Hi! I’m going to be an incoming freshman at a public school. I just moved from Asia so I’m worried about adjusting to everything. I attended an international school in Asia and I was born here to English is my first language.
I’m a big troubled on what courses to take for high school. My parents are encouraging me to take “Honors english” in 9th grade, is that wise to do? Also, which electives are the best to take? Finally, about how many honors classes should I take in 9th grade? Thank you!
Hello! I don’t know that much about your school and what is available, but I’ll try my best to help!
The thing you have to understand is that you really shouldn’t be taking any Honors/AP/etc. classes unless you’re either really good at the subject or are really interested in it. That’s not to say you shouldn’t challenge yourself, but don’t just take classes because you think it will look good to colleges.
My advice regarding electives/ECs is similar–if you find something you love that’s really important to you, then you’ll be at a decent advantage.
I think, if you feel confident about a subject (for example, English) then you should want to challenge yourself and take honors in that subject. It will make your schedule more rigorous, which the more selective colleges really look for on your app, and it allows you in my opinion & experience to often get more out of the material. I wouldn’t suggest having all honors classes in 9th grade, but 1-3 depending on what type of student you are would be fine.
For electives, take classes that really interest you. For example, if your school offers something in the arts and you are interested, take it just for the heck of it.
You should find honors math and science relatively easy after your Asian International school, and since ou’re a native speaker, I don’t see why you shouldn’t Try to take honors English unless it’s a subject you struggle with.
You’ll be expected to have one class each in English, math, science, social science and foreign language, plus freshman year especially subjects like computer literacy, art, health, etc.
As a freshman I took Honors Biology, Honors Geometry, and AP World History. Those were the hardest classes offered to me
Try to take honors classes if you can. This will put you on the best track for your HS career.
If you know you are weak in an area or are not as interested then perhaps don’t take that as honors.
My daughter was in a international middle school and thought she was not good in spanish so we had her take Spanish 2 instead of 3…but honors in everything else. She was just fine in Spanish…they teach at a faster pace in Europe!
It is easier to drop down a level than to increase.
thanks for the reply! i really love english so I’m leaning more into taking honors english. If I take only one honors course, does it give me enough time on my schedule to join clubs (ex Key Club) and do swimming as a sport?
Honestly, Honors English is one of the hardest honors courses at my school, so if you doubt your reading and writing skills, it may be best to start with standard. If possible, look into seeing if you could start at the standard level, and be bumped up if you don’t feel challenged enough. When you say you attended an international school, does that mean your classes were in English, or another language?
Also, for your above post, most kids can handle several honors classes alongside clubs and a sport. You should definitely have enough time if you only plan to take one.