<p>Son has very good grades, AP's, dual credit, class ranking, SAT scores, etc. Having a hard time filling a one period with a useful course. Can't add another hard class to an already challenging schedule during football season in Texas. How do colleges view study hall?</p>
<p>Rather negatively. (At least at competitive schools unless there is truly nothing substantive your son can take.)</p>
<p>Colleges don’t normally see them on your transcript?</p>
<p>One thing he shouldn’t do is take a study hall just because he doesn’t want a non-AP class to ruin his class rank (if AP classes are weighted more heavily in GPA calculations). </p>
<p>Are there any classes at all that he’s interested in (maybe a music or art class) that wouldn’t be too challenging but he would still get something positive out of?</p>
<p>The only two options (I think) that he has are ag and home economics. Really not interested in either one. We are a small 1a West Texas school that doesn’t offer a huge number of classes.</p>
<p>My goodness, of course it’s OK for him to have a Study Hall. Both of my kids played 2 varsity sports each (fall–soccer, spring–baseball) and having a study hall “saved” them more than a couple of times. It gave them time to start their homework or finish up what they couldn’t finish the night before. They had a study hall every year. It didn’t hurt them at all during the admission’s process. </p>
<p>I vote for Study Hall.</p>
<p>Are you kidding? Study halls are totally ok. There’s not even a debate… </p>
<p>If he has a rigorous schedule already and is a god student, then why shouldn’t he have a study hall?</p>
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<p>If he is a god student, he really doesn’t have ANYTHING to worry about.</p>
<p>No class you take will automatically be viewed negatively. It’s a problem only if you take the class INSTEAD OF having a rigorous schedule.</p>
<p>Well, he’s not a “god” student (HaHa), but he is a good student. By the end of his senior year, he will have taken every AP and Honors course the school has to offer, along with dual credit classes. I just hate to make him take non “college prep” classes that he has no interest in, when he could be getting ahead of his homework for the actual “real” courses. It is encouraging to hear that that is not totally out of the question. I appreciate the opinions.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a regional culture matter. At my school, no one who plans to attend college takes a study hall.</p>
<p>Idk about study halls, but I had a kinda bad experience. My junior year was the first year you could start taking AP classes at my HS. You could take up to three: AP Bio, AP US, and AP Eng Lang. However, very few students took AP Bio because it was deemed a hard class. Well, I was kinda freaked out and asked my counselors for advice. They all were like “talking 3 AP classes is completely insane” and “we cant promise you that you’ll get an A or even a B.” So, in response to this, I took TWO study halls- something that they all HEAVILY suggested. Long story short, I got A+s in all three of the APs along with my other two honors courses and deeply regret taking those SHs. </p>
<p>However, if you have nothing productive to take, you might as well do a SH. I spoke with a Upenn admissions officer who said that they basically evaluate rigor based on how many AP and Honors courses you took relative to how many your school offers. Plus, at least at my HS, study halls dont show up on your transcript. Then, on top of that, the counselors are asked to say how rigorious your schedule was and they probably will- as Im sure mine will- say your schedule was the “most rigorious” even with a study hall.</p>
<p>I think I have one study hall one semester and two study halls another semester. I might not be ivy level, but I’m right on its heels. </p>
<p>It really depends on the schools offerings. I would expand my schedule if I could, but there’s nothing else worthwhile at my school. If your son exhausted his school’s AP offerings, he can definitely take a study hall without worrying.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, taking a study hall because you have a busy schedule and need the time to finish up / get ahead on homework is totally OK, as long as you’re a good student and are taking challenging courses (and especially if there’s nothing else you really want to take).</p>
<p>I’m just biased, because I know a lot of people who refused to take non “college prep” classes just because they’d lower their weighted GPAs. I think that’s ridiculous. High school should be about learning as much as you can and having a good time, not just getting into college. Choosing to take music or art or theater or a PE class over a study hall will be worth it in the end, even if it lowers your weighted GPA. That’s all I meant by my comment. I see that’s not your reasoning here, though, so I’m sorry I was so harsh with my advise.</p>
<p>Moral of the story: Just take a demanding schedule with a few classes sprinkled in that may not be as difficult but you like them = D. Study Halls probably wont hurt you if you are doing those things.</p>
<p>Our county offers lots of AP classes online that could be taken during study hall. Many of the APs not available at our home school are offered online, and thus a kid can choose from a robust set of courses that interest him.</p>
<p>He should take the study hall. It won’t matter. Our D had one study hall for one quarter in Junior year and one quarter in Senior year- all because of scheduling issues. She will be attending Stanford in September.</p>
<p>If a study hall period is mandatory for your school, colleges will not acknowledge it as positive or negative, right?</p>