Plan Classes for Senior Year to Help You Reach Your Goals

To reach your dream school, you may need specific coursework - special required classes, honors or AP level classes, etc. Know these needs as you think about your senior year courseload and be sure to cover your bases within your ability and your high school's scheduling ability.

 
 HEAD Lines

 Schools look at all of your courses - yup, all of them! - and they know your high school and it's curriculum (scary, but true). They know what it means to take the rigorous programs at your high school and they know what a "weak" transcript looks like. Take the most challenging courses you can - yes, even at the end of senior year when studying hard for high school is the last thing on your mind (sorry to say, but it matters). Discuss your curriculum with your counselor, and plan the courses that best fit your abilities and the requirements of the schools you're applying to. If you need specific courses for the major you plan to do (physics and calculus for engineering; art to apply to art schools), make sure you enroll in these courses. 

 From Other HEADS

 KEEP IN MIND THAT SCHOOLS look not only at the grades you receive but also the classes you receive them in. Therefore, it is important that you challenge yourself with honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes that are on par with college-freshman-level courses. As much as I wanted to take the easy way out, that's what I did. And I actually scored better than I thought. You don't know what you can accomplish until you put your mind to it.

-- C.D.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

 I HAD A COUNSELOR TELL ME that it was more beneficial to get a lower grade in a tougher class than a higher grade in an easy class, which really surprised me. I learned not to be afraid to get a lower grade in a more challenging course. While the ideal is getting the best grade possible in the most difficult class, colleges will be impressed with your willingness to stretch your mind rather than just protect your GPA. And don't think they can't tell. They know when you have put it on cruise control and when you're still pushing yourself.

-- SAM ULMER
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

  Web Resources

 If you think you want to be pre-med, you should know what the course requirements are: www.bestpremed.com/preMDreq.php   

 
 HoH Tip

If there are courses you need that you can't take for some reason, ask your counselor what you should do. If a specific course is required but your school doesn't offer it, or you don't have the prerequisites under your belt (like physics or calculus), you might consider taking it at a local community college or as a summer course, especially if it means the difference between being accepted or rejected from your dream school.