Hi everyone,
I will be a Junior next year, and I’m wondering how my class choices will affect my college admission chances. This year, I took spanish 4, advanced chemistry, ap world history, advanced Literary analysis, calculus 3, orchestra, and study hall. Next year, I am taking:
AP government
AP computer science
AP English language
AP Physics mechanics
AP spanish
Orchestra
Study Hall
I am hoping to have a chance to get into some of the top Ivy League schools and others such as Stanford. Specifically, I am not sure how deciding to take study hall my junior year will impact my chances- would it be better if I subsituted it with another class? I took study hall because I take piano and soccer very seriously (hoping to double major in music and something else), so it would give me more time for extracurriculurs on my college application. Thanks!
Your schedule is fine. While taking a study hall is frowned upon and a “fun” class should be prefered (photography, cooking, choir, shop, current events…), with such a full schedule and college applications, I see why you may want to take a study hall. If you’re worried about course rigor, take an easy, fun class that sounds interesting and is known in your high school for being easy with very little to no homework.
A study hall is fine if you have demanding ECs. Serious music study for a future music major would be an example of this. Don’t sweat this kind of thing. Rather than focusing on the minutia (one AP class more or less, one study hall vs. a fun class, AP vs honors), focus instead on the significant things that will differentiate you from your peers in the application process. Why should they take you instead of some other potential music student? What makes you a more interesting applicant than all the other candidates with good grades and rigorous schedules?
Your schedule looks fine. Don’t worry about the study hall being there.