STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

In my February 3 blog, “The Message Behind Your Course Selections,” I offered guidance to students as they choose courses for next year. The basic message was: “Take courses that present reasonable challenges for you academically, do well in them and choose colleges that value you for your efforts.”

At the end of the blog, I invited specific questions. The following five questions capture the essence of the feedback I received.

Question #1: “I am taking AP Calculus AB as a Junior and our school doesn’t offer any higher level math classes. What should I do next year?”

Answer: If you like and do well in math, you might explore advanced coursework at local colleges. If you are considering math/science/engineering academic tracks in college, you will need to demonstrate proficiency at the highest levels possible in math when you apply for admission. In that case, proceeding without math next year will be problematic.

If math is not central to your future academic directions, then you may have more latitude within your school’s curriculum. For example, statistics is a highly utilitarian course and an Honors or AP Stats class could prove to be very useful regardless of your intended major.

The selectivity of the colleges under consideration comes into play when it comes to substituting courses. If you are considering more selective schools, it is better to replace rigor in one discipline with similar rigor in another.

Question #2: “My daughter is planning to take three APs and two honors courses next year. I’m concerned that it might be too much with all of her other activities and the stresses of the application process on top of it. Should I encourage her to switch from AP English Literature to an honors course instead?”

Answer: Remember my earlier advice: It’s important to step up academically. While the senior year should be fun and memorable, there is every reason to believe it should be challenging as well. At many colleges, especially those that can be very selective, admission officers are watching to see how talented students respond to the challenge. My advice is to let her follow her instincts. If she believes she can handle the challenge, she should go for it!

Question #3: “How do colleges feel about on-line courses?”

Answer: As the range of educational opportunities available to students continues to grow, admission officers are becoming accustomed to seeing evidence of related experiences when students apply for admission. This is true not only of on-line courses but dual degree coursework and college courses offered (for college credit) on high school campuses.

In each case, documentation is important, as you want to eliminate the guesswork that is otherwise bound to emerge in evaluating your credentials. If you plan to submit grades achieved in a “non-traditional” high school classroom setting, make sure your application includes a description of the course, a syllabus (if possible) and information about the accreditation of the school or program from which you received the grade.

Question #4: “If I know that I don’t want to pursue sciences in college, would it be okay to drop science (probably AP Physics)? I have gotten B+’s in science so far but I have to work real hard in those classes to get the grade.”

Answer: The answer depends on two things: the course you plan to take in place of the science course you are dropping, and the colleges to which you want to apply. As a rule, it is best to replace a dropped course with another that would provide the same level of challenge. Generally speaking, dropping AP Physics for a survey course in government or economics won’t reflect well on you.

That said admission officers at highly selective schools are watching to see what you do when you think the pressure is “off”—when you don’ think you have to push yourself any longer. They’re looking for the slightest reasons to turn students down. Dropping the science course without adding a suitable replacement gives them a reason to say “no.” Less selective schools, on the other hand, are not likely to view your course selection as critically.

Question #5: “My problem is that AP Spanish conflicts with orchestra next year. I have played the cello forever and am first chair. I hate to give it up. Will it hurt me if I drop Spanish to stick with orchestra?”

Answer: Believe it or not, this is a fairly common dilemma for students who are accomplished in the performing arts. In most cases, dropping a high level academic course to continue involvement with orchestra (in this case) will not hurt your competitiveness IF you explain the situation in your application (interview, note attached to your application). You might also explore the potential to take the AP Spanish class on-line or at a local college. Regardless, you need to make sure college advisor corroborates your explanation.

Final note: Each of these questions, as well as others like them, might also be directed to the persons on the admission staffs at schools of interest to you. Those persons can be key resources as you look for information and/or guidance in anticipation of the application process. Articulate your question in a brief email and see what happens. If you receive a thoughtful response you will have gained the information you need and you will have begun a conversation—and a relationship—with someone who will likely review your application at some point.

A lot of schools invite me to speak to their Juniors (and parents) at this time of year and a key agenda behind the invitations seems to be the desire to address the importance of course selections for the coming year. My message is simple:

• Step up to courses that present reasonable challenges to you academically,
• Do as well as you can in those courses and, then,
• Look for colleges that will value you for what you have achieved in the classroom and for the trajectory of your performance curve.

Quite often, the question of “which course to take” in the Senior year reflects either a student’s determination to get into a highly selective school or a desire to find reassurance that taking a less rigorous and, obviously, “more interesting” course will be okay. In each case, the answer rests in an understanding of your natural learning path. For years, you have been “tracked” academically—exposed to a sequence of courses that were intended to match your level of ability and preparation to find success in them.

As you reflect on your natural learning path, then, you will find guidance with regard to the next steps in course selections. What will your course selections reveal to admission officers with regard to your desire and ability to push yourself in the classroom? By taking rigorous courses, you demonstrate an ability to step up. Doing so will not guarantee admission but it will establish you on the competitive playing fields (for admission) at colleges where admission officers make fine, qualitative distinctions between excellent candidates.

A lot of times, students worry that, in taking the greater challenge they will hurt their ability to produce top grades. This is where you need to understand your capacity to handle a complex and heavy workload. Don’t over-schedule in order to impress admission officers. Do what makes sense for you and do it well.

One thing is certain, however. At highly selective colleges—places that are faced with large numbers of highly qualified candidates—admission officers want to see how you respond given the opportunity to choose your curriculum. And they want to see how you perform in that curriculum in the senior year. They want to see what you will do when you don’t think it matters any more!

That said, the matter of rigor poses a conundrum for many students who want to apply to state universities and other institutions that rely on a basic formula involving grade point average (or class rank) and the SAT/ACT results to determine who will be admitted. While logic suggests you keep challenging yourself academically, you might be leery of doing so at the expense of a lower GPA that may not make the cut in the admission process. (Unfortunately, not all state universities make qualitative distinctions in the rigor of academic programs.)

In deciding what to do, be true to yourself. You are a living, growing person. Just as you need sustenance (food, water, etc.) to survive physically, you also need to challenge and nourish the intellectual and spiritual parts of your being so they can develop, too. Hopefully, you can do that meaningfully while still meeting the seemingly arbitrary requirements of a formulated admission process.

Wherever you go to college, you are likely to find academic expectations that exceed any you encountered in high school. If you have continued to step up academically through each year of high school, the step into the college classroom will be one for which you are prepared. On the other hand, if the academic challenge you give yourself in your Senior Year of high school is not that different from the one you experienced as a Junior, then the step up to college will be awkward, if not painful.

The bottom line with regard to course selections—and your eventual college selections—is this: Do what makes sense for you. Take stock of where you are on your learning path, set your college sites reasonably and build a strong foundation through your coursework in high school that will propel you into a successful experience in college.

I will answer questions about course selections in my next posting. If you have a specific question you would like me to address, send it to my attention at Peter@TheAdmissionGame.com.