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Know Your End Game

Writer's picture: Lilana SlaterLilana Slater


It's that time of year when you are scheduled to meet with your high school counselor to discuss next year's class schedule. It always amazes me how the classes all get strategically shoe-horned into the school day with very little possibility of courses having significant scheduling issues. Sure, it happens sometimes, but for the most part, students get the classes they want and need - surprisingly!


There are some important points to consider when preparing to meet with your counselor. Thinking about this beforehand will help you tremendously in the class selection process (and your counselor will probably appreciate it, too). Every school has a different course catalog or bulletin, so speaking in generalities, here's what you need to know: YOUR END GAME!


The END GAME refers to the courses you will have taken during high school by the time you walk that stage, get handed your diploma, and flip that bunch of strings called a tassel to the other side of the mortar board you're balancing on your head. Along with ensuring you've taken all the courses required to graduate in your state, course choices are aplenty! The path to your END GAME is important. You can't just take any course you like, any time you want to take it. There are prerequisite courses that lead to higher-level courses. There is the timing issue: is the class only offered every other year, just one semester each year? Know your END GAME, then work the path backward from there with your counselor.


Warning: Putting off your final class selection decisions for the last day you're allowed to change classes could lead to you being locked out because the class is at full capacity. In this sense, the people who schedule all of these courses for each and every student are coordinating at a level similar to that of air traffic controllers - very impressive!


To make things easier on yourself and your counselor, consider the following if planning on applying to highly selective colleges and remaining competitive compared to the applicant pool you'll no doubt be going up against:


  1. Regardless of your college major interest, end your high school years by taking AP Calculus. If you want to major in engineering or computer science, take AP Calculus BC. If you are considering PreMedicine or business, you can get away with AP Calculus AB. The only exception is for those majoring in the arts. It's your Portfolio that will be most important.


  2. Examine the rigor of your school's offerings. How many APs are offered? How many have you taken? Do you score well on those AP exams (4s or 5s)? If not, consider College Credit Plus classes instead. The point here is to PUSH yourself to excel beyond the status quo.


  3. If you are choosing the PreMedicine or Natural Sciences path, you should take either AP Biology or AP Chemistry (or both) by the time you graduate. AP Physics is your better bet for those whose ambitions align with science or engineering. For those headed to business school, either AP science will do -pick what you like, even as a future business major. Advanced science courses show your academic prowess and develop a logical mind - good for any profession.


  1. AP Statistics is great for any major. I've had several clients simultaneously take AP Statistics and AP Calculus AB. Warning: Taking BC alongside Stats may be too much to handle. You don't want to burn out, especially if math is not your forte.


  2. AP Language and AP Literature are no-brainers if you want to ensure you are competitive at the highly selective college level. This goes for AP Social Sciences, too!


  3. To remain competitive in the elite colleges' applicant pool, you must have at least three years of any one language or two years of each of the two languages.



If you're looking at this list thinking there's no way you could possibly catch up by graduation, there are ways for those who are willing. Occasionally, some schools will allow students to "skip" over a prerequisite class IF the student is willing to self-study over the summer and then prove their understanding by taking an exam given by the subject's teacher before determining whether the student is ready. The teacher typically provides some instruction and worksheets over the summer to prepare for the test. Another way to catch up is to formally take a class during the summer that gets you back on track. This could be accomplished at a local college or online. Just be sure to check with your school if what you're planning will count for what you are trying to accomplish. You've heard, "If there's a will, there's a way," which certainly applies in this case. Speak with your counselor on how to get you to your END GAME.


As you can see, there's much to coordinate over the years. And, if you're barely holding it together by taking such a high-level workload, then don't feel obligated to continue. You are not doing yourself any favors by taking APs and getting Cs. That's NOT going to help you get into ANY college.


Know yourself. Know your END GAME. Use the resource you have, your counselor, to work through your schedule from now until graduation by working it backward. This support is part of your counselor's job. Let them do it.

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