Your Junior Year Courseload

It’s no secret that your junior year of high school is the most important when it comes to college applications. That certainly doesn’t mean you can slack off during your freshman and sophomore years, but some early setbacks can be disregarded if you demonstrate clear improvement, a changed attitude, and an enhanced passion for learning later on. Occasionally, it’s even preferable to have a jump in your grades because it implies personal growth and a sudden, sincere interest in academics, so don’t stress about that B- in 9th grade biology. Just make sure you follow it up with an A in Chemistry or Physics.

Unfortunately, though, junior year is also when most students start packing their schedules with Advanced Placement classes, and not everyone can handle the intense workload this brings. If you can take ten AP classes each semester and get A+ scores in all of them, then by all means, do so. The average overly extended student, however, needs to be more strategic about striking a realistic balance that optimizes their transcripts without jeopardizing their grades.

Parents often ask me whether it’s preferable to get an A in a standard course or a B in an honors or AP course. While, ideally, the student would achieve the A in the AP, the second best option is to take the more difficult course and get a slightly lower grade. Why? Because colleges want to see that you’re not just taking the path of least resistance. Can you handle the more rigorous college curriculum? Will you seek out interesting courses or just coast through your four years of higher learning by opting to take the easiest classes on a pass/fail scale? An applicant could have a perfect 4.0 GPA, but if he or she was taking Algebra I as a senior, that’s a serious red flag. Admissions committees will automatically wonder why that student didn’t seek out something a little more challenging.

Always take at least one AP course when you have the opportunity, but I wouldn’t recommend taking more than three at a time. Don’t worry. This is enough to demonstrate that you can and will do the work required in college, and it will give you enough time to pour energy into each class. If the question starts to become, “should I get and B in a regular class or a C in an AP,” then obviously drop one AP in favor of an easier class and see if that will boost your scores across the board.

One more word of advice: do not become a “one trick pony” when it comes to your academic strengths; this is just as dangerous as spreading yourself too thin. Try to have a well-rounded variety of classes, including science, math and English. I promise there will come a day when you can forget how to graph a quadratic equation, but for now, continue to apply yourself in your core subjects. Trust me on this; I majored in English Literature and specialized in Creative Writing during college, but I needed Calculus and AP Chemistry on my transcript to get in the door. This is when it counts, so make sure you have a solid year!