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jrmom
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| Joined: | Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 |
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 12:24 pm |
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My D is a rising senior with a particular Ivy in her sights. Her senior yr schedule is: AP stats, AP french, an independent study in history with a professor at the Ivy in our location, and beginning Hindi. Her thing is languages/history. She has 4 years each of Latin, French and German. She studied European history at Oxford and has a recommendation for 4 credits from Oxford (they don't actually give credits).
The question is, will her application be hampered by taking AP stats instead of Calculus, and a field course in marine science (4 college credits) this summer instead of physics next year? (she already has honors earth science, bio, chem). I'm guessing the answer is no, but wanted to ask those more experienced! thanks
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mmaah
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 27th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 02:32 pm |
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Stats and marine science make much more sense to me and they would seem to have more direct applicability to archaeology. She already has an established "picture" as a scholar and young adult with an ability to do college level work so she doesn't need to further demonstrate her ability to do higher level work. What an interesting kid you have!
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CarolynLawrence
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 06:52 pm |
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If your daughter wasn't aiming at an "Ivy," I'd agree with Mmaah. But, if she wants to play with the big boys, then it would be safest to have the strongest transcript possible.
Therefore, I'd probably lean towards taking either AP Calculus or Physics - if not both - in order for her to keep her in the same league as the applicants she'll likely be competing with. Of course, taking either or both won't guarantee anything, and taking neither won't automatically rule her out. But, for the most selective schools, the strongest curriculum possible is always the safer route to go, assuming the student can do the coursework and earn decent grades, because they will be up against other students who don't have any weaknesses in their transcript.
I do agree with Mmaah, however, that your daughter sounds like a very interesting young lady. Her passion for languages, and her independent study will probably be true strengths on her application. But, she'd be an even stronger candidate if she balanced her strengths in humanities with either Calculus or Physics.
So, the two questions I would ask your daughter are: How badly does she want to go to that particular school, and how willing is she to take calculus and/or physics to strengthen her chances of getting there?
Ultimately, however, the choice is hers to make. I wouldn't drive yourself crazy trying to force her to take them if she truly doesn't want to, as long as she understands the possible downsides of the decision.
Last edited on Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 07:20 pm by CarolynLawrence
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CarolynLawrence
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 07:19 pm |
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| One other question: I noticed that her senior year schedule doesn't seem to include an English course. Did you just inadvertently forget to mention it? If not, she should DEFINITELY have a fourth year of English on her schedule for senior year -- and that goes for all colleges, not just the Ivies. Last edited on Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 07:19 pm by CarolynLawrence
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wheats
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
| Location: | California USA |
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 07:53 pm |
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jrmom,
I'm going to have to disagree with mmaah on this one. My D is studying archaeology (rising senior) at one of the Ivies of potential interest to your daughter.
I would recommend calculus over AP Stats. My observation (remember, my N=1!) is that the most competitive applicants to the most selective schools are strong *across the board* in all major areas. Your D will be judged against a pool of applicants where calculus is almost universal, and more advanced math fairly common -- even among students whose focus is in humanities. She may be at a comparative disadvantage in the application process without calculus.
I don't have a strong sense of whether the AP Marine Bio will put her at a comparative disadvantage in admissions. Perhaps not because of her other strengths, tho where we live AP Marine Bio is considered an AP Lite. (Don't flame me, folks -- I just report 'em!) You don't say whether your school offers AP bio, chem and physics in addition to the honors level. If so, I'd encourage your D to consider the science course that will make her record the "most rigorous" according to her GC.
Also, if your D is interested in archaeology, I think I would recommend the physics. Some of her work will likely involve conservation studies, and a comprehensive background in the basic sciences will be part of that.
Wheats
Last edited on Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 08:06 pm by wheats
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jrmom
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Posted: Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 09:34 pm |
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Really useful comments, everyone. Thanks. She took AP Lit as a junior and preempted Honors English 11 so English is covered. I appreciate the comments about the use of physics in archaeology. All very useful and food for thought. I really appreciate it.
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