Senior Year Schedule

hopefulUSNA25

hopefulUSNA25

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Dec 8, 2019
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Thought I should share my schedule for next year. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. (My goal is to validate as many courses as possible for plebe year.)

AP Literature
AP Statistics
AP French
AP Chemistry
AP Government and Politics
+ electives
(I might also take Calc III through a local college next year, any tips on dual enrollment would help.)
 
hopefulUSNA25 said:
Thought I should share my schedule for next year. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. (My goal is to validate as many courses as possible for plebe year.)

AP Literature
AP Statistics
AP French
AP Chemistry
AP Government and Politics
+ electives
(I might also take Calc III through a local college next year, any tips on dual enrollment would help.)
Click to expand...
That's a heavy load. Will you continue with your ECs, sports, clubs, etc. and other obligations, family, job, voluteerism, etc.?
 
DS is also taking 5 (had signed up for 4, but got roped into 5); it is a lot of work. Whatever you do, don't take US Gov and Comp Gov with Lit - it's a heck of a lot of writing/papers/projects. Do keep Chem; DS is taking Physics, but wishes he'd dropped one of those gov classes and picked up Chem as well. Good luck!
 
Holden100 said:
DS is also taking 5 (had signed up for 4, but got roped into 5); it is a lot of work. Whatever you do, don't take US Gov and Comp Gov with Lit - it's a heck of a lot of writing/papers/projects. Do keep Chem; DS is taking Physics, but wishes he'd dropped one of those gov classes and picked up Chem as well. Good luck!
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Do you mean I shouldn't take US Gov with Lit?
 
Devil Doc said:
That's a heavy load. Will you continue with your ECs, sports, clubs, etc. and other obligations, family, job, voluteerism, etc.?
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I plan to continue with ECs, clubs, and other obligations. I might cut back on sports and pursue a fitness program instead.
 
hopefulUSNA25 said:
I plan to continue with ECs, clubs, and other obligations. I might cut back on sports and pursue a fitness program instead.
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Sounds like an exciting senior year. It goes by quickly. We have to get through this one first.
 
hopefulUSNA25 said:
Do you mean I shouldn't take US Gov with Lit?
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No, one of the gov classes with Lit is fine, just don't get talked into 2, like my DS did. At my son's school it's the same teacher, very cool guy, but the 2 gov classes keep my kid really busy. Most Sundays are spent getting ahead for the week, especially during wrestling season. It's a hectic winter schedule. It'll slow down in March. He's taking AP US Gov, AP Comp Gov, AP Lit, AP Calc, & AP Physics. The classes that keep him the busiest with weekly work are the the gov and lit classes. AP Chem would've been more useful for him rather than the Comp gov class. Live and learn.
 
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Suggestions:
--take the Statistics course at your local community college this summer. An easy course and the knowledge will increase your test scores in time for the SAT and ACT in the autumn.
--you need chemistry, calculus, and physics at the college level. If you have access to a real college curriculum use dual enrollment to take these courses. Be very cautious as many high school AP courses are more fluff than tough and have not prepared you to take the college level courses. Let’s repeat that…A’s in high school AP Calc I and II did not prepared you for college Calc III. No one wants you to be roadkill.
(Calc III is the calculus of vector-valued functions. Topics include differentiation and integration of parametrically defined functions with interpretations of velocity, acceleration, arc length and curvature. Other topics include iterated, double, triple and surface integrals including change of coordinates. The remainder of the course is devoted to vector fields, line integrals, Green's theorem, curl and divergence, and Stokes' theorem.)
Have a good look at that college textbook and syllabus before you skip past Calc I for Calc II.
--try to take the college physics course that is calculus based. If you have no background in physics take the algebra based physics course. Start with one in the autumn and take the next the following quarter or semester.
--keep the AP Literature and drop the rest. Good grades in college calculus and physics, AP Chem, and AP Literature should provide solid assurance to the board that you can handle the academics at the academy.
Your first goal is to get into the academy.
 
hopefulUSNA25 said:
Thought I should share my schedule for next year. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. (My goal is to validate as many courses as possible for plebe year.)

AP Literature
AP Statistics
AP French
AP Chemistry
AP Government and Politics
+ electives
(I might also take Calc III through a local college next year, any tips on dual enrollment would help.)
Click to expand...


I find it amazing how different each school district handles classes. At My kids' school, they are on 4 classes per semester and almost all APs take up both semesters. If only one, it is offered in spring due to exam schedule. At most they can take 4 APs and that is if there is nothing else required that year. The neighboring district has kids taking up to 8 their senior year.

Also from a practical standpoint, what does validating help with? I know it shifts the curriculum one semester/year to the left (according to admissions briefing) but they still have to have X classes each semester, correct? and does a double major help their AD?
 
Big Ugly said:
Suggestions:
--take the Statistics course at your local community college this summer. An easy course and the knowledge will increase your test scores in time for the SAT and ACT in the autumn.
--you need chemistry, calculus, and physics at the college level. If you have access to a real college curriculum use dual enrollment to take these courses. Be very cautious as many high school AP courses are more fluff than tough and have not prepared you to take the college level courses. Let’s repeat that…A’s in high school AP Calc I and II did not prepared you for college Calc III. No one wants you to be roadkill.
(Calc III is the calculus of vector-valued functions. Topics include differentiation and integration of parametrically defined functions with interpretations of velocity, acceleration, arc length and curvature. Other topics include iterated, double, triple and surface integrals including change of coordinates. The remainder of the course is devoted to vector fields, line integrals, Green's theorem, curl and divergence, and Stokes' theorem.)
Have a good look at that college textbook and syllabus before you skip past Calc I for Calc II.
--try to take the college physics course that is calculus based. If you have no background in physics take the algebra based physics course. Start with one in the autumn and take the next the following quarter or semester.
--keep the AP Literature and drop the rest. Good grades in college calculus and physics, AP Chem, and AP Literature should provide solid assurance to the board that you can handle the academics at the academy.
Your first goal is to get into the academy.
Click to expand...

--I can do the Statistics course, that should help. Now I have a free period. (Assuming my school accepts the credits)
--I am taking BC Calc right now, my teacher is very rigorous, although I will get back to you after looking through the college syllabi for Calc 1 and 2. I will try for dual enrollment physics at a local university (they have a very good engineering program). AP Chem should prepare me well.
--I will be focusing on calculus quite a bit next year
--I mostly agree about dropping the rest. However, service academy websites suggest 4 years of language; any thoughts on that? I might take AP Government and Politics as well to have a class I truly enjoy.
 
To be well prepared for USNA, you should have in your jr/sr years of h.s. the following: calc, chem, physics, English (with writing), and history (world/US). If you can handle all or some at the honors/AP/IB level, even better.

Assuming you have the above, other courses that are good/helpful include statistics, advanced language, engineering (if offered), economics (as in math-based, not home economics or personal finance), and government. However, they are not a substitute for the courses mentioned in the first paragraph.

If you're taking 4 solid, core courses (see above) -- and hitting it out of the park with your grades -- and you have an interest in something else -- music history, psychology, art history, don't be afraid to take it as a 5th course.
 
Don’t overthink this. USNA will look at your total transcript in the context of your school profile. They favor candidates who took the hardest classes their school has to offer — especially in STEM — and excelled at them. This is the strongest indicator, alongside your test scores, that you can handle USNA-level academics amid all the other obligations.

No need to complicate things further or try to “game” your decision based on what you think USNA wants to see.
 
I'm currently in dual enrollment, so feel free to reach out with questions!
It's not as bad as you think, and classes are often actually easier than AP's since there isn't a College Board test to prep for (matters on the class of course. Calc III is really tough, and my friends struggled even after taking multiple AP math courses). College professors definitely pick favorites, which sucks but it happens. Try to sit in the front/middle of the class, ask questions, and attend office hours if you're going to ask for a recommendation. It's often easier for them to write good recs if they know you and have talked to you on a weekly basis. Good luck :)
 
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My son was a late comer to the idea of going to SA really didn’t start thinking about it until summer before Senior yr. Hes only taken 1 Ap course. His focus was on club swim team and school swim team as those were his passions. He has excelled in the classes he has taken and is a 4.0 student but makes me wonder if the later decision to attend the academy will effect him as he didn’t “adequately prepare to impress “
 
nervousmom79 said:
My son was a late comer to the idea of going to SA really didn’t start thinking about it until summer before Senior yr. Hes only taken 1 Ap course. His focus was on club swim team and school swim team as those were his passions. He has excelled in the classes he has taken and is a 4.0 student but makes me wonder if the later decision to attend the academy will effect him as he didn’t “adequately prepare to impress “
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I think I would have taken the courses I have/plan to take even if I didn't have my sights set on a SA
 
Our son did all dual credits via the high school and local community college. No AP or IB offered. He did well in them, all A's. Extensive writing for English 101 and 102, capstone essays, that boy wrote more essays than I can count. I asked him what calc he was doing Sunday, he said something regarding iterated something or other and I did hear him say 'vector'. Might as well be speaking Martian to me.
He did take the courses recommended by USNA and did well in them. They also happened to me the hardest his small school offered. He did earn an appointment last week. So AP and IB are not always necessary. And, if his Plan B was needed, he could save himself 28 credits when reporting to Norwich. Also, enjoy your junior and senior year. The time has flown by and now it is at mach 4 and speeding up.
 
hopefulUSNA25 said:
--I can do the Statistics course, that should help. Now I have a free period. (Assuming my school accepts the credits)
--I am taking BC Calc right now, my teacher is very rigorous, although I will get back to you after looking through the college syllabi for Calc 1 and 2. I will try for dual enrollment physics at a local university (they have a very good engineering program). AP Chem should prepare me well.
--I will be focusing on calculus quite a bit next year
--I mostly agree about dropping the rest. However, service academy websites suggest 4 years of language; any thoughts on that? I might take AP Government and Politics as well to have a class I truly enjoy.
Click to expand...

A free period would probably be a good idea. Senior year is hard! You have to keep doing everything you’ve been doing for 3 years ( tough classes, ECs, etc) AND apply to college. Once the applications are done, it’s time to apply for scholarships. You will write so many essays, your head will spin. For SAs, you’ll need to get a nomination (essays and interviews) and take the CFA a few times and deal with DoDMERB. It’s a lot. You may need to miss school for interviews and medical appointments. An extra AP class probably won’t make or break you but not having enough time to edit your essays might.
 
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