.</p>

<p>Do any of you guys recommend playing Tennis or trying out?</p>

474

<p>@franzferdinand: I asked my guidance counselor about taking online courses for high school credit, and she said that was only available in senior year, and in addition to that, the courses would take up a regular spot in my every day schedule -_- So, I didn’t really like that answer. What kind of online classes should I search for in regards to AP Chem? </p>

<p>My planned AP courses to actually take in my school are: US History, Biology, Physics, Calculus, Language and Comp, Literature and Comp, and either French or European History. But I’m not going to be taking AP courses until junior year since sophomores aren’t allowed to take those classes. I’ve planned Biology, Language and Comp, and APUSH for 11th grade, and Literature and Comp, Physics, Calculus, and French/Euro History for senior year. So, I think that makes a total of 9 APs, including ones I’m going to self-study.</p>

<p>I need health/wellness credits to graduate as well, so I’m joining the swim team for the next two years. Personally, I don’t like tennis, but I know my friend is going to try out for next year. What I’m afraid of with teams that make cuts/require trying out is not making it and then having to try again another year. So I’m sticking with swim team. It’s also the only sport I can do without making a fool of myself.</p>

475

<p>Jelly: Yep, have you been before?</p>

476

<p>I’m mulling over if I should self-study for Human Geo. It doesn’t seem too difficult, especially if I have AP World under my belt already. Since I already have AP US planned for my Sophomore year, I’m planning on going straight from Honors Chem to AP Physics for my Junior year, along with AP English 11. My school isn’t lacking in the AP department, so I have no real complaints or worries about future AP tests.</p>

477

<p>@canonlyhope: No, this is my first time. Did you go to the orientation last month?</p>

478

<p>Yeah, I assume you were there too?</p>

479

<p>Quote: Are any of you guys planning on self studying AP classes? Or taking extra courses online?</p>

<p>I’m not planning on self-studying any APs, since my high school highly discourages classes outside of the normal four scheduled semester classes. If I self-study, I have to get permission from a sponsor teacher, my principal, the head for testing, and the superintendent. Plus, AP results are horrible at my school, so they only left the 3 that people really take (Calc AB, Stats, and English Lit) and they’re all online. But, I’m planning on taking Calc AB, Calc BC, English Lit, English Lang, and Chem or Bio.</p>

<p>Taking extra courses is impossible at my school unless you want to graduate early (only for seniors) or you need more than 4 credits to graduate (also for seniors only).</p>

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<p>@evanb1996</p>

<p>Your school sounds a tad shy of a Soviet-era gulag. It’s as if they are trying to spur learning by, oddly enough, discouraging it (learning independently).</p>