Is taking 5 classes in my junior year of high school bad? I’m taking regular(not Honors) american literature, Spanish 4 Honors, AP Physics C, AP Calc BC and APUSH. Should I be taking another elective?
“Bad” compared to what? It’s bad if it makes you uncompetitive for your target colleges. It’s not bad if you’re still competitive. Based on the one sentence, nobody here knows which group applies to you.
To clarify, I’m aiming for competitive colleges (e.g. Purdue, UCLA, etc.). I’m already taking AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, APUSH, Spanish 4 Honors, and regular American Literature in my junior year. Do you think adding another elective is necessary to stay competitive, or does my current schedule seem balanced enough for college admissions? (I’ve also took two AP classes in sophomore year and one honors class and am planning on taking AP Micro in the spring of my junior year / this current year)
Five classes would be considered bare minimum for competitive colleges. You can bet that there will be kids who have taken these classes plus two or even three more.
How many credits per year does the typical college-prep student take at your high school? If the typical course load at your school is 5 credits, you are fine. If the typical course load is 6 or more credits, unless you have a compelling reason for taking a lighter course load (for example, you are helping to support your family with an after-school job), you should consult with the guidance counselor about the best course(s) for you to add.
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At my school, most students take 6 or more classes. However, since I’m already enrolled in relatively challenging courses, I thought it would be okay to take only 5 this year. The remaining available classes weren’t of much interest to me, like Woodshop or Art, which is why I opted out. I do have the option to add a Student Tutor class—would that be worth considering to make my schedule more competitive for college admissions? Or should I consider taking an AP course from an outside provider like UC Scout?
If you haven’t yet taken a Visual or Performing Arts class, you should take Art. One year of Visual and Performing Art is required for UCLA and other UC admissions.
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Unfortunately, the window for adding any visual arts classes has passed. I was planning on taking PE Dance (which covers both Art and PE credit) in my senior year?
If you’re planning on taking that as your VPA for UC applications you should ensure it meets the requirements. You may need to check with your counselor about this - see the course content and skills guidelines below. It’s not immediately obvious to me that a PE course would meet these, but of course i have no idea what the course actually encompasses.
https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/guide/a-g-subject-requirements/f-visual-performing-arts/
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Thank you so much for this link! Yes, I checked using the link and for my school in specific PE Dance does meet the “F Visual & Performing Arts” credit. With that in mind, should I be taking that 6th Student Tutor course? (I will be taking Dance in senior year)
You need to ensure you are taking enough to graduate and that you meet the recommended or required courses for the schools of interest over your four years.
Yes, I do meet that requirement. In addition to meeting that requirement, is taking the aforementioned 5 classes enough?
There is no need to take courses from an outside provider unless you are in danger of not meeting graduation requirements. For example, some states require oral communication, health, personal finance, and/or a computer science course in addition to fine arts and PE. If your state (or school) requires these courses, have you taken them? Also, verify with your guidance counselor that a single dance class can be used to fill both PE and art requirements as opposed to either PE or art.
Then, if you are interested in being a student tutor, take the class. Otherwise, as it is too late to add courses this semester, use your free periods to complete as much of your coursework as possible freeing up evenings and weekends for extracurricular activities. Participate in school and/or community activities, volunteer, get a part-time job, take Coursera courses …
I see, thank you!
If you meet your state/district’s graduation requirements and meet the standards required for colleges of interest (ie if one says 4 years foreign language or three years lab science), make sure you have if offered by your school.
What’s the purpose of the question beyond this ?
brother you are taking AP PHYSICS C as a junior. That is more than enough. Context for that class if you havent exactly gotten into it yet. If you score above a 50 percent on the test, you get a 4 on the AP exam. Its regarded as one of the most difficult classses in highschool. As for taking another elective. I dont think so. I havent ever heard of american lit as a class. my school probably doesnt offer it. But the rest of your classes are pretty solid. I feel like we wont know much about your chances until other info like your SAT score, what you want to major in and stuff like that. The only thing Ill suggest is that dont slack off in your senior year thinking “oh I took really hard AP’s during junior year, Im fine now” probably ask for an abbreviated schedule and take community college courses during your senior year. A sample schedule would be AP lit or lang, AP stat or smth(you dont need to take another ap math class tbh), then smth like guitar or any other credits that you need to complete. After lunch break get out from school(talk to your counselor abt it) and go to a local community college. Take higher level classes there. Im taking all my 7 classes at school as a senior(i transferred from another country so my credits were not changed properly) and then I go to a community college and take 2 other classes. You’re in a good spot!!
Thank you, this is pretty reassuring to hear!
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