Choosing the Right High School Courses

If you want college to be a part of your future, now is the time to start choosing the right high school courses not only to impress admissions officers with your course-load, but also to challenge yourself intellectually and prepare yourself for the next level of education. Here are some tips for selecting the classes you should take:

1.Don't skimp on English: Although you should take all four core classes (Math, English, Science, and History) all four years of high school, such an option might be impossible at your school. But one class that virtually all high schools offer all four years is English, so don't try to evade it. You must take an English class every year of high school in order to strengthen your reading and writing skills. Even if you are already an excellent writer and read above your grade level, it's important to stay in practice.

2.Take AP/IB classes: If your school offers AP or IB classes, take as many as you can while still maintaining good grades. Although AP or IB classes are supposed to be college level, they usually aren't, but colleges want proof that you are taking the most challenging course load available at your school. Also be sure to take the AP and IB tests, even if you doubt you'll perform well on them. Colleges would rather see a low AP or IB test score than no attempt at all.

3.Enroll in academic electives: Plenty of students make the mistake of clogging their school schedules with classes like Chorus, Art, Guitar, or Gym. While it's fine to take one of these classes each year, never take more than two. Your schedule should be filled with as many core classes as possible. It's much better to choose electives like a foreign language, computer science, art history, economics, or anything else academic. If you are passionate about the arts or athletics, then take every level of the class available at your school (Art I, Art II, Art III, AP Studio Art, etc) because colleges admire consistency.