The Prepared Student College Prep: High School Classes to Take to Set Yourself Up for College Admissions
When it comes to college applications, the classes that you’ve taken in high school will be a big factor that colleges consider when making their admissions decisions. Particularly, they want to see that you’ve been challenging yourself and that you’ve completed a certain number of courses in some key areas. Here, we’ll map out some of the types of coursework that colleges like to see and how you can make the most of your course schedule during high school.
When it comes to college admissions, there are two main things to consider with your high school course schedule: 1) Do I meet all the requirements for college admissions? and 2) Does my course schedule show that I am challenging myself? These two things are key to ensuring that you are ready for college applications.
On top of that, there are additional steps that you can be taking to further sweeten your transcript during high school. Let’s break each of these pieces down a little more:
1. Do I meet all the requirements for college admissions?
That’s right — there are actual minimum requirements when it comes to being admitted to most colleges. AND those requirements may be very different from the requirements to graduate from your high school. That means it will be your responsibility to make sure that you are not only on track to graduate from high school but to meet the minimum college admissions qualifications as well. If you aren’t sure where you stand on these two fronts, it will be a great idea to make an appointment with your counselor, or, if you are looking for even more support, reach out to a private counselor like us at The Prepared Student. Talking with a professional will help ensure that you are not only meeting requirements but also maximizing your time in your high school classes.
The actual requirements can vary a little from one school to the next, but here is a general idea of what those high school requirements tend to look like:
4 years of English
3 years of math
3 years of history or social studies
3 years of science
2 years of foriegn language
If you are unsure or worried that you may be behind on these requirements, you can look up specifics for different colleges and universities. It may be a good idea to set up a meeting with your high school guidance counselor to go over your course schedule and ensure that you are on a good path toward both graduation and college applications.
2. Does my course schedule show that I am challenging myself?
Colleges don’t simply want to see strong grades and a perfect GPA. These mean very little to them if it is not clear that you are challenging yourself during your high school years. For example, if you have a 4.0 perfect GPA but have never taken honors or advanced coursework, this will weaken your admissions profile compared to if your GPA was a little weaker but you showed difficult classes.
This can be a tricky one to balance. Of course you want to try to do everything in your power to get strong grades, but you also want to try and push yourself outside of your comfort zone and attempt some of those more difficult classes. That being said, it can be tempting to take several difficult classes at once, and you’ll have to be careful not to overdo it and harm your GPA significantly.
AP and IB coursework is viewed as being difficult and can be a great aim if your high school offers those options. Other possibilities include dual enrollment (taking college courses for both high school and college credit), taking summer coursework on your own through a college or high school, or taking honor-level coursework if it is offered by your high school. If you elect to take AP courses, also consider taking the AP exams in the spring. A strong score on an AP exam is another way to show that you’ve been working hard and challenging yourself.
3. Do I have an opportunity to get a head start on earning college credits while I’m still in high school?
Many high schools will offer some kind of dual enrollment or college head start program where students can take college courses and earn college credit while they are still in high school. A very common pathway for this type of dual enrollment coursework is when a student completes all of the coursework offered by the high school in a certain topic. For instance, an 11th grader who completes AP French will have no further French courses to pick from at the high school level, so the high school may let that student take a French class through a local community college or university. This is called dual enrollment, and that student will then get both high school and college credit for that coursework.
If you are unsure of the dual enrollment offerings at your high school, this can be a great thing to inquire about. There may be an opportunity to give yourself a jump start on earning college credit, which may then carry over to your college transcript (and possibly allow you to skip some classes later on), on top of showing that you continue to challenge yourself with the classes that you are taking.
4. Do I have an idea of one or two areas that I am interested in studying in college?
In all my time as a college counselor, I typically run into two types of students: those who know exactly what they want to study in college and those who have absolutely no idea. While you are still in high school, lean into whichever type of student you are and do some exploring.
If you know exactly what you want to study, lean into that, and take as many types of classes that align with that plan as possible. For example, if you want to study engineering, take many STEM courses and see if it’s possible to take an introductory engineering class. It will be good for your transcript to emphasize your passion and show how you’ve made good use of your time to try and help yourself learn more about your area of interest and propel yourself forward.
If you have no idea what you want to study, lean into exploring some options. Are there certain electives or less common classes that you can try? Ask about dual enrollment opportunities in areas outside of the core coursework of English, math, history, and science, as there are usually fewer opportunities outside of those areas at most high schools but many opportunities at colleges and universities. A student who is interested in education may be able to take an introductory level course at the local community college or could do some kind of work study/internship with a local child care center for credit. There are many possibilities out there if you go looking for them. If you don’t know what you want to study, the more you can explore the better. Do what you can to show that you’re experimenting with your coursework and actively searching for your passions.
When it comes to preparing for college courses, it is important to make sure that you meet all the requirements for the admissions process. What’s more, you have the opportunity to impress the admissions team beyond just the bare minimum requirements. Admissions teams love to see students who take on a challenging schedule, including taking AP or IB courses, dual enrollment, honors classes, and more. Finally, if you can weave your passions throughout your schedule as well, or tell a story about your path through high school and trying to find out what your passion is, you create a strong message with your transcript that shows your interests and dedication. In sum, absolutely make sure you meet the minimum requirements, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and take courses you are very interested in. After all, you get to decide your major and career path going forward!
Good luck, and happy prepping!
INTERESTED IN TUTORING OR COUNSELING WITH ABBY?
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, I can help!
I want more information! - Fill out the information in the link, and I will reach out soon.
I want to sign up! - Set up online lessons using the link to my scheduling system.