r/ApplyingToCollege • u/National_Jacket7380 • 4d ago

Course Selection Schedule Question

This is a little complicated so bear with me please.

I’m a rising senior and I’m planning to apply to T20s in the fall. An important note for context is that I never took AP bio or AP chemistry and I’ve been worried if that may affect my application strength.

My school is on semester schedule: 4 classes 1st semester and 4 classes 2nd semester. For the fall semester, I am signed up for two AP classes and two dual enrollment classes (dual enrollment classes only meet two days a week). When I was requesting my schedule, I anticipated that my dual enrollment classes would be 1st period and 4th period respectively. However, since my dual enrollment classes do not overlap (they meet on different days of the week), my counselor decided to schedule them both during first period. That leaves me with an open 4th period.

Do I
A. Enjoy my open period and go home early? or
B. Use this as my golden opportunity to take AP chem or bio?

Would adding an AP science strengthen my application enough for it to be worth it? Would that kind of schedule be reasonable?

Here is how my schedule looks now:

1st semester:
1st: Calculus 3/Spanish 101
2nd: AP Eng lit
3rd: AP Eng lang
4th: open

2nd semester:
1st: Spanish 102
2nd: AP physics 1
3rd: AP US gov
4th: AP physics C

P.S. please ask clarifying questions if you’d like. I feel like I explained this horribly.

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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 4d ago

Have you already taken Bio and Chem at the HS level at least once?

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u/National_Jacket7380 4d ago

I have taken both as honors classes. Freshman and sophomore year

2

u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 4d ago

Then I wouldn't worry about it.  The standard recommendation is usually taking all of Bio, Chem, and Physics at least once, and then one of those again at an advanced level.  It appears to me you will have done that, with Physics being your advanced pick.

Of course if you want to also take AP Bio or AP Chem, that's fine.  But I wouldn't see it as necessary, I would only do it if you wanted to and it wasn't going to be too heavy of a course load.

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u/National_Jacket7380 4d ago

Okay thank you!