Where You Can Take It
- At your college or university Most college campuses offer a public speaking or communications course with this emphasis. For instance, COMM 113 at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a three-credit Public Speaking course that covers theory and extensive practice in various types of speaking.
- Online MOOC sites like Coursera offer classes in many fields for lower prices, like this Introduction to Public Speaking course developed out of the University of Washington. In many cases, the classes are taught by reputable instructors and are self-paced. Potential registrants should be mindful of the courses reputations, whether or not certificates are issued , or if theres accreditation.
Which Classes Should I Take Next Year
Most high school students will complete the class registration process for next years courses in the coming weeks. Coursework planning is an area we are very passionate about and can be one of the most significant factors in a colleges evaluation of a student.
Your high school course choices determine which classes youll be able to take as you move through high school they demonstrate your willingness to challenge yourself they help you prepare for a possible career track, and they are among the most important information about you that colleges evaluate.
As you prepare to make next years selections, consider some of these ideas:
The name of the game is rigor. For almost all students, we recommend four years of core classes and three years of a language, even if not required for graduation.Colleges want to see how students chose to challenge themselves given their particular and unique high school offerings. No matter who you are or where you are from, colleges want to see that you tried to make yourself better each year of high school. Rigor means that you are not satisfied with last years classes or grades. Rigor is pushing yourself to get better and stepping up to take on a challenge. Its about choosing the best classes for your situation. Heres what we suggest:
English
Science
Math
Social sciences
Foreign language
Electives
Strategies When Choosing The Number Of Hours To Take
12 hours is a good number because it usually amounts to four courses and often that means that you can schedule out a four-day week of classes while attending two classes each day.
Having two blocks of classes four times a week is very manageable for a lot of students and itâs a great starting point when you begin college because you will get a sense of the time commitment needed to succeed .
The problem is that 12 hours is below the average requirement of many universities which would typically be 15 hours a semester.
This just means that when taking 12 hours you want to be strategic about your course load and here are some examples of strategically choosing your classes.
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Senior Year: It Still Counts
Senioritis does not exist anymore. Colleges do consider fall grades, and even after admission your high school classes and grades still matter. Though it is far more common for a school to request a senior year schedule, there are many colleges that will ask for final grades. And, if you have been waitlisted, your spring grades could be an important factor in getting accepted. Get our tips for keeping your grades up during college application season.
How To Choose Classes For College
When youre not sure what you want to study, the course catalogue is your best friend. The course catalogue can show you a world full of introductory courses — however, youre not just looking for classes that seem like fun. Youll also want to ask how a class fits with your degree, your schedule, and your priorities. College advisors exist to help students with problems exactly like this, so dont hesitate to visit one and ask for their opinion.
Course Schedule Mistakes To Avoid
Most freshmen arent used to having the freedom to schedule their lives, so theyre prone to making schedules that arent functional.
Can you attentively sit through six hours of class on the same day? If youre living off-site and commute, how often do you want to travel back-and-forth from the campus? Answering these questions can save you from scheduling that will rob you of sleep, study time, internship opportunities, or academic success.
Asking Around
If you find yourself on the fence about taking a class, ask other students what they thought about it. Even if you dont know someone personally who has taken the class, see if there are college message boards or reviews of a course online to get a feel for whether or not it may be worth your while.
Classes arent just expensive, theyre something youll be involved in for weeks. A quick conversation might nudge you towards taking something you wouldve otherwise skipped, or avoid a class thats underwhelming.
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Dropping Below 12 Hours
Be very careful about dropping below 12 hours.
Thatâs because if your status changes from a full-time student to a part-time student, it could have a lot of effects on things like your financial aid, housing, etc.
For example, some scholarships may require you to be enrolled full-time in order to receive your scholarship.
Also institutions like the University of Virginia may exclude part-time students from special honors and things like the Deanâs list.
Dropping below 12 hours could even mean you getting placed on academic probation and eventually kicked out.
One major exception that usually applies at colleges is for your last semester.
If you donât need to take 12 hours to graduate and only need something like nine hours then you can probably get granted temporary part-time status with no issue.
Some students like to only take courses that are required for graduation at that point in their college career but other students might like the opportunity of trying out a random course just for the sake of learning something new.
Just note: depending on how your tuition is structured, you might be paying the same amount for 12 hours that you would for nine hours.
Another exception could apply if you experience some type of family emergency or major personal issue.
If for whatever reason you cannot get back on track for a full-time status, you might be able to get approved for permanent part-time status.
Your Interests And Prospective Area Of Study
Although you should weigh the practical considerations above, you also should keep your own interests in mind. Maybe you love Latin or European history. In that case, think about enrolling in those courses.
Your future college studies can help you decide on which AP classes to take as well. Of course, it’s fine if you’re still . But if you have a general idea of what you’d like to study, then you can align your AP classes with that subject.
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How To Decide Which Courses To Take In Community College
The best place to start is with a visit to your community college advisor. While these advisors may or may not be well-versed in the ins and outs of applying for Ivy League or international schools, they can almost certainly talk to you in some detail about the requirements for gaining admission to colleges and universities within the state since that is where most students are headed. And if they are unable to provide you with any requested information, they at least have the skills and contacts to find it for you so that you don’t have to go digging on your own.
If you are looking for information on transferring from community college to university, read more about it in our Community College To Ivy League category.
That being said, it is up to you to ensure that you’re prepared for transfer since you’re the only one who will suffer if you’re not. And while your advisor can definitely provide you with a listing of classes that will meet the requirements for transfer to certain schools you may need to obtain further information in order to select your classes wisely.
For example, certain courses may meet multiple requirements while others that qualify for one area may not count in another. So you obviously want to select the course that gives you the widest range of possibilities down the line.
To choose your classes carefully, I suggest reading our post: 9 Tips For Choosing The Right Classes For College
What Am I Interested In
After you schedule all of your required classes, you will still have lots of space on your schedule for electives. Electives are entirely up to youthis is where it’s time to listen to your heart and find your passion.
Whether you use your elective spaces to pursue the performing arts, the visual arts, engineering, computer science, or anything else, the advice is the same as for the core courses: find what you love, stick with it, and pursue it at the highest level of your ability.
In order to give you a sense of the possibilities, even though no school could possibly offer all of them, we have rounded up the complete list of all high school electives.
One of the single most important parts of your college application is what classes you choose to take in high school . Our team of PrepScholar admissions experts have compiled their knowledge into this single guide to planning out your high school course schedule. We’ll advise you on how to balance your schedule between regular and honors/AP/IB courses, how to choose your extracurriculars, and what classes you can’t afford not to take.
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Before Selecting A Language Think About Why Youre Studying A Language
Thinking about why youre studying a language is essential before you consider what language to take. This is because your motivation can directly affect what language is best for you. Here are a few key questions to consider.
- Are you taking a language because youre required to? If your sole reason for taking a language is because its required, youll probably want to select an easy language to learn. For instance, Spanish is a lot easier for native English speakers than Chinese. If you study an easier language, you can reach some level of proficiency without putting in as much time or effort.
- Are you taking a language for your career? If so, look into what languages are in demand in your field. For instance, if youre studying archaeology, classic languages like Latin, Greek and Biblical Hebrew may be useful. If youre studying business, though, Mandarin Chinese is in hot demand. Even within industries, theres some variation based on the nature of the business. For instance, if youre interested in working for a paper company, Scandinavian languages will likely come in handy.
- Are you taking a language for fun? If so, consider what cultures youre interested in. Whether youre passionate about the cuisine, the music, the art or even just have the travel bug, picking a culture youre interested in will make learning the language that much more fun.
How Many Classes You Should Take As A Freshman
Freshman year is your introduction to college. That means every part, not just classes: living away from home , feeding and clothing yourself, having more free time and more social freedom, balancing classes with jobs, activities, athletics, and so on. Colleges are aware of this, and the expectations for freshman year are a little different.
At most schools, you wont be expected to choose a major right away. It can depend on the school, but many wont require it until your second year. That means youll probably spend most of your classroom time as a freshman working on your general education requirements or gen eds.
Gen eds are set courses that colleges decide are so important that everyone must take them before they can graduate. College students often feel gen eds are a chore to get through because they have no choice in taking them. But thankfully, more and more campuses are redesigning their general education programs to give you more options and make even your required courses valuable to your interests. For example, check out North Central Colleges Cardinal Directions program, which lets you organize your gen eds under one larger topic that you follow throughout your undergrad.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing Ap Classes
You can usually take an AP class without taking an exam and vice versa. However, you need to take an exam if you hope to gain college credit. And a high exam score can help with college admissions. It’s also best to take the class before taking the exam so you’re properly prepared.
While some high school students may be able to take AP classes during their first year, most wait until their second year. Students typically enroll in the bulk of their AP classes during their junior and senior years.
While Harvard does not set a hard-and-fast rule for AP coursework, the average incoming Harvard student has taken eight AP classes. Keep in mind that Harvard’s admissions department weighs several factors, so don’t count on AP classes alone if you want to get into Harvard.
Although the College Board does not set a limit on how many AP classes you can take, you will probably face some limiting factors. For example, your school may not offer all available AP classes. You might struggle with certain subjects. And you could find yourself overwhelmed if you enroll in too many classes.
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What Classes Do Colleges Want To See
Luckily for you, most colleges expect to see the same core classes for admission that high schools do for graduation. This means that simply by fulfilling your high school’s curriculum requirements, you will most likely have all your transcript ducks in a row for applying to college!
As always, of course, not every college’s admissions requirements are exactly the same, so definitely make sure you find out exactly what classes your target school wants you to have taken in high school by looking at its admissions info online. Search Google for ” admissions requirements” to get the full scoop.
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Look For Number Patterns
Look for basic number patterns that can help you decide what courses to take. For example, Bio 1A will certainly come before Bio 1B. You must take prerequisite classes first. The university will not admit you into Bio 1B until you have successfully completed Bio 1A. Higher level classes and classes that are for specific fields of study may be more confusing. Does Psych 208 come before Psych 386? Probably not. If you read the course description, you will likely find that Psych 208 is child psychology and Psych 386 is criminal psychology and are not related. Make sure that you get your prerequisites out of the way or you may risk spending an extra year as a full time student.
Another thing to watch out for is when the courses are offered. If you forgot to sign up for Bio 1A in the fall term- thinking that you could take it in the spring- you may later find out that it is only offered in the fall, which means that you wont be finished with freshman Bio until sophomore year.
Physical Education Or Self
In line with developing healthy habits discussed above, students should consider a recreation or physical education course. This is especially true for students who dont have an athletic background. Its possible that one might discover a passion or hidden talent, be it kickboxing, pilates or running.
Students can find additional benefits from taking self-defense courses, too. According to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network , 11.2 percent of all college students are sexually assaulted through force, violence or incapacitation. While no one wants to face that situation, it is helpful for students to be aware of the risk and to arm themselves with information on how to combat those odds.
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Standard Honors Or Ap/ib
With the choice to challenge yourself, comes yet another question. Should you take the standard, honors, or AP version of a class? It all depends on your skill level and ability in each subject. To find out how you measure up, you can talk to a teacher to see whether in their opinion you are ready for a higher level course or, if your school offers this, you can take a placement test to see whether you qualify for honors.
If you are deciding between honors and AP, AP is the better bet for improving college applications. If you do well on the AP test, this national comparison will help colleges understand your skill level, and potentially either give you college credit or at least to the ability to place into a higher level college course.
If you are having trouble , let us help you make that decision with our explanation of the differences between the two.
Making Sure Your Credits Transfer From Community College
After deciding which classes you should take in community college, you’ll probably want to confirm a few more things:
- Will my credits transfer from community college to my desired university?
- How do I transfer my credits from community college?
These steps aren’t too bad. You may want to read the following posts before you register for classes in community college:
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