High School Classes

[CKoehler21]

Hello everyone! My name is Connor Koehler and I will be a junior in high school this coming year and I was wondering what academies prefer grade wise. I know that standards are high, but I was wondering if it looks better to challenge yourself with many AP and Honor classes and have a good chance at getting a few B's, or if I should take only a few AP and Honor classes in order to earn most likely straight A's? This year, 7 out of my 8 classes are either AP or Honor classes. That schedule will probably come with a few B's for myself... so does it look better to have a 3.5 non-weighted GPA and say a 4.4 weighted GPA or should I aim more for a 4.0 non-weighted GPA with a 4.1 or 4.2 weighted GPA? (On a 4.0 scale) Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!!!

 

[osdad]

The usual advice is to take the most strenuous classes your school offers - and excel. That said, class rank is thought to be more critical than gpa. So where would a UW 4.0 rank you in your class versus W'd 4.2? It also depends on how you school reports grades - weighted or unweighted or both?

 

[usna1985]

First, you want to stick to the "core" courses for at least 80% of your courseload. That means math, English, science, advanced language, history. One "fluff" course (art history, music theory, sociology) out of 5 won't hurt you if it's something you enjoy and your other courses are solid.

In the core courses, you should take the most challenging level you can handle. AP, IB, Honors are obviously preferred. However, if taking all AP courses will cause your grades to dip, consider taking AP in your strengths and the regular courses for the rest.

BTW, science means chemistry, biology and physics (not zoology or stuff like that). Math should have you taking calc as a senior, although pre-calc is doable.