My younger two kids' Spring Break is super early every year. Our oldest couldn't join us, but we took Max and Dotsie Bea for a quick trip full of sunshine and family time. On every trip, Max and I sit together on the plane. Dotsie Bea sits with my husband. Max and I partner up on long walks and excursions. Dotsie Bea does the same with my husband.
On one long beach walk to get the best burger on the island, Max and I discussed his classes for junior year. While we have been chatting here and there about what Max plans to take for a few weeks, his upcoming conference with his advisor is actually today. We will be reviewing Max's course selections with his advisor before Max submits his final schedule.
Here's what Max plans to take for junior year, barring any scheduling conflicts:
Honors Precalculus
Max's school doesn't have AP Precalculus, so Honors Precalculus will set him up to take AP Calculus AB his senior year. He's not one of those kids who wants to spend his summer taking a math class in order to get to AP Calculus BC his senior year. And we're fine with that.Honors American Studies
This is an interdisciplinary course that combines both English and history at his school. The school doesn't offer AP Language and AP US History, but Honors American Studies is viewed as the equivalent of them. As long as admissions officers are familiar with Max's school and read the school profile carefully, they will know this. But if Max attended a school with AP Language and AP US History, he would be taking both of them during junior year.
AP Chemistry
It's always hard to decide if a student takes the AP science class immediately following the Honors-level science class (for continuity) or if they take some level of physics (or whatever science they haven't taken yet) during junior year. But Max is loving Honors Chemistry and his teacher so much that he can't imagine not taking AP Chemistry next year. That means he'll need to take AP Physics 1 his senior year. This won't be an issue given Max's major choice (Classics right now). If he wanted to pursue engineering, he would take AP Physics 1 during junior year and possibly AP Physics C senior year to have the most physics he can when applying to engineering programs.
Latin 4
If you have been following Max's story, you know that his school was supposed to eliminate the Latin program next year. We were ecstatic to find out that they are waiting at least another year. The school doesn't offer Honors-level Latin or anything beyond Latin 4, so Max will most likely need to take AP Latin through an online, accredited high school during senior year. But for now, he's relieved to have the same teacher he's had since 8th grade in a subject matter he loves.
AP Human Geography
It's always a little tricky when a high school combines both English and history into one course. It can make the student look like their schedule isn't as demanding. For this reason, Max was insistent about adding an AP this year as a sophomore. He is taking AP Computer Science Principles. For junior year, he plans to take AP Human Geography. With very few APs offered at his school, this course made the most sense. Max is interested in the subject matter, and the course is known to be a manageable AP—an important consideration when picking classes for what most students describe as the toughest year yet.Read More: Worried You Don’t Have Enough Activities? Here’s a Trick
Yes, he'll need to fulfill his arts requirement by taking an elective. I don't care what he takes as long as he enjoys it. Colleges rarely pay much (or any) attention to electives, unless the student does poorly in the class or they plan to major in an area that aligns with the elective.
As you can see, Max is "maxing" out the courses where he can. If any highly selective colleges (acceptance rates of 25% or less) remain on the list, this type of schedule for junior year is all but expected. I will be the first to notice if his schedule gets too much. If it does, he will need to consider dropping AP Human Geography or making other adjustments. For now, though, I am proud of the student and man he is becoming.
Remember, though, that every high school offers different coursework and has different policies. Some have APs and some do not. Sometimes students are not allowed to take APs until junior year or are only permitted to take a certain number of APs every year. Or, if you attend a school like Max, the AP options are very limited. Check your school profile to make sure every little thing that is offered (or not) is listed there. Admissions officers use the school profile to determine how much the student is taking advantage of what's offered to them at their particular high school. A student is never disadvantaged by their high school as long as the coursework and rules are clear on the school profile.
That day Max and I walked on the beach to get burgers, it felt like such a long walk there. But once we got to the beach shack, we settled in the shade and enjoyed the best burgers ever. On the way back, the walk was a breeze. It was a reminder that if you put in the hard work now, the pay off is always much greater.
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