Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 11:17     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.


Is precalculus a breeze or hard? Does she study ahead (or have a high-standards class) and know a little calculus already?

Why French 5 instead of AP

Did she take non-AP chem? If so, double period AP chem would be a breeze.

Did she take AP CS Principles? Or learn intro CS as an extracurricular or at summer camps?

When she reads a book, can she ask and discuss interesting questions about it?

It's not for everyone, but this is a normal course load for someone headed to highly selective highly academic colleges and state honor colleges, especially those who are bookish academics and not athletes or artists/musicians or otherwise involved in non-academic extracurriculars.


AP CS Principals may be one possible req AP CS Java but it in no way prepares you for the later. These are unrelated classes and AP CS Principles is mostly a joke since it's one of the easiest APs offered.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:54     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.


Is precalculus a breeze or hard? Does she study ahead (or have a high-standards class) and know a little calculus already?

Why French 5 instead of AP

Did she take non-AP chem? If so, double period AP chem would be a breeze.

Did she take AP CS Principles? Or learn intro CS as an extracurricular or at summer camps?

When she reads a book, can she ask and discuss interesting questions about it?

It's not for everyone, but this is a normal course load for someone headed to highly selective highly academic colleges and state honor colleges, especially those who are bookish academics and not athletes or artists/musicians or otherwise involved in non-academic extracurriculars.


OP again. Pre-Calc has been okay. Maybe around 95% in the class so far. As for World Language, she does not feel confident enough in French although usually averages in the mid-A. She doesn't think she would do well going directly into AP World Language. We do not speak French at home or know anyone who speaks the language so she is not getting the speaking practice. She tinkers with some programming but I would not say she knows a lot compared to her coding friends. When she reads a book, she just reads and there is no major discussion. Maybe it happens at school but certainly not at home with us. She is a musician and sees it as a social escape. Also plays a sport a few hours weekly just to keep healthy, and we obviously want to encourage her to continue this.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:45     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.


Punt AP World History because it's time consuming. Also you may want to hold off on AP CS Java for a year if she can. It's not that it's super hard but it is time consuming.


OP here. Can you elaborate on the time that typical kids normally spend for AP CS Java? She knows she wants to pursue the sciences but does not know for certain in which branch, so feels taking Java would at least expose her to the programming side earlier on for assessment purposes. If she likes it, she might even include in additional programming class in senior year. As a sophomore, DD is taking AP Physics 1 and Hon Chem this year. Has found Honor English 9/10 to be manageable, and seems fine in both APUSH and AP NSL. Extracurricular commitment is everyday for about 3 hours.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:36     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.


Is precalculus a breeze or hard? Does she study ahead (or have a high-standards class) and know a little calculus already?

Why French 5 instead of AP

Did she take non-AP chem? If so, double period AP chem would be a breeze.

Did she take AP CS Principles? Or learn intro CS as an extracurricular or at summer camps?

When she reads a book, can she ask and discuss interesting questions about it?

It's not for everyone, but this is a normal course load for someone headed to highly selective highly academic colleges and state honor colleges, especially those who are bookish academics and not athletes or artists/musicians or otherwise involved in non-academic extracurriculars.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:30     Subject: Re:11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What APs has your DD already taken? How do they feel about their current Honors English 10 class? That could help her/you decide about what level of World History and English to take next year. How time-consuming are her extracurriculars?

I also have a DD looking at her courses for junior year this week. It seems intense to me, but I know things have changed since i was in school. Here are her choices and reasoning (if I can piggy-back on your thread):

- AP Calculus BC (debating between this and AB, since she's not a super-STEM kid, but is doing well in honors precalc)
- AP Composition & Language (she's looking forward to a more challenging English class than Honors 9 and 10)
-AP World History (has already taken APUSH in 9th and AP gov this year, so she thinks this is no problem)
-Honors Spanish 4
- Honors Physics (will aim for an AP science next year)
- AP Seminar (although debating with AP Psych)
-band

I'd take Calc AB junior year and BC senior year. Otherwise looks good to me.


PP here. That was my initial thought for my kid, but then we looked at the AP scores for her school in the last few years, and the AB scores are absolutely dismal, whereas BC is somewhat better. Could be a function of which students are in each class, but could also indicate a really bad AB teacher. I mean, there have been 39 AB tests taken in the last 2 years at her school, and 26 students got a 1, 12 got a 2, and 1 got a 3. No 4's or 5's. It just seems like a terrible choice, but BC may not be right either. Still debating what to do...
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:28     Subject: Re:11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:for non STEM focus, I don't know why a junior would take AP Calc BC. Then you'd have to take some crazy math senior year. Just take AP Calc AB junior year and BC senior year. My English-hating DS took AP Comp junior year, did not find it difficult and got a 4 on the AP test. He did well in Honors Physics but found it very hard. On the upside, he says AP Physics has been a breeze. His school does not offer AP World.


They can take Stats if they don't want to continue into advanced college math.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:27     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
It depends 100% on your kid. This is too much for many, and fine for some. If your kid is thinking about this option, your kid isn't most of the many who can't handle it.

We don't know your kid.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:23     Subject: Re:11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:What APs has your DD already taken? How do they feel about their current Honors English 10 class? That could help her/you decide about what level of World History and English to take next year. How time-consuming are her extracurriculars?

I also have a DD looking at her courses for junior year this week. It seems intense to me, but I know things have changed since i was in school. Here are her choices and reasoning (if I can piggy-back on your thread):

- AP Calculus BC (debating between this and AB, since she's not a super-STEM kid, but is doing well in honors precalc)
- AP Composition & Language (she's looking forward to a more challenging English class than Honors 9 and 10)
-AP World History (has already taken APUSH in 9th and AP gov this year, so she thinks this is no problem)
-Honors Spanish 4
- Honors Physics (will aim for an AP science next year)
- AP Seminar (although debating with AP Psych)
-band

I'd take Calc AB junior year and BC senior year. Otherwise looks good to me.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:21     Subject: Re:11th Grade Courseload?
for non STEM focus, I don't know why a junior would take AP Calc BC. Then you'd have to take some crazy math senior year. Just take AP Calc AB junior year and BC senior year. My English-hating DS took AP Comp junior year, did not find it difficult and got a 4 on the AP test. He did well in Honors Physics but found it very hard. On the upside, he says AP Physics has been a breeze. His school does not offer AP World.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 10:12     Subject: Re:11th Grade Courseload?
What APs has your DD already taken? How do they feel about their current Honors English 10 class? That could help her/you decide about what level of World History and English to take next year. How time-consuming are her extracurriculars?

I also have a DD looking at her courses for junior year this week. It seems intense to me, but I know things have changed since i was in school. Here are her choices and reasoning (if I can piggy-back on your thread):

- AP Calculus BC (debating between this and AB, since she's not a super-STEM kid, but is doing well in honors precalc)
- AP Composition & Language (she's looking forward to a more challenging English class than Honors 9 and 10)
-AP World History (has already taken APUSH in 9th and AP gov this year, so she thinks this is no problem)
-Honors Spanish 4
- Honors Physics (will aim for an AP science next year)
- AP Seminar (although debating with AP Psych)
-band
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 09:52     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.


Punt AP World History because it's time consuming. Also you may want to hold off on AP CS Java for a year if she can. It's not that it's super hard but it is time consuming.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 09:15     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
Anonymous wrote:AP comp would certainly help her with college where writing becomes more important. That would be the last thing I’d drop.


Is there a significant difference between English 11 Hon versus the AP Comp & Language?
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 09:03     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
AP comp would certainly help her with college where writing becomes more important. That would be the last thing I’d drop.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 08:57     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
No way. That’s a recipe for burnout. Honors history and English instead of AP.
Anonymous
Post 12/14/2023 08:48     Subject: 11th Grade Courseload?
DD met with her counselor to look at coursework for her junior year this week. She enjoys writing but has always been on the slower side, so generally prefers to do most of her major writing assignments at home rather than in-class. She wants to take on the challenge but as I was reviewing at her potential course load, I am a bit concerned.
- AP Calculus BC
- French 5
- AP Chem (double period)
- AP Comp Sci Java
- AP World History
- AP Composition & Language

I am not sure how difficult AP Java is, or how time consuming? I am thinking she needs to either do Honor World History or perhaps Honor English 11 instead, or maybe both? Perhaps even wait for AP Java until senior year if it's very time consuming. FWIW, DD is a good/motivated student looking to enter a STEM field, but this doesn't look manageable to me with all her other extra-curricular activities. Your insights would be appreciated.