What do you think about this course load for my sophomore year

[lijrobert]

I plan to take the following classes:
PreAP English 10
PreAP Algebra 2 Math Team with Trigonometry
AP US History
Chemistry
Spanish II
Honors Band
AP Psychology

What do you think?

[Etcetera]

Honors band?
-applause- :)
Band geeks rock.

[Croconaw]

It looks fine to me.

[Seemyheart]

That looks really good! :)

[unknownuser]

I do not recommend taking AP Psych as a Sophomore. It is a great class, but if possible, save it for Senior year. AP Psych covers come pretty deep/abstract stuff and as a Sophomore it will be very likely be difficult for you to grasp the info as the parts of your brain required for this type of reasoning are not very well developed by that time. True stuff.

AP US history I think you should be fine with... I took it as a Junior and it wasn't too bad. TONS of reading a memorizing, so expect that! Buy a Barrons or Princeton review book and follow along in that- good info, concise, and straightforward because the textbooks for the class can be a little lengthy and dense.

I think it's pretty cool that your school does Pre-AP classes for English and Math, that should be good and really helpful for you in the future!

[Its Pretty]

Im taking Chem 11, Chem 12, Physics 11 and physics 12 next year (along with mandatory courses) Whatever gets you where you want to go, I guess x)

[Tarannosaurus]

Seems like a reasonable course load, enough, but not too much. You have a nice mix of subjects too.

[dsi411]

It seems good to me. You don't have to take P.E.? At my school we have to take P.E. in 9th and 10th grades and we only have 6 periods, so you only have time for the 4 core subjects and a foreign language. No time for extra stuff like Band or psychology in 9th or 10th grade.

[lijrobert]

It seems good to me. You don't have to take P.E.? At my school we have to take P.E. in 9th and 10th grades and we only have 6 periods, so you only have time for the 4 core subjects and a foreign language. No time for extra stuff like Band or psychology in 9th or 10th grade.

At my school you have 6 periods in 9th grade (1 reserved for Career prep which is not that bad because it's really short). Each period is 65 minutes long. In 10th-12th you have 7 periods from which you get to chose 4 core classes and 3 electives. Each period is 50 minutes long to save room for the 7th period. At our school you can take Health and PE for Life over the summer to free up 2 credits.

[StoppingTime]

I do not recommend taking AP Psych as a Sophomore. It is a great class, but if possible, save it for Senior year. AP Psych covers come pretty deep/abstract stuff and as a Sophomore it will be very likely be difficult for you to grasp the info as the parts of your brain required for this type of reasoning are not very well developed by that time. True stuff.


This entirely. In most schools, AP Psych is generally only offered to seniors anyway, so I'd really recommend saving it for then. Is there an introductory Psych class you could take instead? If you're really interested in the subject, that wouldn't be a bad place to start.

[lijrobert]

This entirely. In most schools, AP Psych is generally only offered to seniors anyway, so I'd really recommend saving it for then. Is there an introductory Psych class you could take instead? If you're really interested in the subject, that wouldn't be a bad place to start.

I am pursuing it for two main reasons:

Human psychology, though not necessarily the career for me, does interest me a lot.
My counselor (school not psychological :P) suggested that to get the most money when I take the PSAT for real (I've already scored very high as a freshman) I should take more AP classes.


There is a short Psychology class at our school, but it has become a bit of a joke as pretty much everyone takes it, not just those interested in the topic.

[StoppingTime]

I am pursuing it for two main reasons:

Human psychology, though not necessarily the career for me, does interest me a lot.
My counselor (school not psychological :P) suggested that to get the most money when I take the PSAT for real (I've already scored very high as a freshman) I should take more AP classes.


There is a short Psychology class at our school, but it has become a bit of a joke as pretty much everyone takes it, not just those interested in the topic.

Ahh, that is unfortunate. While I do still think you'd get more out of it as a senior, it might not be worth wasting your time in a class that isn't really important or serious on a topic that you enjoy.
And just out of curiosity, how would taking AP Psych now help you achieve scholarships from PSAT scores? I thought those were two separate things, no?

[lijrobert]

And just out of curiosity, how would taking AP Psych now help you achieve scholarships from PSAT scores? I thought those were two separate things, no?

I understand it as much as you, but the counselors at my school system have always steered me in the right direction, so I tend to trust them with blind faith :P. I mean my school is the 3rd best ranked in Alabama so they're doing something right.

[StoppingTime]

I understand it as much as you, but the counselors at my school system have always steered me in the right direction, so I tend to trust them with blind faith :P. I mean my school is the 3rd best ranked in Alabama so they're doing something right.

You'd think so, yeah. :P From what I understand, however, is that PSATs, while given by the College Board (same company who gives the AP Exam), the two aren't related. PSATs are just taken in Junior year (or earlier for practice) in order to enter you into a competition for the merit scholarships. I don't know the nature of the questions as I have yet to take the PSATs, but I have never heard of AP Psych material being on them. But if you really think you're ready for the class, go for it. If you find out that it's not for you at the beginning of next year, it's better to switch out early instead of going through the whole year and not liking it very much.