AIE — Adventures In Education

High School Students

Recommended Courses

Select courses based on the admission requirements of the schools you have chosen.

Deciding which courses to take in high school can make your head spin. How many math courses do you need? What about foreign language? Which electives are best?

Knowing which courses you must pass to graduate from high school isn't difficult. Knowing what courses you need to take in order to get into a particular college, university, or program of study is a little more complicated.

So, how do you know which courses to take?

Here's an easy answer — work from the admission requirements of the school or program you want to get into.

Most colleges and universities have pretty clear-cut admission requirements. Start there and then think about the requirements for your program of study.

Even if you decide later to change your mind, you'll still have the right foundation for a career that matches your interests.

Haven't decided what you're interested in yet?

That's OK. Sometimes it's hard to decide if you have lots of options.

Just plan on a college prep course load. It'll meet the minimum requirements of most colleges or universities and you can make minor adjustments in your junior or senior year to fit your career plans.

Here's a basic college prep course load:

English — 4 years
Mathematics — 3 to 4 years
Laboratory Science — 2 to 3 years
Foreign Language — 2 to 3 years (of the same language)
History and Geography — 2 to 3 years
Visual and Performing Arts — 1 year

What about electives?

Try to match your elective courses to what you plan to study after high school.

Interested in technology? Go for the computer science electives. Think you might want to be a journalist? Work on your high school newspaper or magazine.

Shouldn't I take courses that will boost my GPA?

No, don't settle for easy A's that won't help you in the future. You will learn far more by taking challenging classes. Also, they look better on a college admissions application.

REMEMBER!

Ultimately, it's your job to find out what the admission requirements are for the college or university you want to attend.