<p>My D is currently a freshman and she is having a hard time with course planning decisions. her main problem is that for one of the slots, she cannot decide between band info tech.</p>
<p>Band
pros: D really enjoys playing the clarinet, and is really good at it. There are trips every year, usually international or overseas, which can be valuable experiences.
cons: the music theory part also brings her mark down, resulting in her getting a B in band for 2 terms, breaking her straight A record. The teacher is not very nice, but still tolerable.</p>
<p>Info Tech
pros: pre-requisite of computer programming 11 and 12, which she really wants to take since she wants to major in CS. An easy A for her.</p>
<p>cons: at her school, it is considered a “non-rigorous” course, theres rarely any hw</p>
<p>So, band is really enjoyable for her and she gets to go on overseas trips, but that would be risking to get a B. If she takes info tech, she’ll get an A for sure but it’s considered an easy course which is bad for college admissions. However, I don’t think the distant ivy schools know that and usually one would perceive info tech as a more serious class than band.</p>
<p>This probably isn’t the response your looking for, but anyways,
Your daughter should pursue her passions and take whichever class she thinks she will enjoy the most.</p>
<p>I would choose info tech. the pros outweigh the cons. And when I was in high school (Vancouver) band was waaaaaayyyyy easier than info tech, which was considered a more rigorous class. However, different schools have different teachers, resulting in different levels of difficulty. Oh and from what I remember, isn’t course planning due in like February for BC schools?</p>
<p>D has already handed in her course planning sheet, in which she chose info tech. However, she has been rethinking it this week and wonders if she made the right decision. At her school, your allowed to change your mind on courses before June, all you have to do is tell the counselor.</p>
<p>I would look at workload as well - band requires practice time both independently and after school. If she is planning a heavy courseload with a lot of science-based courses or ones with a lot of reading then the other one might work. Travel options come in other forms so that should not be a decision point. Encourage her to experiment a bit too - try different courses - her passions may change.</p>
<p>One piece of advice I have is to remember that she doesn’t have to take all of her courses at her grade level. If she has the aptitude and desire she should take 10th grade courses in areas of interest.</p>
<p>I’m going to be the contrarian here and suggest that she take band. The difference between and A and B in non-core classes isn’t likely to matter much for one course during four years of h/s. If band is something she loves, she should pursue it. I know lots of kids who have studied CS in university and high school info tech type courses are not required, nor are they particularly useful. Lastly, worrying about what Ivy League schools think when your D is a freshman in h/s is not only premature but misdirected.</p>
<p>She made the wrong choice. “Infotech” or computer science at Ontario high schools is a complete joke. Very few CS programs require that a student take a CS course in high school – firstly because few schools offer these courses; secondly because what a high school course covers in a whole semester a university course covers in a few weeks.</p>