It’s that time of the year again,as students work with their guidance counselors and are delegated with the task of choosing and finalizing their preferred courses of study for the next school year. As simple as it seems on paper, choosing courses holds a considerable amount of significance towards your high school journey. Factors such as GPA, course rigor, relevance to future careers, and your own interests can all influence the courses you choose to take and the paths you travel down outside of school.
Marriotts Ridge offers a variety of courses ranging from a multitude of subjects so that students can find the schedule that fits their needs and interests. When choosing classes they would like to take, students are encouraged to find subjects that they’re interested in and are passionate about while balancing said classes with other required courses.
“It’s kind of like a tier list, the top of the list being the most important. Credit requirements, then interests, then classes that sound interesting, and then career related things. Once all of my credit requirements are completed, I’ll choose classes that I’m interested in,” sophomore Aaron Yoo said.
Like Yoo mentioned previously, finding and prioritizing the classes you need to take with the classes you want to take can be beneficial to the course finalization process. Prioritizing course credits in subjects like math, english, science, and history will ultimately allow you to take the required classes for graduation while leaving room for other courses including electives and classes of interest.
In addition to creating a midway between courses of personal and academic fulfillment, students also have the option to consider courses that will provide them with an understanding of the career they’d like to pursue.
For example, those who may want to pursue a career in the medical field are encouraged to take classes like Biology AP and Chemistry AP, along with Physics 1 AP and other courses.
“I would choose my classes based on a combination of being with friends, their relevance to my future career, and the difficulty of the class because they’re all important in their own sense. I want to go into business, so I want to focus my classes around that, and the higher the level the better. But I also need to prioritize my credits and take what I need to take so I can graduate,” sophomore Kevin Wang said.
The rigor behind particular classes is very much appealing when it comes down to applying to colleges. Taking AP courses may provide you with college credits for those courses and allow you more flexibility when choosing courses in college.
However, finding a balance between the amount of AP courses and regular courses you take is important to all students, whether you’re one to challenge yourself immensely, or someone who prefers a good mixture of rigor and mildness in their school work it’s always beneficial to try out new things.
“I believe it really depends on the student, but it’s always good to balance your courses. You shouldn’t take all AP’s. I recommend adding a few ‘filler’ classes, or at least one where it’s a good class, but you know you’re not going to be doing too much so you have time to do homework,” Kevin Wang said.
Ultimately, finding a balance between rigorous, required courses and courses that satisfy your personal interests comes down to the student and their lifestyle inside and outside of school. Finding a challenge is always accepted, but there is always a limit to how much you can and should do.
Without a balance between courses, students may find difficulty in managing their GPA, as well as having time for other unique high school experiences and opportunities that they won’t get another chance to grasp in the future.
“Although your GPA is definitely important, high school may also provide you with an opportunity to learn more about yourself and grow as a person. Choosing classes that you’re interested in can help with that,“ junior Adrianna Hwang said.
In the end, choosing courses and making your own schedule is all part of the high school experience. Whether they’re difficult or more mild all depends on the students’ own personal and academic interests and requirements, with the rewards and benefits from pursuing said academic interests and requirements being beneficial to your journey through and after high school.