Plan on Majoring in CS. Please help with AP/dual enrollment classes [HS Sophomore, Pre-med interest]

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
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Hello! I am currently a Sophomore, I’m in my school’s computer science pathway (which gives me an internship once I complete it.) I plan on continuing as a CS major for undergrad. I know a CS major + pre med will be hard. I know I will likely have to do more than 4 years (at least an extra semester) to have enough time to do both internships, volunteering and prepare myself for the MCAT. It might seem dumb, but I really do enjoy CS and currently feel like that’s what I can work hardest in to get a good GPA + back up plan in case I decide med school is not for me. I wanted advice on how to best prepare myself for undergrad. I am currently aiming to attend UMCP.

Currently, my schedule is full, and I won’t be dropping anything, but my counselor said I could do dual enrollment classes asynchronously. However, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea/ how helpful that would be for actually learning, so I am likely not going with that option yet. I do plan on at least taking summer dual enrollment classes.

my current plan for AP/dual enrollment classes

Freshmen: APCSP [4] (completed)

Sophomore: APCSA, AP seminar, AP US Gov (current)

Summer: dual enrollment Computer science class, dependent on how I do in CSA and/or an economics class

Junior: AP lang, AP world, AP precalc, (maybe)AP physics 1, Cloud computing (either dual enrollment or normal class at school to finish the pathway)
Junior year, I will be taking PSAT/SAT. I will have 1 half of the semester to either do dual enrollment or a study hall period.

Summer: Dual enrollment computer science class, or phycology/sociology

Senior: AP lit, AP calc BC, (maybe)AP Spanish lang, (maybe) dual enrollment computer science or dual enrollment Sociology (not many because I will have a half day schedule for internships)

I’m a little hesitant on dual enrollment for Bio and Chem because I heard that for many it has tanked their overall science GPA. At the same time, I don’t know if I’d be able to fit AP Bio or Chem in a half day schedule.

NOTE: all other classes are Honors (except this year’s Spanish)

Current GPA:4.0 weighted:4.89

ECs
Debate
Writing club
Chess club
Once I’m 16, I plan on volunteering at hospitals

My questions:
I was wondering if it would be better to get credit for CS classes, or Gen ed first, or a non-CS/Gen-ed class I find interesting.
What class should I take out(if any) for AP Bio or Chem?
Are my classes for Junior year manageable?
Am I leaning too much into STEM? or is it balanced?
For junior year, is it better to do dual enrollment or study hall? if I choose dual enrollment any advice on a class other than CS that could be interesting?

Any advice on ways to make me more well-rounded or how I should structure my classes is welcomed!

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What about your Math courses since CS can be Math heavy?

Depending upon where you apply for Undergrad, you want exposure to some Calculus courses prior to attending college.

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I am unclear on your science classes. You should have at least one every year of high school.

Instead of loading up on dual enrollment CS classes, I’d suggest more math. How well do you like Math? How are your math grades? CS is quite math heavy.

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These are their entry requirements:

This is what they say about math:

4 Years of math, including Algebra I, Geometry & Algebra II

If you complete Algebra II prior to your final year, you must complete the 4-year math requirement by taking a course that utilizes non-trivial algebra, such as Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics, College Algebra.

However, these are general admission requirements. For CS direct admission, they will expect to see calculus.

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Peace be with you.
Don’t do asynchronous classes dual enrollment.

Keep up your good work, and also, enjoy sophomore year.

Leave space in your schedule for friendships and volunteering.

And I agree with the others, look at your math courses.

UMD CS admission is increasingly more difficult.

You have many options for admissions to UMD.

Look at the College of Information as well, one of the fastest growing majors.

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@Gumbymom @SouthYankie @DadOfJerseyGirl
Sorry, I should have explained the courses listed above are only the AP courses I am taking/have taken/will take. I’m currently in Hons Algebra 2(complete Geometry and Algebra 1), next year is AP - Precalc, then AP calc AB or BC. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be able to do AP stats as I don’t have place for that in my schedule. I might try to self study.

For science, I’ve taken Hon biology, I’m in hon chemistry, and I am debating between honors physics and Ap physics.

I forgot to mention the school I currently attend is an IB school. While I’m not in the IB cert program, I can still take IB classes.

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:sob: Thats why I’m a bit worried. I hope my classes + completion of the NAF computer science pathway + internship will be enough. However, I’ll also start trying to be apart of projects on Github and expand my knowledge outside of class.

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I would recommend against this since any dual enrollment classes you take will be included in GPA calculations for a med school application. And taking science classes dual enrollment can be a double whammy since those grades will be included in both your cumulative GPA and your science GPA calculations. Both are used in med school admission for weeding out applicants.

Also med schools are picky about whether they will accept dual enrollment credit toward fulfilling admission requirements. Some will; some won’t; some will accept certain classes, and all med schools expect a student to supplement DE credits by taking higher level sciences in the same discipline. (IOW, if you are hoping to just take DE bio and not take any more bio in college, that won’t work.)

RE: Self study stats. Don’t do this! Colleges care about class grades, not AP scores. It won’t help with college admissions.

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About math, I will admit I’m not naturally gifted at math. To compensate I do study on my own time to be prepared/better understand what we learn in class. If I do take dual enrollment math should I hold off on taking calculus because I plan on taking AP calculus?

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Why would you take Calc twice? Don’t take calc DE if you’re planning on taking AP Calc. You won’t need it for any of your HS classes unless you plan on taking AP Physics C.

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Thank you! I didn’t plan on taking dual Bio/Chem because of how much I’ve seen other people regret it. What are your thoughts on other classes? Like sociology and phycology?

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Sociology and psychology are fine for DE. Just don’t overload yourself. Remember , any DE classes you take during HS are calculated as part of your overall GPA when applying for med school.

But, I do have a caution. While both soc and psych are tested on the MCAT, will you even remember any of the material 5-6 years from now? It seems like an unnecessary addition to your already tough high school course schedule.

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You’re right. I should avoid taking any classes that I will need for the MCAT right now.

How about my Gen-ed requirements? Some of my family members said I should wait because the easy Gen-ed classes will make transition from high school to university easier. At the same time, I don’t want overload my university schedule with gen-eds on top of CS and pre med.

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Your coursework will be fine, especially if your high school already sends students with similar coursework to the University of Maryland.

Leave time in your schedule for extracurriculars, friendship, rest. Admission —to UMCP —- is holistic, not solely based on academic rigor and GPA.

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Gen eds are your chance to take an “easy A” class to help support your GPA. Gen Eds are also a chance to take something “just for fun”. Don’t underestimate the value of either when carrying a tough academic load.

Both my daughters doubled majored (physics & math for one; biological neuroscience & math for the other.) Gen eds gave them some “breathing space” in their otherwise very challenging semester schedules. You really don’t want to be taking 4-5 really hard classes at once. That road leads to burn out and lower grades.

Also almost any college will have GE requirements that you’ll need to fulfill in order to graduate. No way around that. Also you’ll need to have foreign language coursework to fulfill graduation requirement.

Also many med schools have requirement for humanities as well as core science classes. And all med schools require 2 semester of college writing skills.

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Yeah, the graduation requirements for my school actually line up completely with UMD.

This is my first year at this school, so far I have made 1 friend. Which I think is pretty good. Do you think its okay if I take study hall for half a semester in Junior year rather then adding another course? @WayOutWestMom @Hippobirdy my high school offers a half a semester of sociology, Fianacial planning or study hall. What would be best to take?

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Take whichever you want. It really makes no difference in the longer run.

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Would be taking these classes separately or would they all fall under a minor?

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GEs will not comprise a minor. They are usually required to be taken in several different academic disciplines to provide a breadth of exposure to different skills, ideas and ways of thinking.

A minor is typically 24 credits (6-8 classes) in one field.

UMD’s GE requirements here:
https://gened.umd.edu/node/35

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Thanks for the clarification! Well, my parents are going to be happy to hear I’ll likely not do any dual enrollments over the summer :joy:(they have to pay for those)
I think I’ll use summertime to relax, hang out with friends, volunteer, and study/expand my knowledge on my own through YouTube and Github.

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