Taking the hardest schedule possible vs. Taking classes you are genuinely interested in

<p>So I'm a freshman in high school right now and we are in the process of picking our classes for the next year. As of right now, my sophomore schedule looks like this:</p>

<p>(not in this order)
1) Lunch
2) Journalism 10 Honors
3) Advanced Algebra Honors
4) P.E. S1/Driver’s Ed S2
5) Italian 3 Honors
6) Chemistry Honors
7) AP European History
8) Choir</p>

<p>I was thinking of replacing my lunch with Accounting I Honors as well, because I want to do BPA next year after finding out that I really enjoy business after taking Intro to Business this year, and you need to be taking at least one business class per semester in order to participate. I also really enjoy choir and I regret not taking it my freshman year after following some other peoples' advice and going for a business class instead (but that also resulted in my discovering a new interest, so I guess it wasn't a terrible idea). So my question is, does it look better to colleges to be taking classes such as the ones I just mentioned that I'm interested in, or should I drop one (or both, that way I would be able to take a lunch) of those classes and take AP Psychology instead? I'm really stumped on this. Thank you!</p>

<p>You want to replace lunch!?</p>

<p>There should be a healthy balance between the two – classes you are interested in that may not necessarily be the most rigorous and classes that are challenging that aren’t necessarily the most thrilling or exciting. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a class that is both (cough, AP World History, cough). </p>

<p>But, in your case, I don’t think it would matter too much if you kept choir and/or accounting - you’re already in AP Euro, which is arguably one of the hardest AP humanities - and AP Psych isn’t regarded as super challenging by college admissions officers generally. In actuality, AP Psych is considered a soft AP that people blow off. If you were deciding between Accounting and AP Physics or Calculus, then I’d advise you to drop accounting in lieu of a structured AP course, but because you’re already enrolled in a demanding AP humanities course (Euro), discarding classes you’re interested in for AP Psych won’t matter too much in the greater scheme of things. </p>

<p>Good luck. </p>

<p>I’m a believer in taking things that interest you, keeping in mind that you can’t dismiss something you’ve never studied as uninteresting. </p>

<p>Take classes that interest you, but keep an open mind to expanding your horizons.</p>

<p>Who needs a lunch break? Eat in class. Take the classes that will get you into college during your fresh, sopho, and junior years. Take the classes you want to take during your senior year while you’re relaxing with a bunch of college acceptances.</p>

<p>With my kids, I like to help them create a four year plan for all of their high school years. We look at the school’s handbook to see what the guidance counselors consider to be “most rigorous”, “rigorous”, “college prep”, etc. Then my kids determine which plan they want to be on and customize that plan to suit their preferences. We find that looking at the big picture first helps them to see where what they decide to take for 9th grade (or 10th grade, etc.) fits into the overall picture based on what end result they are shooting for.</p>

<p>I honestly believe you should take the classes you want to take. Education is about you, not about what colleges want. If you do well enough in what you take and have a strong work ethic, you will get into college either way. Taking APs just for the sake of having APs is only going to make you stressed, and high school shouldn’t be stressful.</p>

<p>@Bouncer My teachers don’t let us eat in class, your teachers do? Sheesh, what kind of school do you go to?</p>

<p>Take the classes you want as long as you feel they’ll prepare you for what you want to do after hs. </p>

<p>I’d personally never want to drop a lunch period, though. I didn’t even realize that was possible.</p>

<p>In order to take a lunch without dropping any classes, I would have to take zero hour P.E., and being at school at 6:50am each morning for gym class doesn’t sound too appealing. It is also not required for us to take a social studies/humanities class sophomore year, but history is also something that I love so I’d rather keep the course :x And yes, in my school most teachers don’t mind if you eat in their class.</p>

<p>If I were to drop one thing from my schedule it would probably be choir, and then I’d have that free slot open for lunch. How important would you think lunch is for sophomore year and beyond? Right now as a freshman I spend the majority of my lunch period just wasting time on my phone or getting ahead on homework for that night, and I feel like that time could be put to better use.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Seriously, that would not even be an option for me. Even if I could eat in class (I can’t), I’d rather socialize with my friends and get a start on my homework than create a schedule that shows me do be an academic drone.</p>

<p>I need lunch to have half an hour to relax and not think about school (or do any homework I need to do for my next class). I think it’s stupid to not have a lunch, regardless of whether your teachers allow you to eat in class or not. It’s time to relax and socialize. </p>

<p>Taking lunch (at my school it’s not even an option to not have lunch) isn’t going to keep you from being accepted to college. Also, taking classes solely for the sake of college is a bit ridiculous. Take classes you enjoy too, otherwise you probably won’t enjoy much of high school. It’s all about balance.</p>

<p>Dropping lunch is a ■■■■■, don’t do it unless you have superior work ethic or you’re good at cramming (which isn’t really a good thing I guess)</p>