Maybe you are just starting your high school journey. Or maybe you have already finished your first year or two of high school. Whatever the case, at some point in your secondary school career, you probably have found yourself in a position pondering the very same question we all have: What courses should I be taking?
This blog post will serve as a guide for navigating the different course options you will have as a high schooler. In the course of this article, we will cover the required minimum courses to graduate, courses that are a “must-take” according to some top universities, and selecting courses so that you can stand out in the applicant pool.
Required Courses:
Most high school programs of study require a specific number of courses in core competency areas in order for you to graduate. These standards can vary according to a school’s location—different regions will have their own sets of graduation requirements. Usually, your guidance counselor ensures first that you are taking these required classes, whether that’s a certain number of courses for major subjects like English and Math or taking a certain number of Physical Education courses. These introductory classes will build the foundation of your high school education.
It is important to understand that taking just the basic courses that your high school requires will oftentimes not be enough to be admitted to all of the universities you may be considering. Some majors of study like Engineering require calculus and physics, other universities such as Cornell have differing requirements for each school. Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, on the other hand, requires two years of language.
Even then, these requirements only cover a fraction of the classes that you will actually take as a high schooler. You will have time to explore different subjects, and it is important to understand that there is no one set path in taking courses. Insead, we suggest that you should consider what your own career aspirations are when selecting specific classes. But understand that these choices also will affect how admissions officers view your application.
How do you stand out?
In order to be admitted to more selective colleges and universities, you want to stand out in the application pool. One way to do this is through your transcript—a 4-year record of your academic inquiries and growth. As you apply to these universities, you want your transcript to show the story of a student who has challenged themselves. In other words, you want to take the most rigorous courses available to you—you want to show that once you have been admitted to your dream college, you will take advantage of the larger pool of resources that they will provide.
Colleges want to see students take a rigorous course load. This can be tricky. Balancing a tough workload of Honors, AP classes, and dual enrollment courses; being involved in clubs and other extracurriculars; and your potential home responsibilities is a lot to handle! Learning how to manage your time takes time, so take it one step at a time.
Each person’s journey will ultimately be very different, but here is my advice to you:
If your high school offers advanced classes to you as a freshman, take advantage of that opportunity. Even if they do not explicitly mention it to you, ask your guidance counselor about the possibilities. This way, not only will you be informed of what the possibilities are, you will also be setting a positive tone to your guidance counselor. If you go through this interaction in a positive and respective manner, your guidance counselor will be more likely to remember your name when assigning students to advanced courses and for nominations to programs or scholarships.
Take as many advanced classes as you feel are feasible. It is totally okay to start with one or two advanced courses during your first year and feel it out. Keep in mind that Honors, AP classes, and dual enrollment courses oftentimes will bring up your weighted GPA. Taking more advanced courses also means setting aside extra time to review and study for those classes. Ask yourself what activities you are involved in, how much time those activities take up, and if those activities are important to you. As you get used to taking harder courses, managing the workload will eventually get easier and easier for you. You will reach a point where you will feel comfortable taking all advanced courses.
Understand that there is a bit of a trade-off when taking regular courses and advanced courses. Admissions officers understand that advanced courses are generally more difficult, and are, thus, more understanding if there is a slight slip-up with your grades for one of these courses. In this way, taking advanced classes, but not doing as well as you would in a similar course that is non-advanced is still better.
Take advanced classes that align with your goals. For example, for students who are sure they want to pursue STEM or plan to apply to college as a STEM major, it is important to show the college you are applying to that you challenge yourself in those areas. Taking classes like AP computer science, AP statistics, AP biology, AP physics, and dual enrollment in a STEM course among others demonstrates this and demonstrates you are ready for college courses. Likewise, a humanities major applicant might choose to take classes like AP US History and AP English Literature.
In this specialization, it is also important to aim to take advanced courses in the majority of content areas—especially if you’re planning on applying to a selective liberal arts college. This means that at some point during your high school career, you should take advanced English, Math, History, and Science courses. This shows admissions officers that you are able to handle a wide-array of subjects which is especially helpful because many students change their major during college.
What to be Conscious of:
College looks for upward trends across your grades, so if your grades are dipping across the quarter, reflect on it and see if there is something you can do to stop this. Ask for extra credit and extra support from your teachers.
Generally, college admissions officers advise that students take four years of math including one full year of Calculus.
Don’t let taking advanced classes distract you from your extracurricular activities. Shaping who you are through what activities you participate in are just as important. This advice goes the other way too—don’t let extracurriculars distract you from taking advanced courses.
Understand that each school offers slightly different course selections—with varying numbers of advanced courses and really interesting electives available to students. When in doubt, reach out to your peers who have attended colleges similar to ones that you have been interested in applying to and ask what they took while in high school.
Have fun and explore your interests. As you take more classes, you will also find yourself perhaps more interested in a field or topic than another. Don’t be afraid to take electives in those interested classes.
Best,
The Circle Match Team