Yeah. Our school has government in senior year. If you take regular government, it’s the first semester. If you want to take AP government, it’s only second semester. AP Microeconomics (which I’m taking at the moment) is a full year (both semesters) class, while AP Macroeconomics is only second semester.
The reason why I can’t take them at the same time is partly also because I’m taking two other full-year AP classes that I don’t want to change (AP Computer Sci & AP Spanish). Since I have those two electives continuing second semester, as well as AP Gov, there’s no space.
I’ll try to figure out doing AP Macro through community college or something.
You don’t need Macro for college admission. If you don’t take Macro in a high school class, it would probably be better to take it at the college you ultimately attend, rather than taking it at CC. (and I would wonder if taking it at CC might actually be a barrier to taking it again at the college you ultimately attend, if they don’t allow repeats?)
Are you worried your schedule is going to lack rigor and would need more classes at CC to show more rigor in general?
Looking thru your old posts, just keeping in mind Emory (if that’s still a choice) may not accept CC class credit – they will use it for rigor, but not grant school credit. Best wishes.
I’ll be taking AP Gov instead of AP Macro. However, I can also take a business elective that works fluidly if I were to major in economics or even finance because the nature of the course is both. The business elective is unweighted, but that shouldn’t be a problem since it’s not a core class where I’ve been in an advanced track.
If time permits, I will take a community college class for macroeconomics. I’m also getting my letter of rec from my economics teacher so I should be fine?
First of all, this will be for 2nd semester of your senior year, so your applications will already be in. I don’t think that any of it will matter for college.
I recommend that you take AP Gov, since you probably won’t take that in college, and it’s useful info to understand how our government works. You will probably take macro in college.
I sure hope you’re not paying for that private college admissions counselor who advised you to explain in your college apps why you’re not taking both AP Gov and AP Macro. That is micro-explaining, totally unnecessary, and in fact detrimental to your application. If you feel that it needs to be explained, your school guidance counselor should mark you highest rigor, and could mention in her letter that you always took the most rigorous classes available to you by schedule.
“Usually” doesn’t mean always, definitely or certain. And I did not mean this as Always required.
You are basically saying the same thing I am as well as some of the other posters above me. But I guess it must be a slow day at work for you, like me to be harping on this.
If you’re at the point of adding classes at a CC (are you bored at school and feel like you need another class?), a different idea you could consider might be to take an additional math class. I don’t know how much math you already have on your HS transcript, but math is valuable for economics, and more math might show additional rigor. Depending on what you take, math might also map better to classes at the college you will attend (allowing you to move forward in the curriculum). Just an idea.
Agree with this. If you’re generally an AP student, don’t take the course at a CC. If you’re aiming for selective schools, it won’t look as good as an AP course (it would be seen as easier), and you might not get the transfer credit, so you’d have to take it again, anyway.
Give what you’ve said, I think that taking regular Gov first semester and AP Macro second semester probably sounds like the best option. Or, as others have suggested, take AP Gov and don’t worry about AP Macro. You’re overthinking the need to take high school courses related to your major, since in most cases you would not apply to a major – you’'re applying to colleges, and all colleges know that it’s more common than not for students to change majors. Except in cases that do not appear to apply to you (i.e., if you’re applying to a college of engineering, or an impacted major like Comp Sci), your stated interest in a major is not a commitment.
As of 2020, 11 states did not require government or civics. That means the vast majority do, and even within those eleven states, it could be required at the district level. So “usually” seems accurate here.
@L_NewEngland, if you’ve mostly lived in New England then your skepticism is understandable, as most New England states fall under the “no civics requirement at all” category (or did, as of a few years ago).
No. I’m not concerned about rigor level in culmination. I’ve taken mostly all accelerated/honors/AP classes available in the classes I’m taking since freshman year. I’m taking all APs next year except for the business elective.
I just want to take the community college classes to show that I’m really interested in economics, and it’s a subject that I enjoy so it will be nice get some information about what I’m passionate about as I can’t due to scheduling complications.
Ok, if you’re taking the CC class for your own enjoyment, I’d evaluate that option based on the individual teacher and what the class covers. Some CC classes are great, and some aren’t. Hopefully yours is great!
A CC economics class is not likely to move the needle on college admissions, but it’s perfectly fine to do something for your own enjoyment
SUPER SUPER helpful, I do appreciate you found that for me! wow.
And definitely regional variation… And my skepticism also draws from my perception that so many people in the US seem to have little concept of how the govt works (or not) I guess I should have been doubt quality of the classes most students take
True – though at my kids’ school, Gov is most often taken in the junior year. I don’t know why – I think senior year is an option, but it may be the most logical sequence, which leaves senior year free for other electives (US history, which is often taken in junior year in other schools, is a 9th-grade class at our school).
I’ve never heard of gov in junior year, wow! Just jutting into this side conversation but does your child take western civilization in freshman then, and world history in senior year?
No, the typical sequence at my kids’ school is:
9th grade: US History (Civil War-present, because 8th grade goes to the Civil War; recently, the option to take APUSH instead)
10th: World history (option to take AP World – Western Civ or European history is not offered, except for AP Euro, which is an elective later)
11th-12th: Here’s where lots of electives become available, and the only course everyone has to take is US Gov (AP or not). Other electives include a combination of semester-long or year-long courses, including the Econ courses, AP Comp Gov, AP Human Geo, a lot of non-AP history electives, APUSH (if they didn’t take it in 9th grade), AP Euro, etc. Basically, students have a lot of latitude here as long as they take a semester of US Gov at some point in the final two years. Most do it as juniors.
This seems to be resolved, but one consideration in these decisions can be whether the college that you want to attend has a civics requirement that AP Gov could fulfill. One of my kid’s top 2 colleges is in a state that requires either US History or some sort of civics/western civ course (I don’t remember the specifics) for all students at state Us. Given the choice of which history to take the AP exam for, kid took AP US History because it fulfilled a college graduation requirement. (note that we are homeschoolers, so while we do a lot of rigorous classes we pick and choose when to align our course content with what is covered on an AP exam)
I guess I should have been doubt quality of the classes most students take 
