Advice for Senior Year Schedule

dav1y

USNA '26
Joined
Aug 5, 2019
Messages
421
Hi everyone! (Sorry for the long post)

I'm currently a junior in high school, and I was wondering about which classes I should take next year in order to improve my resume. I know it's a bit early, but the college counseling team at my school is starting to ask us about which classes we are interested in taking next year so I just wanted to hear what you guys think.

At the moment, this is what I have planned for next year:

Adv. Chinese: Pop Culture and Media Literacy
AP Calculus AB/BC (I can self-study AB over the summer)
AP Physics 2
AP Biology/ Chemistry (either one)
AP English Literature and Composition
6th class choice → AP Euro, AP Comp Sci A, AP Stats, AP Chem, AP Seminar, or AP Econ
Japan Studies / Strength (required)

My schedule allows for 8 different classes, and one must be a free period so I have 7 classes to choose. I also need to take both Japan Studies and Strength training as my school requires those credits in order for me to graduate, so in reality I only have 6 classes that I can choose. My first 5 classes will meet the recommended HS classes that are on USNA's website, so I really am not sure as to what I should take. Any advice would be great!

Thanks!
 
I would do AP Chemistry over AP Biology. AP Chemistry or AP Physics is preferred from what I understand. My school does AICE as opposed to AP, but I am in AICE Chemistry this year. I was able to sit in on a USNA Chemistry I (virtually), but I felt like my chemistry class was really preparing me in the ways in needed to. AP Comp Sci might not be a bad choice, but do something you will be interested in. Do not make yourself miserable taking a lot of classes you do not want to take. You will preform better and gain more knowledge if it is something you want to do.
 
USNA’s plebe-year focus is on Calculus, Chemistry and English. So that gives you a good idea of what they value and what will prepare you best for their academic rigors.

You should be fine with AP options for Calc, Chem and English. The SAs like you to take the hardest classes your school has to offer and to excel at them. So you’re on the right track. At the same time — beyond the core subjects — make sure you’re taking them because you genuinely want to, not just because they might make you look good to admissions.
 
Since you also posted in USAFA threads, i'll chime in.
Go to USNA website and look at their core curriculum to start; work backwards, can't really advise you there.
Go to USAFA/Academics/Core curriculum, middle of page exhibit, and download handbook
AP Chem, not Biology
Interesting factoid - Biology is NOT a listed major at USNA! It is at USAFA.
AP Comp Sci - required/core curriculum subject at USAFA, and having exposure to it is ideal.
 
For USNA, important courses are Calc, chem and physics, Also English (with writing). Advance language is viewed favorably as well. Not sure what you've already taken, so hard to advise. For your additional class, take something you'll enjoy. Keep in mind what you can handle as well.
 
Along the lines of taking something you enjoy, my DS (received 4yr NROTC Scholarhip) had a similarly packed And advanced schedule as OP. His junior year, he took Woodworking and Senior year took Advanced Woodworking. His school had the latest, greatest C & C machine which required math and coding skills to operate. We still have a beautiful inlaid sidetable, which no one can believe was made by a HS Senior.

He went on to major in Mech E. When he interned at Goddard and JPL he was the only intern (among several, who included xROTC and SA cadets/mids) who knew how operate such a machine And therefore, had the most,in his mind, interesting jobs.
 
Adv. Chinese: Pop Culture and Media Literacy
AP Calculus AB (self-study AB over the summer)
AP Physics 2
AP Chemistry
AP English Literature and Composition
6th class choice (whichever is easiest)→ probably AP Stat or AP Econ
Japan Studies / Strength (required)
 
  • AP Chem, AP Calculus, and AP English-the other courses are mickey mouse. (Add AP Physics to the three and you’ll be hating Life-I see you’re up to the challenge but there is more to be gained elsewhere).
  • –take a drama course or act in the school play.
  • –do a sport for the next two years.
  • –join CAP and get your pilot’s license.
  • –learn to ride a horse.
  • –do a summer internship where you learn to run a CNC machine and become an apprentice machinist.
  • –tune your own mountain bike and do some racing.
  • –try your hand at trap or skeet.
  • –challenge yourself to stand up on a surf board and bring the family.
  • –find a local college and take their honors chem, physics, or calculus course this summer. See if you can pass yourself off as a college student while remaining under the radar as a high school student.
 
^^^

Two different topics. One is academics, the other ECAs. You're absolutely correct that it's important to do things outside of the classroom. Love some of the unique ideas.

As for taking college courses, for USNA purposes, there is no need to do that unless you have exhausted your h.s. classes. They are not viewed more favorably than a rigorous AP/honors/IB course. If your high school is not rigorous and/or you've received As in all of the relevant h.s. courses, then community college might be an option.
 
^^^

Two different topics. One is academics, the other ECAs. You're absolutely correct that it's important to do things outside of the classroom. Love some of the unique ideas.

As for taking college courses, for USNA purposes, there is no need to do that unless you have exhausted your h.s. classes. They are not viewed more favorably than a rigorous AP/honors/IB course. If your high school is not rigorous and/or you've received As in all of the relevant h.s. courses, then community college might be an option.

Thank you! My high school is pretty rigorous in terms of academics, so I think the courses they offer are good enough, although taking college courses does seem like a great experience. However, I live overseas, so there aren't as many opportunities as back in the states, such as JROTC or CAP or even community college. Once again thank you though!
 
Having taken Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics will benefit you at USNA. My advice as a current youngster:

1. Look into which classes you can validate with AP scores. Take those, knock the tests out of the park, and instantly be ahead at USNA.
https://www.usna.edu/Academics/Candidate-Information/Course-Validation-Policy.php
2. After you've exhausted opportunities to validate, look at the rest of the core curriculum at USNA. Take those classes in high school.

Why validate? Validating classes can get you out of the typical "plebe killer" classes with common exams and into higher level classes sooner. I finished plebe year 6 classes ahead in my matrix (this also considering the mandatory summer classes everyone took courtesy of COVID). I now have the opportunity to take classes that interest me and not only uncle sam. I also picked up a language minor without having to overload. I will also be able to go abroad without overloading.

Why take classes you'll take at USNA anyway? Because mids historically struggle with calc, chem, and physics. I absolutely crushed the AP Physics C exam, but USNA did not award validations based on AP scores. Because I've seen it before, Physics at USNA is EZ-PZ. The same goes for calc.

With this in mind, I would recommend that you take the following:

1. AP Calc BC. Crush the exam and validate some calc. If you don't validate you'll at least have seen it before.
2. AP Chem. Validation tests occur over the summer. Pass them and save yourself the headache of plebe chem. Plebe chem can really suck depending on which professor you get. If you don't validate you'll at least have seen it before.
3. AP Physics 2, but take AP Physics C if it is offered. If you don't validate you'll at least have seen it before.
4. Take whatever you want for strength/Japanese. I have no input there.
5.
-Take AP Euro and crush the exam if you're in a position to validate HH216 as I quoted below. So if you do not already have a 5 on AP world, you won't validate.
-Otherwise, Adv. Chinese if that interests you.
6 and 7.
-If you want to be a Quantitative Economics or Math with Econ major, take AP micro and AP macro during senior year. A 4 on AP Micro validates Principles of Micro. Likewise for a 4 on AP Macro and principles of macro. Both principles classes are required for both econ majors.
-Many Math-y majors require a couple stats classes. AP stats score of 4 or better validates SM219, a basic stats class.
-AP Lit score of 5 can validate plebe english 1. I don't have much to say here as I hate english classes.

Let me know if you have any questions or if my recommendations are unclear. Admittedly, I wrote this pretty quickly. You may want to check my work with the primary source I included above. As always, my opinion is worth about as much as you paid for it.


From the validation page above regarding HH216
World History AP=5 plus either European History AP=5 or American History AP=5 validates HH216.
 
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