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@RAeroSpace6275
0 answers, 8 votes
 • 4 days ago • Juniors
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Is this the trajectory that I should aim for?

Hi,

I am a current sophomore early college high school student, this means that I will get my associates of science with my high school diploma. I got a couple of B's in my dual credit classes (mainly because of professor laziness and I guess that I was just a victim of a bad circumstance) so my GPA is okay. My grade population is high (757) and I'm currently in the top 20 (it will go down but I don't know how much). I currently completed 1 AP class & exam with a 4 (I have taken 2 AP exams and are awaiting for a score), 6 dual credit classes, and 5 honors classes with a couple of engineering classes.

Because my school doesn't really let us choose our courses, especially for early college since they are wanting us to complete our degree, I wasn't able to choose electives that I want or harder classes. Additionally, my school weights dual credit courses less than AP classes with a passing exam score. My current courses for next year are dual credit English 3, Economics, Government and Health, AP Comp Sci A, Physics 1, Psychology, and Calculus (I have to be recomended for BC), Aerospace design, and AVID 3. I'm a bit worried because I think that colleges would think that I am cramming everything in my junior year, even though this is practically the only year where I have some flexibility. I also don't really have much extracurriculars. I have Academic Decathlon, but we haven't made it past Regionals, so I'm aiming to lock in more. I also do tutoring online. I want to join NHS but I haven't heard anything about it; I think it's because the head teacher is leaving. I also kinda don't think that NHS would have a big impact. I'm a part of a student led organization that writes blogs on astronomical topics but because I am not a leader, I haven't officially published anything.

So, my main questions are really:

1) Is my course load too much? Am I sending myself in an odd direction?

2) Is my extracurriculars strong, and if not, what should I do to improve?

ECHS
ExtracurricularActivities
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1 answer

1
@lilac-green
29 answers, 53 votes
 • 4 days ago

I'm not completely sure what you're going for (i'm thinking engineering or something similar) but classes-wise you seem a little overwhelmed. If there are classes that aren't necessary, I would say drop them (for example, for senior year, I don't need to take a social studies class because I have all my credits.) Instead, either give yourself some breathing room or add classes you wanted to take.

ECs-wise, definitely get stronger ECs. I wouldn't recommend NHS because it's so common. Create your own initiative or use the ECs you already have and create impact. If you have time over the summer, try to find something unique to do.

Let me know if you have any questions!

1
@Voidjack9463 days ago

I assume your going for AeroSpace or something similar? I agree with lilac-green on the extracurricular side of it. Also, if you do feel overwhelmed by the workload, you can always cut back a little and stay on track.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@RAeroSpace62753 days ago

Hi, thank you both for responding. I am going into aerospace engineering as a career. I plan to do mechanical engineering as an undergrad but do a dual masters in mech and aerospace. Unfortunately, because of my strict degree plan, I have little room to change my schedules. I want to learn programming so I chose Comp Sci A, I need a physics base and there wasn't a science assigned for me next year, Calculus is also necessary for engineering + it was already assigned.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@RAeroSpace62753 days ago

...I also needed a semester class and psych was the only option because I already took the other semester class. Because I wasn't able to do these classes earlier and my senior year already has a plan, I had to choose these classes. I'm not disinterested in anything. What would you guys recommend for ECs?

@lilac-green2 days ago [edited]

Research projects are a great one even if it doesn't get published. You could find a space museum to volunteer for or run a blog or social media (like YouTube or Instagram) where you talk about engineering or space. If there's a job shadow or internship you can do, I would recommend that as well.

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