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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here.  We do not think he will be a failure if he does not get into UVA.  But that is currently his top pick.  I want him to be realistic about which courses he is choosing for next year.  As in, if he doesn't take Spanish 4, then he might not get into UVA.  He needs to think about how strongly he wants UVA vs how strongly he would rather not continue in Spanish.  Totally up to him.[/quote]

If it were his senior year and he wasn't taking a foreign language, that would probably be fine.  But it sounds like he doesn't want to take one in the junior year, either, and is looking for filling the void with a cheesy elective that's not a core class.  It's not gonna look good.  He really needs to have a very solid junior year schedule if he's eyeing UVA.[/quote]

OP, this PP and the earlier one who wrote out a list for you have very good, specific advice for your DC along with the chorus of nearly everyone else who seem to have a good handle on UVA admissions. To be blunt, it is not a good look for your DS to[b] ease up on the pedal at the start of junior year.[/b] This will be the year that colleges will most scrutinize. It will be glaringly obvious that a junior dropped their language. You put UVA on the table and the posters are responding to that. If you had said GMU or JMU, they may have had different responses. [/quote]

OP here.  This statement bothers me.  Is it really how UVA admissions will view his junior year if it lacks Spanish 4?

Here is his proposed schedule for 11th grade:

- AP Calc BC
- AP Physics C
- AP Lang/Comp
- Honors US History
- AP Statistics
- Post-AP Computer Science AB
- Fun Elective -- either Debate or Game Design/Development

I just don't see how that is easing up on the pedal.  Am I wrong?[/quote]

I get ya...but I am not sitting on admissions. In 12th, DD was determined to drop language and add Stats to round out an already crazy schedule, not even taking into account ECs, varsity and travel sport, etc. Of course, part of the reason is that math just comes more easy and she wanted an "easy" elective. College counselor told her she may as well scratch the reach schools off the top of her list. So even though math-challenged mom was super impressed by all the STEM, the college counselor said, "no, not really."[/quote]

Parent of a junior who got similar advice - it is mind blowing to me that a non-stem focused kid is expected to take multi variable calculus instead of (or in addition to) statistics in order to keep up “rigor.”[/quote]

I’m the mom that started the somewhat similar thread about AP confusion and I really think the whole thing is ridiculous. It really is just an arms race. I’ve explained to my DS that to some extent it’s about playing the game. You can choose to opt out of certain parts but there may be consequences, but the whole thing is ridiculous, including all the strategizing about whether one very challenging route is slightly more compelling than another. [/quote]

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