College Prep: High School Coursework
When you think about planning for college, things that come to mind typically include test scores and college visits. But it’s important to remember that the classes you elect to take in high school also play a vital role when it comes to being prepared for both the college admissions process and college academics in general.
Many students don’t start thinking about college and their future until it’s time for them to send off applications and wait for acceptance letters. In reality, the transition process from high school to college should be planned for well in advance.
Students should be thinking about their college applications as early as sophomore year of high school. Now I don’t mean that students should be reaching out to admissions offices and seriously contemplating where they want to get their college degree. That would be a little premature. However, there are two big factors that affect a college application package and that can’t be quickly adjusted during the fall of senior year to help a student get accepted to a school. These two things are GPA and overall course schedule.
GPA
Obviously your GPA is important when it comes to applying to college. This is how colleges can see your track record basically. Have you done a good job keeping up with your studies in high school? If so, awesome! Typically, students who maintain a healthy GPA throughout high school will go on to do the same in college. That’s why this is a critical number for admissions teams to consider when a student applies to their school.
Like we mentioned previously, it’s not easy to increase a GPA. In fact, it gets harder to boost your GPA with the more courses you take and the more years that go by because it’s an AVERAGE of all of those courses throughout your entire high school career. That means it’s SUPER important to understand the significance of your GPA early on in high school. Getting A’s as a 9th and 10th grader will help build a strong foundation for your GPA. In contrast, getting poorer grades early on will make it that much more difficult to raise your GPA later.
Course schedule
The classes that you take are just as important as getting good grades in them. There are certain courses that all high schoolers should take. These include four years each of math, English/language arts, science, and history. Consider these your standard courses. Some colleges require that you have a certain number of courses in each of these categories; others will be more flexible. It’s a great idea to plan to take one course in each of these areas every year. (Your counselor may actually force you to do this — that’s good!) If you’re behind in any of these areas, consider coming up with a schedule plan to help you get back on track.
On top of your standard courses, it can be a great idea to challenge yourself. If you’re considering applying to more competitive colleges with more rigorous academics, honors and AP courses look very appealing on a college application. This isn’t surprising. Difficult colleges need to have proof that you’re going to be able to excel with their difficult curriculum as well. Keep in mind that these courses really do require more preparation and effort than their standard counterparts, so don’t overload your schedule too much all at once. Consider taking some AP classes your junior year and then some additional ones as a senior. The more the merrier…but in moderation so you don’t burn out.
What else? Well, many colleges will require students to take courses in areas of foreign language and arts as well. Taking a foreign language in high school can give you a leg up when it comes time to transition to college because you may be able to test out of lower-level courses or you may even be able to test out of the requirement altogether. If you like learning languages, getting started early will also open other doors during college to higher-level courses and potential opportunities, such as study abroad, considering the way that the courses build on top of each other. For those reasons, we recommend taking at least three years of a foreign language during high school. (Again, this may already be a requirement that you have no say over — that’s good again!)
It’s always a good idea to mix up your courses. If you like math and science and intend to study bioengineering, by all means load up on math and science courses. Find all of those AP classes and take as many as you can! But don’t forget about Honors English and APUSH. Mix it up! Showing a wide array of academic experience (and maintaining great grades through all of it) looks awesome on a college application.
Good luck, and happy studying!
INTERESTED IN TUTORING?
Working one-on-one with a test prep & college counseling expert can help you maximize your score on test day and get accepted to your dream school. Whatever your college prep goals, our team can help!
I want to sign up! - Set up online lessons using the link to our scheduling system.
I want more information! - Fill out the information in the link, and someone will reach out soon.