Perhaps the most important part of the college application process involves the courses you select and take through your high school. Your high school classes and your academic performance are the single most important factors when it comes to determining whether you will be considered as a competitive candidate at the colleges where you have applied.
Most importantly, the strength of your record will determine your position among other candidates who are applying for admissions. The more selective a college, the more important your high school classes and other decisions become. Less selective colleges are much more forgiving when it comes to choices and outcomes that might reflect less positively on your application. As we move into high school course selection months, it is important you recognize the differences in selection criteria between a highly selective college and a less selective college. The following are a few tips to help you make the most of your high school class selections:
Know what you can and cannot do. When considering the rigor of a course, it is a common mistake to believe taking the most difficult courses your school offers will be quite impressive to your colleges. While there is some truth in this statement, it is equally important you are able to function at a high level in that course. Taking a full load of advanced placement courses and struggling to pass even one will not help you gain admissions to the college of your choice. Instead, what you have done is create a domino effect where you can no longer function well in any of your classes or extracurricular activities. This will reflect poorly upon you during the college application process. The bottom line: Though it is important to challenge yourself, do not overextend with courses for the purpose of impressing admissions officials.
When in doubt, choose rigor. The extent to which you challenge yourself and experience rigor in a high school classroom speaks volumes to the likelihood you can perform well at the college level. College admissions officials are looking to the extent you built upon your skills and passions by the courses you took through high school. Each year in high school should reflect a progression through increasingly rigorous course work in each of your classes.
Take the five cores. Generally speaking, in each year of high school, you should take classes in the five discipline areas: math, English, science, social studies and a foreign language. You need to do this no matter what your college or career aspirations. This is important because admissions officials, especially those at highly selective colleges, are looking for you to develop critical thinking and analytical abilities across all disciplines. This shows admissions officials you will be able to carry the cross-discipline course loads in college you will more than likely be required to take.
Trade a quality class for one of like value. As a general rule of thumb as a junior or senior, it is OK to replace one rigorous course with another of equal value. Many upperclassmen have met graduation requirements in one or more of the core areas, and no longer have an interest in pursuing, say, a foreign language and or science because they simply have no interest in these courses. Instead, they would like to replace said courses with a more advanced class in another discipline. This is acceptable as long as you opt for rigor in another area.
Don’t stop at the posted admissions criteria. Many students go through high school with an eye toward meeting the graduation requirements and nothing else. This is not quite enough. The problem with this is that selective colleges want to see what you will do once you have met the base requirements. If you are targeting a highly selective college, you will need to push past the base requirements into that which will make you different from other candidates
A common question from students regarding course selections often begins like this: “Is it better for me to take an easy class where I know I can get an ‘A’ or should I take a harder course where I will more than likely get a lower grade?” My response will always be to take classes you are interested in, not those that your friends or family want you to be interested in. It is always better to attempt a rigorous course if you have the ability and will to do so as opposed to easily coasting through less rigorous courses. Finally, it is always good practice to visit with your guidance counselor. These folks often have years of experience and know the ins and out of their high school. Please remember, careful course planning can, and will, result in a good college application process.
Deborah Mendenwaldt is the college and career coordinator and a senior counselor at Durango High School. Reach her at dmendenwaldt@durango.k12.co.us.
