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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What are they interested in studying in college?[/quote]

Applied Math[/quote]

Then I would take Econ.  Much more useful with a math degree than Euro.

I'm a huge proponent of kids taking classes in HS that they like, along with playing the "how to get into college guide".  
I let my top stat kid skip APUSH/AP 11th English and focus on 4 STEM classes.  My kid only took 3 history (WH1/2/3, Civics and US Hist) but added AP Psych because it's a course that actually interests them.  Also took 3 or 4 AP MATH/SCI/CS/STEM classes junior and senior years for total of 9.  [/quote]

Where did your DC go to college?[/quote]

School ranked in the T30/35---got into several in the 30-50 range.  Did not get into their T10/ED and got WL one just below 30.  So, perhaps taking the APUSH/ENG might have helped with admission, but probably not (when admission rates are 5-10% it is still a crap shoot). IMO what you have to weigh is: would my kid still be happy with their choice if they do NOT get into a T10 school because of it.  And to me, a future Applied Math major could use AP Econ---so why not push themselves with a topic that's interesting to THEM and will be beneficial for their future. The parent indicates that their son would rather take AP Econ---at some point you have to start allowing your kids to make their own decisions--with the caveat that you help the kid understand that this "might" hurt their admission chances at T10/20 schools slightly ( I say slightly because their odds of admission is still slim, thousands of kids have the "perfect resume"/"perfect course list with perfect grades" and still get denied admission.

My kid is a full year ahead in Calc, chem (taking Orgo freshman year), 1 semester of Physics credit, 1 Semester of CS credit (intro class for Majors/minors).  Interestingly, their college does NOT give credit for history, English, etc. if it's not in your major---so no AP credit for their version of "core curriculum".  So my kid would have only been taking it for "enrichment" and possibly to help with college admissions.  Instead, my kid focused on the STEM courses that actually matter for their future, learned alot (got 5s on everything and is doing extremely well at a top university in those sophomore level courses their freshman year).  Sure my kid could have completed APUSH/AP Eng 11th, but they would have been miserable---it would have meant an extra 10-15 hours of work per week at a minimum.  My kid wanted to focus on their EC/Sport that requires 15-25+ hours/week of commitment.  We chose to let them do that and preserve their mental health.  Instead they took honor Eng/History, had a much lower time commitment, and still got into a great university.  Most importantly, they did not overextend themselves---it is NOT healthy to get only 2-3 hours of sleep per night, and that's what would happen when you go to school 8-3, attend dance from 4-10pm M-Th, another 4-6 hours on Sat, and in the fall you have Nutcracker that consumes every waking moment for almost 1 month (with run thrus, dress rehearsals, 10 performances, etc) and then it's on to competition season with Friday's from 3pm until Sunday at 7pm often consuming your weekends every 2-3 weeks.  Sure my kid could have done it, but would it be healthy?  Or should we let them focus on top classes that apply to their future and they ENJOY, and focus on an EC that makes them happy.  I'll pick that anyday.

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