What Classes Should I Take Junior Year of High School TKG

What Classes Should I Take Junior Year of High School We get a lot of questions about which classes kids should take senior year. Somewhat surprisingly, this can be a contentious topic. While we always want to encourage our students to follow their hearts, junior year can be make-or-break and your course load and schedule are crucial components. We have a bit of advice for students who are really grappling with the potential academic paths ahead: keep trucking along. The Ivy League CurriculumIf you want to get into an Ivy League school, you need to be thinking like an Ivy League student. Taking moderate-level classes isn’t going to hack it. You should be enrolled in the hardest classes your school has to offer. That advice might seem a little intimidating, but it’s totally doable. Be strategic. Plan out your homework and exam schedule and manage your time effectively. It will be a rigorous year, but it is necessary in the end. Every year, students inevitably come to us with the argument that moderate-level classes will be easier t o ace. (More on that below.) For now, keep in mind that schools can tell whether or not you’ve challenged yourself throughout high school. You shouldn’t select coursework or extracurriculars that set you up for failure, but you shouldn’t take the easy way out, either.  Carving out a Niche The good news is, we want you to maximize the subjects you’re interested in (or at least those you say you’re interested in). By now, you should have a clear academic path emerging on your resume. One of your primary goals should be to position yourself as an expert in a particular area, that’s as specialized as possible. If you can’t stack your course load with all of the most advanced offerings, you definitely need to choose the hardest classes in your specialty. For example, if you say you’re interested in STEM, you need to be taking the hardest math/sciences courses at your school. This is also where the ‘not setting yourself up for failure’ part comes in. If you are ahead in your coursework and there is a specific discipline that doesn’t fall into your niche, and you’re not particularly great at, skip it. For example, if you don’t need another PE credit and you’re really bad at PE, but you’re awesome at art, don’t put your GPA in jeopardy by taking the PE classâ€"tack on a second art class instead. What Grade Is Best? Is it better to get an A in a non-honors course or a B in an honors course? We get this question all the time and the answer is it’s a trick question. If you want to get into a great school, you should be striving for the A in an honors course. The goal is to excel in the highest offerings. We knowâ€"you’re tired from taking tests and going to soccer practice and showing up for your club meetings only to come home and study for the SAT. But now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Consider that your competition is taking even more challenging courses than you are. We’ve seen kids succeed time and time again, but it will require hard work. More importantly, you might just learn something in the end.   Need some help developing your course curriculum? Reach out to us. We are experts at helping students develop impressive resumes.