Acceptable "rigor" for an A/B student not gunning for top 50 school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, does MCPS allow AP Lang as a 12th grader? My DC requested the same in their FCPS school and was denied b/c the school said AP Lang was the upper level of English 11, which DC was already taking.

It’s not an option on WJ’s 12th grade registration card. You can take AP Lit, which I will caution is tougher than Lang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, does MCPS allow AP Lang as a 12th grader? My DC requested the same in their FCPS school and was denied b/c the school said AP Lang was the upper level of English 11, which DC was already taking.

Yes they do.

[Anonymous]

OP, you're thinking about this all wrong. The appropriate level of rigor is whatever the student can handle and is motivated to do. Take classes that are challenging but in which you can get an A or a B.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the below look for an MCPS kid not targeting a top 50 school? Trying to choose APs that he's actually interested in. He had straight As in 9th grade, 10th grade is looking like a mix of As and Bs for 1st semester.

10th

Pre Calc
Honors Chem
Honors English 10
Honors Spanish 4
AP Gov
Electives: journalism, Health A

11th
Calc with applications
AP ES
Honors World History
Honors Spanish 5
Honors English 11
AP Psych
AP Comp Sci Princ

12th
AP Lang
Forensic Science
AP Human Geography
AP Stats
Sign Language
Health B/other elective
Some other elective

For a top 50? No AP in a hard science, no ap calculus, ending foreign language without an ap. Can they throw a football really well?

What is wrong with AP ES? It doesn’t count as rigorous? I thought it is a lab science. My 11th grader is planning to take it next year and is aiming for top 25. Will have taken honors Bio, honors Chem, honors physics and can take the AP version of Bio, Chem, Physics or APES in 12th.

[Anonymous]

AP ES is fine, but not considered as rigorous a choice as AP bio, chem, or phys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the below look for an MCPS kid not targeting a top 50 school? Trying to choose APs that he's actually interested in. He had straight As in 9th grade, 10th grade is looking like a mix of As and Bs for 1st semester.

10th

Pre Calc
Honors Chem
Honors English 10
Honors Spanish 4
AP Gov
Electives: journalism, Health A

11th
Calc with applications
AP ES
Honors World History
Honors Spanish 5
Honors English 11
AP Psych
AP Comp Sci Princ

12th
AP Lang
Forensic Science
AP Human Geography
AP Stats
Sign Language
Health B/other elective
Some other elective

For a top 50? No AP in a hard science, no ap calculus, ending foreign language without an ap. Can they throw a football really well?

What is wrong with AP ES? It doesn’t count as rigorous? I thought it is a lab science. My 11th grader is planning to take it next year and is aiming for top 25. Will have taken honors Bio, honors Chem, honors physics and can take the AP version of Bio, Chem, Physics or APES in 12th.

My non-stem kid did APES instead of the others but it’s regarded as “lesser.” See eg the Selingo books mention of it by Emory AO. But it’s a high workload course. A lot of kids struggle with it. My kid also did Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics and was accepted ED into their Slac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our senior had a mix of As & Bs in junior year (straight As 9, 10, 12), took 12 APs, and is getting acceptances at schools ranked 60-100 thus far (all EAs, not RD yet). Denied from a T25 school ED. Probably would need to factor in your kid's test scores (if MCPS likely need to submit) and less rigorous APs (our kid took more and also some more rigorous ones than your DC). I think you likely already have access to Naviance but I would spend some time on there checking out your DC's existing GPA (and I can't remember timing but perhaps you have a PSAT score you can use to extrapolate?).

OP here - It's early - kid is only a sophomore but thinks he's interested in places like UVM, UC Boulder, Colorado State, UDenver, UOregon

Does one even have to take APs to get into these schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our senior had a mix of As & Bs in junior year (straight As 9, 10, 12), took 12 APs, and is getting acceptances at schools ranked 60-100 thus far (all EAs, not RD yet). Denied from a T25 school ED. Probably would need to factor in your kid's test scores (if MCPS likely need to submit) and less rigorous APs (our kid took more and also some more rigorous ones than your DC). I think you likely already have access to Naviance but I would spend some time on there checking out your DC's existing GPA (and I can't remember timing but perhaps you have a PSAT score you can use to extrapolate?).

OP here - It's early - kid is only a sophomore but thinks he's interested in places like UVM, UC Boulder, Colorado State, UDenver, UOregon

There doesn’t look very rigorous at all. He should be in AP English language and AP calc AB as a junior and AP eng lit as a senior minimum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why this is a common question here.

Don't most students attend high schools where all core subject area teachers make recommendations based on the kid's performance in their current class?

Sadly no. Recommendations are often made simply on the credits needed to get a diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our senior had a mix of As & Bs in junior year (straight As 9, 10, 12), took 12 APs, and is getting acceptances at schools ranked 60-100 thus far (all EAs, not RD yet). Denied from a T25 school ED. Probably would need to factor in your kid's test scores (if MCPS likely need to submit) and less rigorous APs (our kid took more and also some more rigorous ones than your DC). I think you likely already have access to Naviance but I would spend some time on there checking out your DC's existing GPA (and I can't remember timing but perhaps you have a PSAT score you can use to extrapolate?).

OP here - It's early - kid is only a sophomore but thinks he's interested in places like UVM, UC Boulder, Colorado State, UDenver, UOregon

There doesn’t look very rigorous at all. He should be in AP English language and AP calc AB as a junior and AP eng lit as a senior minimum

This is not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the below look for an MCPS kid not targeting a top 50 school? Trying to choose APs that he's actually interested in. He had straight As in 9th grade, 10th grade is looking like a mix of As and Bs for 1st semester.

10th

Pre Calc
Honors Chem
Honors English 10
Honors Spanish 4
AP Gov
Electives: journalism, Health A

11th
Calc with applications
AP ES
Honors World History
Honors Spanish 5
Honors English 11
AP Psych
AP Comp Sci Princ

12th
AP Lang
Forensic Science
AP Human Geography
AP Stats
Sign Language
Health B/other elective
Some other elective

For a top 50? No AP in a hard science, no ap calculus, ending foreign language without an ap. Can they throw a football really well?

What is wrong with AP ES? It doesn’t count as rigorous? I thought it is a lab science. My 11th grader is planning to take it next year and is aiming for top 25. Will have taken honors Bio, honors Chem, honors physics and can take the AP version of Bio, Chem, Physics or APES in 12th.

My non-stem kid did APES instead of the others but it’s regarded as “lesser.” See eg the Selingo books mention of it by Emory AO. But it’s a high workload course. A lot of kids struggle with it. My kid also did Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics and was accepted ED into their Slac.

What about for UVA? Is APES okay? If not taking APES, what is the easier AP science: bio, chem and physics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the below look for an MCPS kid not targeting a top 50 school? Trying to choose APs that he's actually interested in. He had straight As in 9th grade, 10th grade is looking like a mix of As and Bs for 1st semester.

10th

Pre Calc
Honors Chem
Honors English 10
Honors Spanish 4
AP Gov
Electives: journalism, Health A

11th
Calc with applications
AP ES
Honors World History
Honors Spanish 5
Honors English 11
AP Psych
AP Comp Sci Princ

12th
AP Lang
Forensic Science
AP Human Geography
AP Stats
Sign Language
Health B/other elective
Some other elective

For a top 50? No AP in a hard science, no ap calculus, ending foreign language without an ap. Can they throw a football really well?

What is wrong with AP ES? It doesn’t count as rigorous? I thought it is a lab science. My 11th grader is planning to take it next year and is aiming for top 25. Will have taken honors Bio, honors Chem, honors physics and can take the AP version of Bio, Chem, Physics or APES in 12th.

My non-stem kid did APES instead of the others but it’s regarded as “lesser.” See eg the Selingo books mention of it by Emory AO. But it’s a high workload course. A lot of kids struggle with it. My kid also did Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics and was accepted ED into their Slac.

What about for UVA? Is APES okay? If not taking APES, what is the easier AP science: bio, chem and physics?

My non-stem kid (not in AP calculus for example because can’t handle it) got an A in AP bio and a 5 on the exam. It’s a function of studying. He has high executive functioning skills and seemingly mastered the material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the below look for an MCPS kid not targeting a top 50 school? Trying to choose APs that he's actually interested in. He had straight As in 9th grade, 10th grade is looking like a mix of As and Bs for 1st semester.

10th

Pre Calc
Honors Chem
Honors English 10
Honors Spanish 4
AP Gov
Electives: journalism, Health A

11th
Calc with applications
AP ES
Honors World History
Honors Spanish 5
Honors English 11
AP Psych
AP Comp Sci Princ

12th
AP Lang
Forensic Science
AP Human Geography
AP Stats
Sign Language
Health B/other elective
Some other elective

For a top 50? No AP in a hard science, no ap calculus, ending foreign language without an ap. Can they throw a football really well?

What is wrong with AP ES? It doesn’t count as rigorous? I thought it is a lab science. My 11th grader is planning to take it next year and is aiming for top 25. Will have taken honors Bio, honors Chem, honors physics and can take the AP version of Bio, Chem, Physics or APES in 12th.

My non-stem kid did APES instead of the others but it’s regarded as “lesser.” See eg the Selingo books mention of it by Emory AO. But it’s a high workload course. A lot of kids struggle with it. My kid also did Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics and was accepted ED into their Slac.

That APES would be seen as "lesser," or in any way detrimental for a (non physics for example) STEM program by an AO shows how broken our system is.

[Anonymous]

Not gunning for t50? Be prepared to sail into the following schools outside the t50 during regular decision with ease: Case Western, Tulane, Brandeis, Northeastern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not gunning for t50? Be prepared to sail into the following schools outside the t50 during regular decision with ease: Case Western, Tulane, Brandeis, Northeastern

No APs? No ECs?