I have 7 AP/IB classes in my junior schedule, I might switch out my only non-AP/IB class for an AP. Should I take the non-AP/IB class this year so that I can take 8 AP/IB classes senior year, or should I save it for senior year and take the 8 junior year???
Which classes are you planning on taking? It probably isn’t a good idea to overload your senior year schedule because you will already have a lot of stress and work writing essays and applying to colleges.
If you have too many and/or one or two in something that’s hard for you, you may find yourself not doing well in any of them, including the ones that play to your strengths. And even if you do fine, how much are going to enjoy learning this way?
What exactly are you trying to accomplish?
@IAmNotCreativ and @gardenstategal Thanks for your responses. The 7 AP/IB classes that I am currently taking are essentially mandatory because I am in the IB program, which requires certain courses at certain levels of difficulty. But, the one elective that I chose is basically the only easy weighted class that I haven’t taken yet, and I don’t know if I want to save it for senior year or take it junior year.
What classes are you taking specifically, are you taking IB History of the America’s HL, IB Physics SL? I need more information than just IB. What is the elective you are planning on taking? Why do you want to take these classes?
I would try to balance the workload over the two years. If FL is hard for you and you are doing it junior year, don’t compound the difficulty.
Without knowing the classes and your strengths, it’s going to be hard for someone to advise you.
I will say that you don’t want to take on so much junior year that you are applying to college with a medicore junior year record. It’s easy for that to happen if you have all of the subjects that are most challenging for you, even at the SL level, junior year.
7 APs in a year is tough. Your junior year grades are very important and you want to do well. Its going to be tough to do well in all of them. There isn’t a good reason for doing so many. There is no prize at colleges for taking the most APs. Having fifteen gives you no advantge over a student who has seven. Why do you feel you need to take so many? I will assume you are aiming high. Are you leaving yourself time to relax, ever? Are you going to be able to keep up your ECs? Those are important at tippy top schools. Don’t be a slave to taking all the AP/ IB courses your school offers.
If you are on an 8 schedule, you are pretty standard for IBD kids. 6 IB classes, TOK/research, and one AP. Senior could be 4 IBs if you test out of your two SLs as a junior, then that leaves room for at least 2 more APs if desired. It might be desirable if you have no APs by the end of soph year, for example.
@IAmNotCreativ @gardenstategal @Lindagaf @Sybylla Thanks for responding! I really loved your advice.
Here’s my schedule (I have a lot of uncertainties which I included):
IB Theory of Knowledge (1 year in junior + 1/2 semester in senior)
IB Film Studies HL (Might switch to IB Philosophy SL)
Digital Art (Might switch to AP Enviro/AP Stat)
IB Mandarin Chinese SL
AP Calculus SL (Might HL)
IB Biology 1 (Might switch to IB Physics SL)
AP English Comp/Lang HL
AP U.S. History (Might HL, but I’m not good at history so maybe SL)
I might want to major in engineering. But, definitely something math/science (STEM).
I would say take less in junior year than senior year, because colleges like to see that a student continues to challenge themselves senior year and not “give up”. So if you take 7 AP/IB junior year and then drop to 3 or 4 Senior year they may feel as if you’re not trying to your full potential. I would take 7 junior year and senior year (if you’re fully set on taking that amount. If not I would personally do 5/6 Junior year and 7/8 senior year)
At this point, what 3 HL do you plan for your senior year?
@gardenstategal I am planning to HL in Film, English, and Math/History.
I would not take the extra class junior year. You want good grades - use the extra time to get them.
@gardenstategal The reason why I have so many AP and IB classes is that I am in the IB Program. It’s basically mandatory to take most of the classes at the high level that they are at. Did you have any experience with IB?
Yes. I did it way back when it just started and DS did it (at a school with 100% pass rate for the IBD.) My point was that you need 6 plus TOK. Why take a 7th? You will have plenty of work, and having the free period (and no extra demands of an extra class) will give you time to do well in your IB classes. There is nothing worse than going into senior year needing high marks to make up for botched exams junior year. And you don’t want to be spread so thin that you can’t get good grades because junior year is probably the most important in terms of college apps.
One of the things that is challenging is that most kids take the classes they are least interested in/good at as SL junior year. The work that may be involved to get a B in Spsnish, for example, for an FL challenged kid represents time away from a class where an A is possible - even probable - but needs time. Time which isn’t available. In the end, every thing ends up being a B. This doesn’t happen for everyone but it does happen for quite a few kids.
What classes are you planning on taking senior year?
Based on your prospective schedule and interest in STEM, I would recommend:
TOK
IB Film Studies HL
IB English HL
IB Math HL
IB Physics SL
IB Mandarin SL
IB History SL
Digital Art
I would reccpmend taking an easier senior year load, with 3 HLs and one or two SLs. You will be plenty busy with college apps.
Assuming english and history are mandatory HLs, and you take math, the APs are a way to fill in the gaps if you are a stem kid. The film must be a real passion if you are aimed at stem, as most IBD kids would do their 4th HL in science or a second science (as HL math is only for the very mathy. Even quite strong math kids do SL and then BC calc/ap stats over HL math)
@gardenstategal That’s very helpful. Thank you for responding and helping me out a lot! I just don’t want to run out of the easier, but weighted classes to take after Junior year. I was thinking about saving the easy class for Senior year. I have already taken all the other easy, but weighted classes during my lower classmen years.
@sybylla History isn’t a mandatory HL for me. I really don’t want to take two sciences at the same time because I am afraid of the workload; therefore, I chose the more common science, Biology, and a 6th subject that isn’t notoriously hard or anything, IB Film. Also, I am confused about HL Math because at my school I think that HL Math is AP Calc junior then BC Calc+AP Stat senior. Is that not how it works??