How does my plan look for the next two years? I am a sophomore and my HS does not offer AP classes until Junior year.
Freshmen
Honors Biology
Algebra 2
English 1A (Advanced English)
Mens Chior
Visual Basic 1 & 2 (Might major in computer science or mathematics)
PE (required)
Geography(required)
Sophomore
Honors Modern World History
Pre-Ap US History (US history is 3 semesters and this is what they call 1st semester)
Honors Chemistry
English 2A (Advanced English)
FST (Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry)
Select Chior (Advanced Chior)
C++ Programming 1 & 2
Health (required)
Botany (only available class)
Summer
College Speech (some speech class required)
Junior
AP Physics A
AP Chem
AP Calc (Usually pre-calc is required, but I will try to skip it)
AP US History
AP Language and Composition (English is my worst subject so I am not sure about this, however it is either this or regular)
Video game programming (I might just skip this and take adv. prog.)
Select Chior (If I am accepted)
Senior
AP Physics B
AP Biology
AP Literature and Composition (Not sure about this also, there is an option for college English)
AP Government
Some math class at a local college
Select Chior
Advanced Programming (If i skip Video game prog. i’ll take some college class)
Some other college class if I want a full schedule
EC
Scholars bowl (JV 10th, V 11th, 12th)
Tennis (JV 9th don’t know about others, but will try to play all 4 years)
NHS (hopefully I will get into it for 11th and 12th)
How do my decisions look? This is the absolute hardest classes the school offers, and it is not recommended to take them all. So far I have a 4.0 and am taking the ACT in February expecting a 30. I will try to ultimately bring my ACT score to a 32 so more options will be opened up. Will me not attending a top rated high school hold me back. Also, what are some good things to do to get more Extra Circular as I am lacking in that field? I also need volunteering for NHS due in a couple months. I live in Kansas and would like to know some good places that will look good on a college application. How about foreign language. I was not considering it because I would already be behind my class if I start next year.
Thank You
Andre K.
Most colleges and high school graduation requirements ask for four years of English, so check to make sure that’s applicable before not taking it.
I don’t know where you plan to attend, but if you were to attend a university in California, you’d need foreign language for sure. Also, I probably wouldn’t recommend trying to skip Precalculus. There are certain chunks that you’d be leaving out (just my opinion) if you were to get into Calculus. After all, Calculus could serve as your fourth year which would be perfectly fine.
Ok, thanks for the advice. I was not meaning to skip the English as it is a graduation requirement, just maybe not taking AP. If I take foreign language at the college level how much would the requirements for most colleges be equivalent to?
You’d need to take a foreign language level 1 in the summer to catch up - if you want Top 50 universities/LACs, you’ll need at least 3 years of a foreign language (or 4, to be competitive). College Language level 1 allows you to jump straight into High School Language 3. What languages does your HS offer?
Even universities that aren’t very selective will require 2 years (and will expect 3).
Junior year’s your most important: youll need a full schedule.
Summer between Sophomore and Junior
Community College Foreign language 1
JUNIOR YEAR
AP Physics A
AP Chem
=> CHOOSE ONE ONLY. I’d suggest AP Chem since you took Honors Chem this year, and you can take Physics next year.
Precalculus Honors => don’t try to skip it. It’s a fundamental class where you’ll establish the basics for all further math.
AP US History => fine
AP Language and Composition (English is my worst subject so I am not sure about this, however it is either this or regular)
=> as you prefer
Foreign Language Level 3
CS elective
Select Choir (If I am accepted)
Summer between Junior and Senior year:
A class of your choice. Could be CS at the local college.
SENIOR YEAR
AP Physics B
AP Biology
= CHOOSE ONE unless you got straight As in BOTH AP chem AND Precalc
AP Literature and Composition (Not sure about this also, there is an option for college English)
=> Take College English if English is your worse subject. Typically this is an excellent course, but one must love reading.
AP Government => good, but typically a semester class: what would you take 2nd semester? A free period?
AP Calculus
Foreign Language 4
Select Choir
Advanced Programming (If i skip Video game prog. i’ll take some college class)
Thank you @MYOS1634 for the advice. My high school is offering Spanish and French and I will probably take Spanish because the French teacher is insane. A lot of my junior friends are taking AP chem and ap physics. If I take both then, then I would not have room for Spanish so if I took two college Spanish classes in the summer would that be equivalent to 4 years. My school does not have the honors system in math, and pre clac is one of the easier classes as most of the topics covered are very similar to algebra 2. I could take the college classes at a local university or community college, would top schools prefer the local university? Senior year I would take comp 1 and 2 then as the teacher is really cool. Are free periods looked down on to top universities?
You can take College Spanish 1 summer between sophomore and junior, HS Spanish 3 during Junior year, Spanish 2 or 3 during the summer betwen junior and senior, and take the subject test in October of senior year (imperative) which means you’d have to take the ACT in September or the SAT in November.
You could of course take Level 1 this summer, and Level 2 the following summer, but it’d likely be difficult.
In any case the subject test would certify your proficiency.
(I think that French is easier than Spanish, because both have genders and conjugation, but the French conjugation at least is easier and has fewer tenses.)
However, foreign language, like math, is best taken in continuation, ie. summer, fall, spring/Summer, fall, spring so that you can “recycle” vocabulary and practice until it becomes automatic in your brain.
Summer language/no language during the year/Summer language is a recipe for disaster since you’ll likely forget everything during the year and will start at Level 2 without the basics. College language goes at an insane pace already during the year (1 high school month’s worth of material is covered in FOUR class hours, with about 8 to 10 hours of homework) and that pace is increased during the summer. It’s very very hard to memorize everything if you don’t know a bit about the language already. Expect to have clas 2h30 a day, and 5 hours of hw per day for that class. It is very tough.
CC or 4-year? Depending on your financial situation, choose either the cheapest or the most convenient for you. If your parents have the means, a reputable college is better than an unranked college, but all in all it doesn’t matter much.
Yes, free periods (except when mandatory or for lunch) are looked down upon by top universities.
You’re supposed to have a “full schedule”: 5 honors/AP per year, each of English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Social Science every year, and 6 to 8 classes per day (if you’re on regular schedule) or 4 X2 if you’re on block scheduling.
Thank You. I have now given more thought to foreign language than I have before and it is likely for the better. Understanding how fast paced college spanish seems makes me rethink the idea, but It may be essential to catch up. I will revise my schedule acordiangly for this summer and next year. Thanks @MYOS1634
I have a slightly different reaction than others so I will post it here to generate thought/discussion.
I disagree with the idea that you have to fill every period and pressure yourself until you implode. Take a reasonable load for you. If having a free period still allows you a good collection of rigorous courses while maintaining sanity, take the period. Schools differ in terms of how many periods they offer anyway. Make an appointment with your guidance counselor this month. Explain that you are a very strong student and you want his/her advice about whether you are headed for the kind of college you intend to pursue. Make sure your guidance counselor knows you. Even if she/he advises hundreds of other students and even if you see no compelling reason to check in with him/her, visit her once a semester from here onward. She/he will have to check a box regarding whether or not you took the most rigorous curriculum. Implicit in the question is “for you and your goals”. It does not mean you took every single most difficult course offered. Have her/him be part of your decision making and allow her/him to understand your reasoning (for choosing certain classes and not others-and not always what everyone else takes). Fill him/her in about the other activities that you are involved with. By senior year she/he will feel invested in you and might spend a bit more time on things like your letter.
Fully pursue classes and activities that are meaningful to you. Based on your choice of classes thus far, seems like you are interested in computer science or STEM in general. If you see STEM in your future, pursue the classes and activities that are most important for that area of interest. You don’t need to pursue every topic you take. Rather, focus on the areas you see being part of your future. I’ve seen students double up on science classes and reduce their English and History or try to select the courses in other areas that are most likely to reinforce STEM. For example, you might opt out of English Lit in favor of Scientific Writing, if offered-even if it is not an AP class. If you do everything like every other high achieving student you can’t set yourself apart. If you are aiming for an elite school, do things differently.
I don’t know if you will be disadvantaged by not having a language but I would not assume so-if you had other things that compensate for that. And it depends on the college. In days past, some schools accepted CS instead of a language. One way to get some preliminary advice is to call a few schools that are similar to ones you may apply to later. Call the admissions phone number. Ask an admissions officer the question you posed here. Just be truthful and I bet you get more accurate answers. For a STEM student, a summer spent conducting a study or creating something new or taking more advanced computer science courses seems a whole lot more worthwhile then a summer taking French (or even Spanish).
Pursue and create meaningful opportunities in areas that you are interested in. The gift here is a two for one. You spend your time on things you find meaningful and elite colleges are more interested in that anyway. Get out of line and be different. Take a paper you wrote and submit it to a student oriented journal. Go to a computer science conference; Become a student member of a professional organization and begin to read about what is happening in the field. An interesting and different application (assuming strong grades/scores) will go a lot further than one where the student carefully checked off all the expected activities and classes…Spanish -3 years check, AP lit check, volunteer…check… Boring applicant check.
I think that you have rigorous courses that will totally benefit you for college and your intended major (I am assuming STEM). It does show how passionate you are in the science and mathematics field. However, it is important that you fulfill your high school subject requirements. In addition, colleges have their own different requirements (ec. UCs and CSUs: A-G requirements).
Regarding ECs, I recommend activities that you are passionate in. For example, you can design a video game, attend STEM leadership conferences, design a product, code a robot, or participate in STEM academic competitions (ec. USABO). Many people say the phrase, “You need to be well-rounded”. However, it is vital to partake in ECs that you enjoy, because your passion will be that powerful, driving force for the rest of your life/academic career. Even if you don’t get accepted to the university of your dreams, at least you can say that you spent four years doing something that you really love and you never wasted a second! Ad officers don’t care how many extracurricular activities you are in, but what matters is what you do with them.
Yes, STEM majors are definitely something I am interested in and will probably pursue. My High School does not have many options regarding classes and it is usually English, where I would get very bored, or advanced English (either Honors for Fresh and Soph or AP for junior and senior). English is a subject that I struggle in, but many of my junior friends who are in AP lit say it is difficult, but it will improve your English a lot. I think it is a great idea to talk to a guidance counselor like you said @lostaccount. I will definitely call some colleges to see their view on the foreign language recommendation. I will see soon how my summer will be laid out. I might do a space or robotics camp. Thank you for all the advice.