Can you take 6 classes instead of 7 in FCPS and still not been seen negatively for college admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So people thing I should force the kid to take 7 AP classes and take AP Spanish?

I think you need to talk to your high school’s counselor for advice - not here

[Anonymous]

OP there is no real reason except like I said extracurriculars are about 25 hours per week and the kid is at a very difficult FCPS public school. And the kid wants to spend time senior year on some competitions that are very time consuming but the results of those will not be until after the admissions come out so even if there is a national level win it won't "count."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP stats is directly in my kid's area of interest.

Another thing about the language- the kid had substitute 2 of 4 years taking it. So if the class ends up being hard...well the grade really could tank.

I think with the current lineup the grades could stay very high.

But it sounds like I should probably force the language. It was a struggle to even get this kid to do a 4th year and the majority of schools applying to don't have a language requirement or have a 1 year one.

But UVA is a possibility and per the Naviance it is a sea of green with this kid's sat and gpa stats. But maybe with the no AP language it means rejection.

You mentioned T20 schools and I’m not aware of any that have only a one year foreign language requirement.

It’s not the end of the world if no AP language, but just be aware that it could be an issue for admissions at some schools.

[Anonymous]

U Chicago is 1 year. Some of the top slacs don't require foreign language either. MIT does not either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's really irritating bc I thought this whole process was supposed to be holistic and the kids are supposed to follow their passions.

Sure, but some students can follow their passions and still succeed at the most rigorous classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this was MCPS, not FCPS, but my son had sleep apnea issues in high school, and by 12th grade in 2023, he couldn't handle the fatigue anymore. He dropped the first period class. He got into W&M, GW, McGill, St Andrews, UMD Honors, that sort of level. So not T20. He had a 35 ACT, 12 APs and a 4.6wPGA. Oh, and two languages taken to AP level.

But he had a medical issue and presumably that was explained in college applications or by the college counselor. That’s not what OP is describing

Actually no one mentioned it. He's not the best at doing applications...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is really just burning the candle on both ends this year and the extracurricular are taking a ton of time and the kid needs more sleep. This kid also really doesn't have a great Spanish base so AP Spanish would be very hard

So this courseload might not be good due to the lack of a 7th AP class? There are no other options for the Spanish as AP Spanish is the next one so it is 7AP classes, 6 AP and 1 filler, or just 6 - the following 6 classes.

Multivariable
AP stat
AP Comp Sci A
AP Physics C
AP Lit
AP Gov

My kid is taking this courseload and is taking online AP spanish, which shows up on their transcript but is way easier than in-class AP spanish. I recommend it for senior year, which is crazy challenging with so.many.supplemental.essays (I'm looking at you Stanford - do you really need nine essays in addition to the common app essay?)

[Anonymous]

Is the online AP Spanish easy?

[Anonymous]

what we ask of these kids is pretty nuts. Just seems spanish not the one to drop. Online idea sounds good

[Anonymous]

What about 6 classes if I could get my kid to swap AP Spanish (online) for AP stats? Does this change things for 6 vs 7 classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the online AP Spanish easy?

PP here. Yes, the online AP Spanish is super easy, at least the program my kid is taking at a non-DMV public school. It's self-paced so you can fall behind a little and still catch up on assignments, and my kid gets a "free period" at school to do other work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about 6 classes if I could get my kid to swap AP Spanish (online) for AP stats? Does this change things for 6 vs 7 classes

This is fine. Isn't 6 classes plus a free period the norm? It is the norm at my kid's public school.

[Anonymous]

In FCPS 7 is the norm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP stats is directly in my kid's area of interest.

Another thing about the language- the kid had substitute 2 of 4 years taking it. So if the class ends up being hard...well the grade really could tank.

I think with the current lineup the grades could stay very high.

But it sounds like I should probably force the language. It was a struggle to even get this kid to do a 4th year and the majority of schools applying to don't have a language requirement or have a 1 year one.

But UVA is a possibility and per the Naviance it is a sea of green with this kid's sat and gpa stats. But maybe with the no AP language it means rejection.

Depends on CAS or SEAS

[Anonymous]

OP, does your kid *want* a T20 or are you the one pushing this narrative? I’d suggest laying out all the options, the repercussions (eg, no Spanish might mean no UVA or T20), and then step back and stop pressuring your kid or “forcing” him to take what you want him to take.