<p>I have a D now a junior (age 15) who loves the fine arts, but doesn’t plan to major in it, She pursues it because it is a passion of hers. She attends a fine art magnet school that also offers Ap and IB courses. At this point, plans to major in History because she loves history. Has taken summer school every summer to make room for the fine arts classes she takes during the school year. </p>
<p>Current GPA is 4.2 and she is ranked about 16 out of 500 students.</p>
<p>Freshman year: she took
Bio H
Algebra 2 H
choir
dance
spanish 1
Eng 1 H
She got a B in Alg 2 both semesters and b one semester in Bio</p>
<p>Soph year: she took
Chem H
Pre Calc H
higher level choir
intermed dance
Spanish 2
World Hist H
English 2 H
Got a B in Chem one semester, and B in Pre calc both semesters</p>
<p>This year, she is taking:
Calc H
Eng 3 H
Spanish 3
Vocal Ensemble
Dnace Company
US Hist non honors (because Ap US Hist conflicts with her dance and choir)</p>
<p>Took AP Euro History last spring as a sophomore, even thought she didn’t take euro hist, and got a 4 out of 5 (3 is passing for college credit)</p>
<p>Next year (senior year) she plans to take:
Eng 4 H
IB Spanish 4
Dance company
Vocal Ensemble
IB Global studies
and possibly Physics H
(she is maxed out on math since she is taking calc this year as a junior)</p>
<p>So here’s the problem:
Last spring D auditioned and got into a vocal ensemble choir (the highest level of the 7 choirs offered at her school) and performing dance group ( also admittance by audition only). . .she was elated that she got into both performing groups as that is something she was aiming for since her freshman year. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, this fall we find out that the AP US Hist is only offered 2 periods, 3rd and 5th. And her vocal ensemble is only offered 5th and her dance group is only offered 3rd, so if she takes the dance and vocal performance groups, she can’t take Ap US Hist. </p>
<p>My first thought was oh well, just take regular history. . .although she won’t get honors credit (therefore max of 4.0 instead of 5.0 for the class thereby lowering her GPA in comparision with her other honors classmates). . . she can still take --and probably will pass – the AP test. </p>
<p>Then came another bombshell. . .Yesterday I talked to the school’s IB coordinator and found out that if D doesn’t take AP US history this year, although she can still take IB Global studies class next year (which she was really looking forward to taking since she plans to major in hist), she can not take the IB test because it requires that she take Honors US history the year before – something about needing 220 school hours in the subject in order to qualify to take the test. Taking H World hist like she did as a soph doesn’t count because you have to be a junior to get IB credit and she took the World His class as a soph.</p>
<p>So my question to you Curmudge, Cal mom or other parents who already have kids in college. . .which is better? More honor courses or doing extra curricular courses that they are passionate about? </p>
<p>My opinion is to do the extracurricular since colleges want a well rounded student and I’d rather D be in the performing groups since she has been striving to be in them since freshman year, but my h thinks she should do AP hist and just take choir or dance but not both. Both The Ap US hist teacher and IB coordinator also thinks she should do the AP Hist class instead of taking 2 fine arts classes.</p>
<p>This D wants to attend UCLA, and is not really focusing on a private school or non-calif schoolat this point. As you know UCB and UCLA is a “crapshoot” any way you look at it, as the average admitted student to those schools has a 4.2, with only half of vals getting in. We are interested in getting merit scholarship for academics or extracurricular to whatever college she applies to.</p>
<p>I really don’t think her taking 1 or 2 more H courses will really make a difference (esp for the Ucs where they only count a max of 8 anyway. . .and D will have about 12 even without the AP US HIst) except that her GPA will be lowered because of taking less 5.0 classes than some of her other honors classmates. </p>
<p>I think focusing on doing extra curric that she loves and has been doing from grade school might be a better choice. But again, she isn’t going to major in dance or voice, she just loves doing both.</p>
<p>For those of you who might remember, I just had a D graduate last year who was a Nat Merit finalist. She choose to go to Baylor on a full tuition scholarship, and is quite happy there (at least so far). . . so I am pretty knowledgeable about the whole college process and trying to get merit aid.</p>
<p>So do you think it is better for d to pursue more extra curric because she loves them (she is NOT just doing them to use them just to add to college apps) or do more honors courses? Will taking the fine arts instead of AP US Hist (and not taking the IB Global studies test) really mess up her college chances? </p>
<p>Your opinions,please?</p>