<p>I have all the required credits that I need except for my 4 core classes. I plan on taking 2 electives right now, which means I have one period to fill. I am planning on taking 3 AP classes, 2 honors classes, and 1 on level class. Will it look bad if I just get early release? Or should I fill my schedule with another honors elective? I want to go to a more selective school, and I know they look at how rigorous your classes are through senior year. Would early release hurt me in the admissions process?</p>
<p>yes it will look bad if you intend to apply to selective colleges. If you intend to apply to state schools with automatic admissions, then no it won’t hurt you. That period should be filled with an honors elective, something you’re interested in, etc. You could also offer to TA for a teacher during that class period.</p>
<p>What are you planning on doing during that time? If you were doing some cool internship and the ability to start earlier in the day was a benefit then I don’t think a free period would be a bad thing. If you were some extraordinary athlete and took the time to train or something like that… maybe not a big deal. I think even needing to work to help support the family would be an acceptable reason you could explain. If you are going home and checking out facebook, not so much. </p>
<p>I think it depends on the schools you are looking at too. There is a difference between “selective” and “highly selective.” A selective school could still have an acceptance rate of 50 percent and that free period might not be a big deal at all (you could email the admissions office and ask.) For the highly selective college where 10 percent get admitted, it wouldn’t be a good choice.</p>