Hey guys,
Lately, I’ve been really stressed and paranoid over this stupid little thing and it’s really bugging me. I was wondering if I could get some advice and such.
I’ve done some reading on the Harvard and Yale websites about picking classes and stuff, and I’m hesitant about my schedule now… They’re written below.
So my freshman year schedule as of now is:
Honors English 1
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
Latin (Honors is the only level for Latin…) < I don’t know if I’ll like Latin. It seems interesting, but also like a lot of work. Part of me wants something more practical like Spanish, but I really want to seize the opportunity to take Latin because I think that it’ll help me learn other Romance languages, like Spanish in the future. Plus, Spanish is like the most common language ever in the US, so I can undoubtedly take it during college or university. >
PE/Health (Required) < Yuck. SQUARE DANCING -.- >
PLTW- Introduction to Engineering Design < I’m also hesitant about this. I want to take this because I have the opportunity of being a part of the first class to be in this, but from what I’ve heard, it’s mostly just sitting in front of a computer or drawing rather than actually having hands on learning. And I’m taking this instead of American Government, an elective, which would be weighted lower than this class. But I heard that colleges like Government, which is not a class built into our school’s regular Social Studies progression, which does not have a class for Freshman. IED is counted as an Honors class…I believe. I’m basically taking a leap of faith here. But also, the principals said that our other classes would be scheduled around the period that this class would be scheduled, and that we’d probably be in the same group for most of our classes. I DON’T WANT TO BE STUCK WITH A BUNCH OF NERDS, no offense! Honestly, I thrive in an environment that changes, and I can’t be stuck with a bunch of annoying people that I’ve known forever. I want to socially diversify! Irdk. >
Choir <3
Orchestra <3
I don’t know what I’ll stick with… I’m just going to see what I like and take it from there. Thanks again. 
Tryna be optimistic here, haha.
Don’t worry. You’ll be fine trust me. Do you have any idea what you’re interested in? If you want to go into engineering then the engineering class will be good for you. I don’t think you should take Government if you’re not interested in it but that’s my opinion. You don’t to change what you’re interested in to make yourself more appealing to a university. Do something you’re passionate about, that’s what they want to see.
Latin is the only honors first-year language class for my school as well. I took ACC French I this year and I enjoyed it although I wish I took an honors course. It might be different for your school but my friends who took honors Latin I this year said it was incredibly easy. They’re enjoying it too.
I think your schedule is great. We’re taking almost the same core classes and I’m almost done Freshman year (Taking Honors English I, Honors Algebra II, and Honors Biology like you).
My advice is to pick classes that you’re genuinely interested in/are gravitated towards future career goals. Do not pick classes just because they will look good on college apps. If the classes you do really like are what colleges are looking for, great! I’ve known people who hastily signed up for debate classes or Model UN clubs and whatnot just for college. Colleges can tell if you are really passionate about your subjects or not.
Get through middle school before worrying about Harvard and Yale. If school is more about being with your friend the whole time, then forget any school with a acceptance rate of 30% or less. Make new friends. I had that same attitude, and it wasn’t good, so you might want to change it. The fact that you have such a passion for orchestra but at the same time mention you don’t want to be stuck with NERDS shows how young you are. Band geeks and orchestra kids are the nerds. A student who works hard and does well in rigorous classes is not a ‘nerd’. If you have this “I’m gonna take classes that Harvard and Yale will like, even if I don’t like them” mentality, you’re going to hate high school. Choose classes YOU enjoy. Life isn’t just about getting into Harvard and Yale…
Oh, take my advice as a grain of salt
@goldenfygg Yeah, I understand haha. Thanks so much for your input.
@andrewoz9 Thanks, that’s really reassuring. 
I’m extremely interested in medicine, but in your undergraduate years, you’re allowed to major in whatever you want. Engineering is a popular major among many pre-meds, and I just wanted to explore it and see if I liked it. I’m really into hands-on stuff and all that. Your points are definitely valid- I just wanted to know whether that Gov. class would significantly affect me in the future.
That’s really funny…maybe I’m going to the same school you’re going to lol… The Latin teachers at mine are Underwood and Cesanek. Ring a bell? (Slim chance, but hey haha)
Thanks. That’s really cool! If you don’t mind, could you tell me about your experience with those classes? Merci encore! XD
@anish14 I don’t think you understand what I mean fully- Our schedule changes are due very soon, and I was wondering if anyone would recommend a change in my schedule. I was just checking the Harvard and Yale info because since they’re some of the hardest to get into, they would have the strictest requirements. Therefore, I’d be competitive wherever I choose to go.
2nd, I didn’t say that school was all about being with my friends. What I had said was that the people in the IED class were basically going to be in every other class of mine. I’ve known them all forever and I find them to be boring and they cause a hell of a lot of drama. I was hoping for a change in high school. I won’t be able to make any new friends if I’m stuck with people I already know for 13 periods a day…! Band kids and orchestra kids aren’t “nerds” where I’m from. Our music program is up there with sports. These people I say are nerds are basically people who study and create drama. ALL DAY. It’s extremely irritating. Trust me- if you knew them, you’d run. I don’t consider myself a nerd because I appreciate a balanced social life- the only thing that keeps me sane. -_-
But thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. Oh and I don’t wanna go to Harvard or Yale. I was just using their requirements as references. My dream schools are actually Rice, Pomona, Brown, and Duke.
Your schedule looks fine! Seems like you are on a good track to success. My advice to you, don’t slack off. Work very hard and be sure to surround yourself with extra curriculars. 9th and 10th grade are the best years to take “light” courses that interest you. Junior/Senior year is when you need to take more serious classes. Relax, have fun, work hard.
As someone taking IED right now, I can confirm that it is mostly drawing and sitting at a computer (but my class is also very behind on curriculum). Occasionally you’ll get some fun instant challenges; but it’s supposed to get really fun in POE, if you plan on continuing (my school offered POE last year and I decided not to take it, which was a stupid decision because the IED teacher sucks).
@southernbelle16 Thanks so much! I definitely will work hard and do EVERYTHING. Literally, I love to participate in all of the extracurriculars. I plan on taking part in the theatre shows, choir, orchestra, and MANY clubs! Also some volunteering because that’s fun too. I also hope to start a YouTube channel soon…! Your encouragement really helps, thank you
@topaz1116 Ugh… Would you recommend taking it, if I don’t plan to stick with the program. In sophomore year, I’ll have to choose two (or one, if I plan to take an AP, which is very likely) out of the three electives I’m taking- Choir, Orchestra, and PLTW. If I don’t take IED this year, I might do computer science or something else useful for the future. Thanks so much.
@JustinDaMan1141 if you don’t plan on continuing, don’t take it. Honestly, it’s useless. You might as well do something worthwhile. IED is not that good of a course (and IED teachers, for some reason, are almost always bad). The material is really boring and you spend ages learning how to draw straight lines. You can learn everything you learn in the course by downloading Autodesk Inventor and play around with it. If you do plan on continuing, it might be worth it. It would look better to colleges to continue with an arts elective throughout high school, anyhow; it shows that you’re well-rounded.
As a student in IED, we do more than “draw and sit in front of a computer”, but it definitely improves in the later years.
If you only take it for one year, I’m not sure there would even be a point.
@topaz1116 Alright. Thanks so much. I don’t think I’ll take it- thanks so much for your insight!
@wonderfulreads If you don’t mind me asking, what kinds of things do you do exactly? And how do you think the time splits between drawing and modeling, and actually hands on stuff and other things? (50/50, 60/40, etc.)
50% Inventor
10% Drawing/“Paperwork”
30% Instant Challenges/Hands On Activities
20% Other [Field Trips/Speakers/Etc.]
I just read your whole thing and noticed the scheduling part. Honestly, they are mostly nerds (and mostly male). On a personal note, I wouldn’t take it if you weren’t actually interested in engineering due to the grouped scheduling situation.
@wonderfulreads Your course seems a lot more interesting than ours–we’ve never had a speaker or a field trip, and Instant Challenges are rare treats that we get once in a millenium. The only “hands-on” thing we’ve done recently (aka since the beginning of the semester) was to build/test our puzzle cubes.
@topaz1116 Yikes- that does sound boring.
@topaz1116 @wonderfulreads I second that…
Lol; IED was so fun - building and creating products using AutoCAD and “dat” engineering notebook. POE is SOOO much different. You have to memorize equations for force, gear & sprocket ratios, pulley systems, etc. and be able to apply them. Then, you build robots, marble dispensers, etc. using VEX coding. I hate the sensors that we receive from the “fat maxes” - they easily break and are prone to error.