AP Classes!!!

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Jun 19, 2017
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Sos I'm going into senior year and my school doesn't offer too many AP classes that interest me (I'm not a science or math minded person). I've taken the 3 that my school offers that I knew would be something that I could survive and I don't want to schedule a bunch of AP classes I don't want to take if I don't have to... I was really looking forward to my fun senior year. :(
 
If you aren't science or math minded, USNA may not be the school for you. Even a Bull (Group 3) major is going to take plenty of math, science and engineering, whether you want it or not. (There is a reason that everyone at USNA gets a Bachelor of Science degree). If you don't take the tough course now, you will struggle at USNA , if you get in. This isn't the time to take it easy-- it only gets tougher going forward.
 
Three things. If you want to be competitive for USNA, you should be taking as many honors/AP/IB classes as you can. USNA knows how many AP classes your school offers and, if you're not taking them, that is a negative. Of course, we're taking AP in core courses, not AP music, art, sociology, etc.

Second, if you don't take calc, chem and physics at the highest level your school offers, you may not be competitive for USNA. You don't have to love math/science to succeed at USNA, but USNA wants to see that you can handle those courses b/c, as noted above, you will be taking a lot of them.

Third, USNA wants folks who continually challenge themselves. If you want to cruise senior year, you may not have the personality that is needed to succeed at USNA.
 
I will give you the motherly advise I have my own DD, who is now preparing for RDay at USMA in 13 days, when tough choices had to be made: In 5 years, you will be graduating from college, whether it be an SA or a traditional college. What is your passion? What is your dream? Where do you want to be and what do you want to do with your life? Will you be preparing to serve, possibly in some exotic location & getting paid to do so, with a most highly respected University degree in hand? Will you have your career established and set for you for at least 4-5 years if not 20??? And will you look back at your 17 year old self and say "Wow! I almost gave this all up for THAT!".
OR
Will you be graduated, with a respectable University degree in hand, sitting in front of your computer, writing and re-writing your resume; searching for that perfect career to help start your life? Maybe in some exotic location; likely not. No guarantee of pay. No guarantee of a job even. And will you look back at your 17 year old self and say, " I gave it all up for THAT?".

You can have fun your senior year and still work hard, but the hard work must come first if your dream is a SA. Decide now what it is you want! Then make it happen.
 
Sos...
take them (AP classes), or not, but rest assured that your competition is taking them. As well as leading some sort of club or organization, participating in varsity sports, working a part time job, while meeting her volunteer hours for NHS and fighting to remain in the top 10% of her class, etc, etc.
Seriously? You want to have fun your senior year?!? I totally get that, I do, but something tells me you should rethink the service academy route. Wanting to have fun is really what young people your age are wired to want, totally normal. Choosing the easier route is way more normal than the more difficult path that these driven kids that have chosen. Most service academy students had a vision-quest (borrowing Brovol's term) from day one of high school and tirelessly persevered all the way through their Senior year of school, even knowing that the real work lay ahead of them! That sure wasn't what I did as a high schooler!
But you know what is really fun? Getting into your dream school! Like I said, take the classes or don't, but doors are probably closing on you if you take the easy path. And that's ok! You will find the right place for you. Does your high school counselor know you want to attend USNA? Ask them to help you with this, but if they won't, or they are too busy, there is lots of great advice on these forums. You just got to have tough skin with some of our answers. We mean well, promise!
 
"If you want to cruise senior year, you may not have the personality that is needed to succeed at USNA." Please don't take this as too harsh but truer words have never been spoken. There is a type that succeeds at USNA and no where in their make up is looking to "cruise" through anything....no pun intended! You may want to spend a solid week of repeatedly (many times a day...like 6) running through the physical assessment, in order. That times a zillion is what Plebe Summer will bring, and that's a fair indicator of the path these Mids have chosen. I certainly don't mean to sound negative or discouraging but PLEASE to into this with eyes wide open. Good luck!
 
Wow.... there are some tough mom's here!

My advice, having struggled thru Calc at USMA, is that you 100% need to take AP Calc, Chem and Physics if it is offered for one main reason......if you can't do well in HS calc, chem and physics you definitely won't do well in them at USXA and it is highly likely you won't make it past the dean plebe year.
 
If you aren't science or math minded, USNA may not be the school for you. Even a Bull (Group 3) major is going to take plenty of math, science and engineering, whether you want it or not. (There is a reason that everyone at USNA gets a Bachelor of Science degree). If you don't take the tough course now, you will struggle at USNA , if you get in. This isn't the time to take it easy-- it only gets tougher going forward.
my son wasn't a real math or science person either . He took them and finished them because he had to at the academy . Not the end of the world
 
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