Since your very first day of freshman year, you’ve worked your tail off. Now, as you start to map out your schedule for senior year, you’re ecstatic to discover you’ve checked off many of the minimum subject requirements for your top choice colleges. Before you celebrate a Spanish class-free year or sign up for a second study hall, read on. If you really want to impress the admissions counselors, you’ll want to follow our #1 rule for picking high school courses.
And here it is: No matter what classes you’ve already taken, matter what your future college requires, and no matter what you can technically “get away with,” you should take the five core subjects every single year of high school. In other words, when you’re picking your classes, you should always have at least one math, science, English, social science, and foreign language course.
So, why is this? To put it simply, this is a traditional, well-rounded course load – and that’s what college admissions counselors want to see. Many colleges will have certain course requirements for their first year students, so seeing a gap in subject areas during a student’s junior or senior year doesn’t look great. Plus, it simply ensures you have a nice variety of classes every semester.
In previous blogs, we’ve discussed the importance of taking classes related to your future major (if you’ve decided what that is). That’s still the case! If you’re planning on majoring in English, it’s a good idea to take AP English. If you are thinking of going the STEM route, classes like AP Chemistry or AP Biology look excellent on a transcript. You should still take the other types of classes, and simply make sure you’re taking the most rigorous courses available in the specific subject area you want to pursue. When it comes to the other “extra” classes, that’s where I’d recommend really exploring your passions or take additional courses relevant to your future major or biggest area of interest.
So, before you enroll in your classes, double check that you’ve got the “big five” subjects covered. Any other questions or concerns when it comes to picking your classes? Chat with an Enrichery coach and we’re happy to help you finalize your schedule!
