In the days ahead, junior and sophomore high school students will be choosing their classes for next year. These classes should include both the courses required for high school graduation AND the courses recommended to achieve admission to top colleges and universities. The courses recommended to achieve admission include the most challenging / difficult ones, such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Honors and college-prep courses.

I make this recommendation because the difficulty of a student’s curriculum (how hard their classes are) is one of the most important factors evaluated by college admission officers when considering students for admission. For this reason, students should sign up for the most challenging curriculum they can handle and work hard to earn A’s. Students should ask themselves, “When college admission officers look at my schedule of classes, will they see challenging courses that demonstrate I am preparing for the rigors of college-level coursework, or will they see a list of classes that show I don’t want to challenge myself?”

However, students should keep in mind not to overextend themselves to the point where they may become exhausted. If a student registers for a ridiculously difficult schedule of classes, he/she may burn out and end up earning only mediocre grades. My advice for juniors and sophomores is to plan accordingly and sign up for the most challenging curriculum YOU can handle.

In summary, students who take advanced courses and challenge themselves are viewed very favorably by college admission officers and are considered the stronger college applicants. Junior-year courses are evaluated most carefully by admission officers because those courses are the highest level completed at the time college applications are submitted in the fall of the senior year. Senior-year coursework is important because most colleges ask for a listing of the classes taken during the senior year, as well as the grades earned during the fall semester of the senior year.