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dufay
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| Joined: | Mon Jul 17th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jul 20th, 2007 08:49 pm |
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My daughter cyberschools, and will continue ballet although not at the 27 hr/week schedule of the past 2 years. Does this schedule look OK? She lacks Physics (took APBio last year), which I know will hurt her, but her interests are strongly humanities and languages. This is 5 courses/semester, and the university level courses are a lot of reading and writing, so not sure she could handle another. She is aiming for schools such as Barnard, McGill, ?Penn (legacy), ?UChicago.
Rant: I hate this emphasis on students being "strong in everything". I bet many of our great writers etc would not have gotten an 800 in Math SAT. The only thing I remember about Physics (from both HS and college) is that 2 objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time- a concept generally forgotten on the Schylkill expressway.
Non-honors:
Calculus (no interest in math, doesn't like, this is a compromise, so no AP)
Economics - 1 semester (required- most practical HS course I have ever seen)
University level
English (Intro to Shakespeare then Intro to Poetry- then AP exam)
European History
French (at local Ivy)
Psych 2nd semester (at local Ivy)
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CarolynLawrence
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jul 20th, 2007 10:23 pm |
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Five academic subjects is fine.
I wouldn't stress too much about the physics, especially with her busy dance schedule. As you already know, it may hurt her at the more competitive schools (Chicago, UPenn), but if she doesn't want to take it, you can't force her to do so.
I am not sure what you mean by "University level" for the English and History -- are those courses where she will actually earn college credit? If so, there's probably no reason to take the AP English exam -- it will be too late to help her if she's taking it next May. If not for actual college credit, how will colleges know they are "university level"? It would probably be better to take classes tagged as "AP" level if they are not courses at a university/college.
Last edited on Fri Jul 20th, 2007 10:24 pm by CarolynLawrence
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jocelynDAD
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Posted: Fri Jul 20th, 2007 10:25 pm |
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Dufay:
While I quite agree that the mantra of taking the hardest classes in all disciplines at the High School level is insanity.
It does not changed the mode of thinking that currently dominates the abmission process that your D (and all of our children) must face.
Since she is already with a different than average HS experience, and she is not in a high school setting, her classes will by all accounts be looked in detail, seeking either very positive or potentially negative data.
Her wish list is filled with reaches (not familiar with MeGill) but the other three are very selective - so she is already looking at a challenging competitive application situation.
Most of her competitors will have the so-called 'hardest courses, including the three sciences as a minimum. I would project that most of those competitors will have the three sciences with easily one if not 3 AP classes.
Since you are familiar with Philly, the host of nearby schools that might be more accomodating for your D are:
Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Ursinus, Lafayette, Bryn Mawr (good writing program),
It certainly can't hurt to talk to Penn's Admissions thru the Alumni network to get a clearer read - the simple fact is that there are no clear cut answers on this topic, the uniqueness of the individual and the competitive grouping makes predictions close to impossible.
Good luck!
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dufay
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Posted: Sat Jul 21st, 2007 12:26 am |
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The English and history courses are university courses. Not sure if she would be granted credit for these, as the English is necessary to fulfill the English requirement for HS. However, AP credit would give credit (she took AP English Lit as a soph, but since she took it as a block first semester, felt unprepared for the May exam). Took AP Bio, APUSH past year (both 5s).
Thanks for the other school suggestions, but she is a city girl- safeties will probably be Pitt (she qualifies for Honors), York Glendon (Toronto, bilingual).
Last edited on Sat Jul 21st, 2007 12:28 am by dufay
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Chedva
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Posted: Sat Jul 21st, 2007 01:49 pm |
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If you are concerned about the physics, have you thought of something along the lines of "The Physics of Dance"? Kenneth Laws has written two books about it: Physics and the Art of Dance: Understanding Movement and The Physics of Dance. Both are available on Amazon, and probably Barnes & Noble as well. It could be a kind of independent study in something that holds her interest and satisfies college as well. And her studio can be her "lab."
I'm not saying it's necessary, but just a thought.
Last edited on Sat Jul 21st, 2007 01:50 pm by Chedva
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat Jul 21st, 2007 07:29 pm |
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I think JD has a very good suggestion: See if you can connect with Penn Alumni Association regarding admissions requirements. I do know that Penn makes a point of saying that legacy students get the biggest boost by applying ED and even then the boost is not enormour -- not sure if ED is your daughter's plan, but I think JD is on target that they would probably be able to tell you more if you contacted them. I also would suggest reading the article from the CS Monitor about how admissions decisions are made at Penn that they link to on the admissions site (http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/) - it should give you some good insights into how Penn will view your daughter's schedule.
Last edited on Sat Jul 21st, 2007 07:29 pm by CarolynLawrence
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dufay
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Posted: Sat Jul 21st, 2007 11:06 pm |
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| I appreciate the suggestions- I'll try to contact the Penn Alumni Assn. Not sure if she feels a burning desire to go to Penn, but being on campus next semester (an assumption) will give her a better feel. She knows legacy counts only for ED. I think if she goes ED, tho, it will be for Barnard. However, right now she is liking Montreal a lot too...
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