As a senior at Sacred Heart Academy, I have been through the course selection process three times throughout my high school career. Each time without fail, I was overwhelmed by all of the options available to me, as it seemed like each was too good to pass up. Despite going to guidance for my Junior and Senior conferences, I still experienced difficulty when submitting my final course request form and held the doubt of whether or not I made the correct decision. Therefore, I would like to give the advice I wish I had during this time to my underclassmen, so they may find confidence during their course selection process.

First, take the classes that will put you on the right path to your future career. While this statement may be daunting as many of us do not know what we want to do in the future yet, many of us highschoolers have a relatively good idea of at least the general field of study we would like to delve into during our college years. For example, I knew that I wanted to go into Veterinary medicine, so during my course selection process, I made sure to take accelerated science classes and science electives. While I maintained this focus on sciences, I also made sure to take classes that would support the information I learned within science classes. For example, I took AP English Language and Composition my junior year along with AP Chemistry and Medical Terminology. While AP Lang may solely be an English course, it teaches one how to write a proper paper and use skills to interpret works of rhetoric. Through this class, I was able to learn how to write and format a proper research paper, how to properly quote large academic sources, and other scholarly writing information that will complement the science classes I will take.

Next, challenge yourself in ways that you find fun and interesting, not in areas that will burn you out. Feeling as though you need to take every honor or AP course available is a common situation every SHA-girl will find herself in at least once in her high school career. Many of us get an idea that colleges will only accept us if we take the hardest courses possible because they look better on our transcripts than a CP course. While this may be true to a certain extent, it is not at all reasonable to take accelerated classes in subject areas that one does not enjoy. Colleges look for success and focus, and many of the people reading your applications will not care if you took Honors Algebra II or Combo, what matters is if you succeeded in the class and whether or not you have applied yourself in all other aspects of your academic career. In this light, take AP classes in subjects that you enjoy learning about and studying for, as you will be teaching yourself most of the material, for it is solely the way the AP program is designed. For example, if you do not like math or would not consider yourself particularly skilled at math, do not take AP Calculus, instead, take a math class that you will enjoy and want to do well in, such as College Algebra. In this same situation, if you happen to like history and love studying for history classes and find enjoyment in learning the material for the course, take AP United States History instead of Honors United States History. At the end of the day, the classes that you enjoy will be the classes that you will do well in because you will have the motivation to continue to strive for success in areas that you love.

Lastly, take an array of classes that will still allow you to participate in the extra curricular activities that you love. If you happen to consider yourself a very busy person who does not manage her time particularly well, you may not want to take 6 AP classes all at once as the work will pile up, and doing the activities that you enjoy will become more difficult. If you love going out with your friends all day every weekend, and do not want to spend your Sunday afternoon or evening studying for several hours for a test the next day, taking all AP and honors classes may not be the thing for you, unless you consider yourself to have impeccable time management skills. Take the classes that will allow you to participate in the extra-circular activities you love, because while academics are important, they should not always be the driving force of your life. Creating this balance within one’s life will prevent burnout and lead to success in the long run.