Senior Classes Advice

Meowspike13

Meowspike13

C/O 2026 Applicant
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
85
Hello all! I am heading into my senior year and I am in the process of editing my classes in order to (hopefully) prepare myself for a somewhat plebe-like schedule.

My classes that I am currently signed up for are:
0. English 1A
1. English 1B
2. AP Calculus BC
3. AP Physics 1
4. Advanced Med Concepts (Health Careers Academy class)
5. US History & Public Health

Are these choices rigorous enough in terms of attempting to be somewhat aligned with a plebe schedule? Any advice? I know that I cannot take an exact schedule to what plebes experience since my high school can only offer so much.

Thank you so much for you help in advance.
 
Meowspike13 said:
Hello all! I am heading into my senior year and I am in the process of editing my classes in order to (hopefully) prepare myself for a somewhat plebe-like schedule.

My classes that I am currently signed up for are:
0. English 1A
1. English 1B
2. AP Calculus BC
3. AP Physics 1
4. Advanced Med Concepts (Health Careers Academy class)
5. US History & Public Health

Are these choices rigorous enough in terms of attempting to be somewhat aligned with a plebe schedule? Any advice? I know that I cannot take an exact schedule to what plebes experience since my high school can only offer so much.

Thank you so much for you help in advance.
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How do your choices in grades 9-12 align with what is recommended on the USNA website? Those recommendations and taking the most challenging courses available are the key. It’s not so much taking a plebe-like schedule in HS, but taking the recommended courses in the most difficult form to prepare you for USNA academic rigor.
www.usna.edu

General Advice for Grades 9-12

General Advice for Grades 9-12 page for Admissions at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Apr 12 05:31:35 EDT 2024.
www.usna.edu
 
Capt MJ said:
It’s not so much taking a plebe-like schedule in HS, but taking the recommended courses in the most difficult form to prepare you for USNA academic rigor.
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Wow I never thought of it that way for some reason. It helps put things into a better perspective.

My class choices from grades 9-11 were rigorous in my experience. I did get ahead in my freshman year and took sophomore level math w/ honors since I took freshman level math in 8th grade. I also did take honors chemistry (my school doesn't offer AP Chem), AP European History, and a lot more honors/AP classes that I could name but would be a lot to mention.

Thank you for the advice on this, I will definitely ask my BGO once candidate #'s come out and all that. :)
 
Did you already take a language?

The oft repeated advice about a "plebe-like schedule" is for college students who are going to apply or reapply.

For High School students, the four years should include
Four yrs of Math - Algebra, Geometry, Trig and hopefully calculus.
Chemistry and Physics
Four years of English
Two or more years of a Foreign Language
At lest one year of US History and hopefully a year of World History.
 
C/O 2025 appointee here. For my senior year I took:
AP Calc BC
AP Physics 2
AP Literature
Government and economics
Health and leadership
Varsity Orchestra
Varsity Swim
If that helps at all...feel free to reach out!
 
@OldRetSWO Yes I took 3 years of Spanish, starting in 8th grade and ending in 10th grade. I will take my US History this upcoming year so that I have my 1 year of US History.

Thank you for the guidance on how my classes should be aligned in my senior year.
 
@cavubeat@rmy2021 Thank you for that, it does help in choosing my classes for next year.

Though I am signed up for dual enrollment, the credits (unfortunately) can only be used within UCs/CSUs in my case. Do you think that it would be a better option to take AP Lit and be able to use the credits if I pass the AP exam rather than not be able to use the credits towards USNA if offered appointment? And what was your experience taking AP Lit?
 
Meowspike13 said:
@cavubeat@rmy2021 Thank you for that, it does help in choosing my classes for next year.

Though I am signed up for dual enrollment, the credits (unfortunately) can only be used within UCs/CSUs in my case. Do you think that it would be a better option to take AP Lit and be able to use the credits if I pass the AP exam rather than not be able to use the credits towards USNA if offered appointment? And what was your experience taking AP Lit?
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As far as I understand it, USNA doesn't take any dual enrollment credits - your options are either to take their test during plebe summer, get a really good AP/IB score, or (for upper level courses) do some form of interview and/or test. For English, you take the plebe summer test or get a 5 on AP Lit or Lang (or 7 on IB).

Here's where I'm getting this from: https://www.usna.edu/Academics/Candidate-Information/Course-Validation-Policy.php
 
Hello there @Meowspike13 I teach your number 4 and while it might not have the rigor of other classes, you’ll learn a bunch and do some fun hands-on stuff. My students can get a minimum of three certifications In a normal year. That might not mean much to some but they look good on a resume.
 
Meowspike13 said:
@cavubeat@rmy2021 Thank you for that, it does help in choosing my classes for next year.

Though I am signed up for dual enrollment, the credits (unfortunately) can only be used within UCs/CSUs in my case. Do you think that it would be a better option to take AP Lit and be able to use the credits if I pass the AP exam rather than not be able to use the credits towards USNA if offered appointment? And what was your experience taking AP Lit?
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Either way would work. You could take AP Lit, get a 5 on the exam and validate. Or not get a 5, do well on the USNA validation test and validate. Or you could take dual credit, do well on USNA validation test and validate. Personally, I loved the class. I'm the type the loves analyzing things (ended up with As in all 3 of those AP classes) and the course load wasn't too much. I've also never done dual credit so I can't really compare the two, but from what I've heard from friends, that little bit of extra effort to take AP Lit as opposed to dual credit really pays off in the end. Even if you don't validate, the class itself can teach you a TON about analyzing people, motives, and just life in general. If you approach it from the mindset that it's a class to prepare you for the next part of your life, you'll get much more out of it than you'd expect.
 
Devil Doc said:
you’ll learn a bunch and do some fun hands-on stuff. My students can get a minimum of three certifications In a normal year.
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Indeed I love my Health Careers Academy class. Before the pandemic hit, we were supposed to earn our CPR Certification and validate that in school; however the pandemic hit and we weren't able to do it so we will get certified for it once I go back to in-person school in August. But even then, I have earned my CERT certification through that class and do appreciate the things that I learn in there.

Thank you so much for the input concerning my #4 class!
 
@cavubeat@rmy2021 Thank you so much for that perspective on AP Lit, I also like analyzing and breaking things down on relevant topics like what I did this past year in AP Language & Composition. The only thing that's not my cup of tea per se is the literature portion concerning poems and things like that. However now that you mention looking at AP Lit that way, I will definitely use that as a means to push through the class :)
 
Meowspike13 said:
@cavubeat@rmy2021 Thank you so much for that perspective on AP Lit, I also like analyzing and breaking things down on relevant topics like what I did this past year in AP Language & Composition. The only thing that's not my cup of tea per se is the literature portion concerning poems and things like that. However now that you mention looking at AP Lit that way, I will definitely use that as a means to push through the class :)
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You've got it! Hang in there ;)
 
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