Choosing senior classes as a junior in high schoolAnswered
Hi! I've been pondering on what classes to take next year as we are beginning to choose senior classes. As it is the last year of highschool, I want to be able to breathe yet end my highschool strong. Here are the classes I've been thinking of. (gov and macro/economics is required but it doesnt have to be ap) Dual enrollment lit, AP gov, AP macro, AP 3d art, AP Calc BC and maybe AP environmental science.
First, I just want to know if I should take AP macro (full year) or onlevel economics (1 semester) because I heard it is difficult. I would rather take the onlevel if Ap macro would not be extremely helpful for college. (I'm not really strong in ap us history)
Second, I would like to know if I should take AP environmental science since I heard it was an easy AP, but then I would likely remove AP Calc BC if I were to do it. Currently, I am doing well in AP calc ab with a 96, so I think AP calc bc would be alright.
The past classes I took were:
freshman: ap human geo, honors rest
sophmore: ap stat, ap world, ap art history, honors rest
junior: ap calc ab, ap lang, ap 2d art, ap psych, ap us history, ceramics, physics I
UW gpa by end of junior would be 3.95? 9 aps and i want to end with at least 14 aps
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4 answers
I would agree with what some other answers have said here and would avoid taking APs only for rigor. Since colleges will not see your senior year GPA unless you are accepted, they base their assessment of your academic performance mostly on your junior year. The best thing you can do would be to take classes that show an intellectual "spike" - that is, a specific academic interest that ties into your planned major.
If your passion relates to economics, then AP Macro would be a great choice. If not, then take the onlevel class. You can apply the same thinking to your other classes - the goal of extra rigor is to demonstrate your academic direction. Make sure that the rest of your classes are subjects you enjoy, since this will save you time during your busy year. Hope this helps!
Hi, I'm also a junior trying to plan classes for senior year so I'm in the same boat as you.
APES is a great class, I'm in it currently and it isn't that hard. However, I wouldn't have it replace Calc BC. Calc BC will look much better on your resume than APES will becasue it is generally recgonized as being a harder class. If you took APES, I'd reccomend taking honors econ since you're already taking a few AP classes. If you have 14 AP classes, then I think you're in good shape for competitive schools. If you're not sure which classes to take, just take whatever sounds the most interesting to you.
1. Take AP Economics Micro/Macro only if you are intending on applying to a Top Undergraduate business school like Wharton. Why? Most undergrad major do no not require Economics, unless you major in Economics or Business. Sometimes B-Schools discount the value of pre-college coursework if you didn't take the classes at their school. So for instance if you apply to CalTech or MIT, the will give you ZERO college credit for all your STEM classes even if you have 5 - 6 STEM APS because they want to teach you those core classes themselves.
2. There is no such thing as an easy AP class. Clearly some APs require less homework than others and some require a lot of reading and writing. If you are good at math, you might find AP Lang and AP Lit hard to get an A and score a 5 on the AP exams. But if you are good at expository writing, you might find AP Physics C hard because you are better in humanities. Also if you want to impress colleges with your AP scores (like 5s), then you should be strategic about which ones you take. AP Environmental is the 2nd hardest AP exam behind AP Lit to get a 5 on. I took them both. Only 5% of all test takers get a 5 on AP Lit and only 6% get a 5 on AP Env Sci. On the other hand 38% get 5s in AP Calc B/C.
I can't really comment on whether you should take 5+ APs during senior year because I don't know if you already have impressive ECs, amazing writing ability that will ensure your college essays are perfect, 99% percentile test scores, strong leadership positions in your schools and your community, and any other talents or skills like playing sports, singing, dancing, or mastering a musical instrument. Only you can decide what how much time you have to complete all the goals on your college admissions list.
Good luck.
don't take too many APs your senior year. As someone in the second semester of my senior year, I regret taking so many. It's such an overwhelming year as is (with applying to colleges, the FAFSA, scholarships, etc.,) so don't make it harder for yourself. All of my teachers have been telling me that AP classes don't mean anything. Do with that information what you will!
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Thank you for the advice! i just thought it’d be ending my hs career strong?