Picking the Right Classes in High School

During high school, one of the most daunting questions you may be asking yourself is, “what classes should I be taking to make myself competitive on college applications?”  A great way to make yourself competitive is by taking advantage of the courses offered at your school. One of the criteria colleges will be looking at is out of the selection of courses made available to you, which ones and how many were you taking. Granted, this isn’t to say that you need to take every AP class offered. The worst thing you can do is overwhelm yourself, which is a disservice to both your academic performance and mental health. Instead, evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses honestly to determine what classes you know you can do well in. The thing to keep in mind is that colleges want to see that you are challenging yourself. Start off by taking an Honors, AP, or IB class to see how you do. If you feel you can manage a more demanding course load, aim to take one or more of these classes a year. Most importantly, know that if you don’t get an A, that is totally okay. As long as you are striving to do your best and allow yourself opportunities to grow, you’ll set yourself up for future success!