Senior Year Course Advice

[Gamingphreek]

Next year is my senior year in High School.

However i still have to get through my senior year and what not. I am having problems in coming up with a schedule next year and i was hoping for some outside input.

*Note: Next year my school system will be moving to block scheduling

1. AP English 12- (Take AP Exam)
2. AP Calculus- (Take AP Exam)
3. AP Government- (Not take AP Exam)
4. Adv. Physics
5. AP Computer Science (JAVA)- (Take AP Exam)
6. AP Latin Literature- (Not take AP Exam)
7. Adv. Computer Information Systems
8. Im not sure. But im leaning towards asking special permission for a full block of study hall.

I think this is an EXTREMELY hard course schedule and am wondering if it will be too much. Right now i have 2 AP Classes and am not really bogged down. I just nead some time management/discipline.

Will colleges look down on me for taking a study hall in my senior year?

Additionally, with the difficulty of the courses i am taking, i will also be pitching for the Varsity Baseball team (Of course ill have to try out first), as well as holding a job in which i will work 2 days a week for a total of <12 hours. Does that seem like too much. I still need some down time, i cant be doing stuff non-stop.

If i were to drop an AP course which one should i drop back to regular course. AP Latin must remain AP as the school system got rid of Latin V. The class i am closest to moving back to regular is AP Government. THe only thing stopping me from doing that is what i did this year. I didn't take AP US history this year, and took regular. I ended up coloring 50% of the time, and doing busy work (definitions and what not) the other 50%. Not to mention the class itself is no where near the advanced level i wish it were.

Any help or input would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
-Kevin

 

The best advice I can possibly give you as a senior in college is to take easy classes your senior year of HS.

 

[deadlyapp]

Why would you take an ap class and not the exam?

You have 8 classes, and you are worried about taking one as a break time? sad...Don't worry about it, colleges don't give a flying fvck, because the thing is, you will be applying for most of them in the fall, so it won't matter much at all anyways.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: jumpr
The best advice I can possibly give you as a senior in college is to take easy classes your senior year of HS.

Huh?

Im going into my senior year of HS. Not college. Maybe im missing something here.

-Kevin

 

[getbush]

I never took AP classes (weren't offered). I had a 2.8 something GPA out of 4 in high school. I took food technology and family living, a sophmore computer class, and TAed for an hour my senior year. Right now I'm in a doctorate program (Pharmacy).

My input is, take a deep breath or count to ten. Then enjoy your senior year while you're there.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: deadlyapp
Why would you take an ap class and not the exam?

You have 8 classes, and you are worried about taking one as a break time? sad...Don't worry about it, colleges don't give a flying fvck, because the thing is, you will be applying for most of them in the fall, so it won't matter much at all anyways.

Well because taking 5 AP Exams would be considered on the virge of cruel and unusual punishment. Also I took the AP Latin Vergil Exam this year and i got pwned by it. I like latin and used to be awesome at it, however i simply dont put the time nor do i have the patience i once had. Taking the AP class still gets the course weighted. If i were to get an A in one of these course that goes in as a 5.0. That could really give my grades a nice bump.

As for the college application, i am planning on applying to Virginia Tech Early Decision. I dont really know if ill make it as i have somewhere around a 3.4GPA, with an 1190 SAT score. I think i will make the regular admission, just not the Early Decision. I can hope

-Kevin

 

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: jumpr
The best advice I can possibly give you as a senior in college is to take easy classes your senior year of HS.

Huh?

Im going into my senior year of HS. Not college. Maybe im missing something here.

-Kevin

What I'm TELLING you is that I've been in your position and I've had the choice of torturing myself or having fun my senior year of HS. I chose the semi-torture route and it didn't net me anything positive; in fact, it resulted in needless stress during what should be a fun year. I ended up at the University of Michigan, as did 98 of my classmates, many of whom didn't torture themselves like I did. See? No real benefit.

BTW, AP credit is not all it's cracked up to be. I had 14 credits coming into my freshman year of college, and I will still be graduating in 4 years. No big whoop. Besides, graduating early isn't all it's cracked up to be either...many of my friends wish they could spend another year in college.

 

[Toastedlightly]

Sounds much like what I am taking, but my school is much more restricted

1. AP Lit and Comp 1 cred
2. AP Calculus 1 cred
3. AP Chemistry 1 cred
4. AP Government .5 cred
5. Independant Study of AP Physics 1 cred
6. Independant Study of AP Compsci (Java) 1 cred

now the bogus classes

7. Psychology 1 cred
8. Sociology .5 cred


That is my schedule. My school forces study halls on us. I have to take 2, but Ill live.
I also have to find schools that offer the AP Physics and AP Compsci because my school has never had them and I need cirriculum.
OMG my name is kevin too!

 

[getbush]

Ok real quick I will elaborate a little more. I don't know what field you have your eye on, but whatever it is, you may as well plan on going to grad school. Bachelor's degrees aren't really cutting it so much these days. People are racking up 4 years worth of student loans $$$, only to get out and make barely 40k a year. So take it easy this year, because you'll need to bust some ass the next 3 or 4 to get into a good grad program. Make sure you pick a field that is in demand and pays well (like pharmacy ) so that it's not all a waste.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: deadlyapp
Why would you take an ap class and not the exam?

You have 8 classes, and you are worried about taking one as a break time? sad...Don't worry about it, colleges don't give a flying fvck, because the thing is, you will be applying for most of them in the fall, so it won't matter much at all anyways.

Well because taking 5 AP Exams would be considered on the virge of cruel and unusual punishment. Also I took the AP Latin Vergil Exam this year and i got pwned by it. I like latin and used to be awesome at it, however i simply dont put the time nor do i have the patience i once had. Taking the AP class still gets the course weighted. If i were to get an A in one of these course that goes in as a 5.0. That could really give my grades a nice bump.

As for the college application, i am planning on applying to Virginia Tech Early Decision. I dont really know if ill make it as i have somewhere around a 3.4GPA, with an 1190 SAT score. I think i will make the regular admission, just not the Early Decision. I can hope

-Kevin

Err... if you're going to put yourself through the trouble of the class, may as well spend 3 hours to save you money in college later on and aim for a 3. :roll:

 

[BigJ]

Don't drop AP Gov. It is one of the easiest AP Exams.

AP Java AB and Calculus AB are moderate in difficulty. Calculus BC is challenging where you'll have to work to get a 5 on the exam. It's still not that bad though.

I'd drop Latin all together, or move into regular English. But honestly, I didn't take those courses, so I don't know how hard they are compared to the other courses.

 

[getbush]

You and 98 classmates went to U of M? I only had 67 classmates period. I'm at the Pharmacy College at Ferris State btw.

 

[konakona]

One lingering regret about my senior year is i didnt concentrate on the AP exams after getting the acceptance letter from the colleges I have applied to. trust me, it will make your life much easier when you can get those AP credits and use them at your college of choice.
What I would do is to make it somewhat more manageable to get 5's on all the AP courses, perhaps with lowered amount of workload. for what I know, you wont get credit for 4's at most colleges. Take fewer classes, and make sure you do well on those you do take.

 

Originally posted by: BigJ
Don't drop AP Gov. It is one of the easiest AP Exams.

QFT. It's a blast of a class, too. My school did it in 1 semester (fall) and with a quick 2-hour review session in the spring, I netted a 4 on the exam.

If you take ANY AP class, AP Gov is the one to take.

 

[Toastedlightly]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: deadlyapp
Why would you take an ap class and not the exam?

You have 8 classes, and you are worried about taking one as a break time? sad...Don't worry about it, colleges don't give a flying fvck, because the thing is, you will be applying for most of them in the fall, so it won't matter much at all anyways.

Well because taking 5 AP Exams would be considered on the virge of cruel and unusual punishment. Also I took the AP Latin Vergil Exam this year and i got pwned by it. I like latin and used to be awesome at it, however i simply dont put the time nor do i have the patience i once had. Taking the AP class still gets the course weighted. If i were to get an A in one of these course that goes in as a 5.0. That could really give my grades a nice bump.

As for the college application, i am planning on applying to Virginia Tech Early Decision. I dont really know if ill make it as i have somewhere around a 3.4GPA, with an 1190 SAT score. I think i will make the regular admission, just not the Early Decision. I can hope

-Kevin

Err... if you're going to put yourself through the trouble of the class, may as well spend 3 hours to save you money in college later on and aim for a 3. :roll:

I decided to skip the AP Euro test just because the added stress wasnt' worth it (doesn't relate to major at all). If you havn't already, take the SAT and ACT again. Usually you get somewhat better.

 

Originally posted by: getbush
You and 98 classmates went to U of M? I only had 67 classmates period. I'm at the Pharmacy College at Ferris State btw.

I went to high school literally across the street from Michigan Stadium (a.k.a. The Big House).

 

[blustori]

Wow you're in high school. Hah nub! Anyways, if I could relive high school, I would have paid more attention. Getting a lot of AP credits can help you graduate early, take other classes you're interested in, or even double major. My high school was pretty bad but, people still loaded up on AP's their senior year. Its your choice. Good luck picking a decent community college



















or public / private university.

 

[chiwawa626]

Don't waste your time taking an AP class unless you plan to take the test. I took a bunch of AP classes the only ones that ever transfered to anything useful in college were the math and science courses. (A lot of colleges have their own series of writing courses that are required reguardless of AP Lit/Eng credit), But in general science is science and math is math and they get you credit.

 

[getbush]

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: getbush
You and 98 classmates went to U of M? I only had 67 classmates period. I'm at the Pharmacy College at Ferris State btw.

I went to high school literally across the street from Michigan Stadium (a.k.a. The Big House).

Which one is that? Huron or Pioneer?

 

Originally posted by: getbush

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: getbush
You and 98 classmates went to U of M? I only had 67 classmates period. I'm at the Pharmacy College at Ferris State btw.

I went to high school literally across the street from Michigan Stadium (a.k.a. The Big House).

Which one is that? Huron or Pioneer?

Pioneer. The better one.

 

[zendari]

If you hate Latin, why are you taknig the class?

 

[getbush]

Originally posted by: chiwawa626
Don't waste your time taking an AP class unless you plan to take the test. I took a bunch of AP classes the only ones that ever transfered to anything useful in college were the math and science courses. (A lot of colleges have their own series of writing courses that are required reguardless of AP Lit/Eng credit), But in general science is science and math is math and they get you credit.

At my school it is about the opposite. Science people like pre-pharm kids can't use AP credit for calc or chemistry. They have to take the classes regardless.

 

[chiwawa626]

Originally posted by: getbush

Originally posted by: chiwawa626
Don't waste your time taking an AP class unless you plan to take the test. I took a bunch of AP classes the only ones that ever transfered to anything useful in college were the math and science courses. (A lot of colleges have their own series of writing courses that are required reguardless of AP Lit/Eng credit), But in general science is science and math is math and they get you credit.

At my school it is about the opposite. Science people like pre-pharm kids can't use AP credit for calc or chemistry. They have to take the classes regardless.

eek, that sucks...

So your best bet is to check the colleges that you're applying to, see what AP classes could transfer units and help you the most - take those.

 

[Wheatmaster]

dude enjoy senior year, put some fun classes in there. trust me, hang out with your friends during free time is worth it.

 

[cw42]

once u start college, you'll realize how much of a joke HS really is