Choosing High School Courses

[Lupy]

So... It's that time of year, the last quarter of 8th grade, and I have to pick high school courses.

I of course, am at a total loss of what to do aside from Honors core classes (English I, World History, Geometry, and Biology by the way) and concert band (I play the oboe), so I'd welcome any advice on what's fun/useful/otherwise positive.

Any help would be appreciated,
Lupy

[Sneak]

Well, it looks like you've got much of it covered already.

A language, perhaps? You could go for one of the classics like Spanish or French. Or Latin, if you'd prefer even more classic. :smalltongue: Alternatively, you could take one of the "newer" school languages, like Chinese, Arabic, etc., if those are offered.

How many classes are you supposed to pick, exactly?

[Faulty]

What options do you have? Try to make sure you have lunch.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

I would definitely take Chinese or Arabic if offered - it would give you a competitive edge in whatever career you end up pursuing. If neither is offered, I'd go with Spanish.

If you're not doing some sort of physical activity after school, I'd throw in a phys ed class as well.

You might see if you can go ahead and take Chemistry, which I believe is for tenth graders, but if you have good grades and you have a parent pushing the teachers/administrators, they might make an exception for you. If you get a bunch of the requirements out of the way early, it opens up doors for you in your junior and senior year. For example, you might go to a Community College for a dual-credit (high school and college) course.

[Lupy]

I'm sort of boxed in.

Here's a link to the 8 by 10 sheet they gave me (not the official form).

Linkys. (http://img06.picoodle.com/img/img06/3/4/2/lupy314/f_classesm_46e641d.png)

I'm taking band spring for sure (concert band) as well as the core classes I mentioned above. I'm also looking at Computer Applications, Drafting, and Digital Communication Systems.

I have to pick 9 of those electives though, so I'm very disheartened.

[A Rainy Knight]

Take a foreign language. I'd recommend Spanish because that's what I'm learning, but any would do.

When I was in ninth grade, I took a computer class (Computer Information Systems). I would recommend taking at least some sort of basic computer class, because being familiar with stuff like Word and Powerpoint will help you out often in your other classes.

From the looks of that form, Computer Applications I sounds like what I'm talking about, but you are probably more familiar with them than me.

[Faulty]

God damn, where do you go to school son? Those are pretty interesting looking for high school classes.

Comp Applications and Theatre Arts sound good. Teen Living sounds like a real bird course.

[snoopy13a]

Take a foreign language. Selective colleges usually require it.

Other then that, take what you want. However, if you don't know how to type and if a typing class is offered, take that. As foolish as it sounds, it will develop a useful skill.

[Mauve Shirt]

Computer applications and a foreign language. I recommend German. :smallbiggrin:

[Szilard]

What I did was take the core classes (Algebra2H, English 1 PreAP, Social Studies Stuff, and Bio), Band, Spanish, and Marching band.

If your high school has a marching band, join it.
It would help to know what kinds of classes you have to take.

[Recaiden]

I'm assuming you have 7 classes.

If possible, take a foreign language. One that isn't especially similar to your native language.

I took Computer Applications(Big Mistake), Spanish, and a sport.

Computer Applications at my school was just an easy, fun, technically computer related class, but I don't know how it is where you go.
Digital Computer Systems is probably a better idea.
Theatre I'd recommend only doing if you're actually interested. Same with art, although I find it to be a class that is more normal to only take a bit of.
Parent and Child development, food, personal finance, etc. could be good, or awful, depending on your school.

[Felixaar]

Oooh, looks you've got some fun things to pick and choose from.

Okay, I would suggest Dance, Apparell Developement, Foods, and Visual Arts.

Amesoeurs' "Lunch" suggestion is a good idea too.

[dish]

Out of that list of electives, I'd suggest looking into Foods I. One of the things you can guarantee is that everyone in the world needs to eat, so a bit of knowledge in that area never goes amiss.

What are your language options?

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Teen Living = Home Economics when I was in school.

I've managed to learn how to manage my finances, cook, and care for a child without taking a class in those subjects.

Sewing remains a challenge.



Computer applications might be worth your while - I would try to find somebody who has already taken the course and ask them about it.

[Faulty]

Amesoeurs' "Lunch" suggestion is a good idea too.

If it sounded glib, it wasn't meant to be. I had friends in high school who didn't have lunch their junior and senior years and would have to get food in between classes and show up late to a class and eat in it.

I really suggest the Theatre class. Theatre is wonderful.

[BizzaroStormy]

Man, this school really seems to give you the shaft as far as class choices go. Food would definately be a good idea since you would at least learn to cook for yourself. But if you want some good help from us, we're gonna need to know if you have any idea of what you want to do after high-school.

If you haven't decided, I would suggest the automotive and ITIE classes. The automotive, even if you don't want to be a mechanic, would give you the knowledge to perform minor repairs on your vehicle, and the ITIE will most likely open up a lot of other options assuming it it the prerequisite for other vocational classes.

Also it just hit me...class choices are by no means your biggest problem. The main issue is, you are going to be a freshman. Being a freshman in high school is pretty much like being of a certain faith in Germany in the 1930's-1940's, except the oven is replaced with a toilet.

If you have friends already in high school, I would strongly suggest clinging to them until you find your place. If you don't have any friends as upperclassmen...well, you're pretty much screwed. You can either find your place quickly, or make your own place on top of the bodies of your fellow freshmen.

I also suggest being picky about your teachers since your school should have 3 or 4 people teaching the same subject. Just ask around, the school will generally give you a couple weeks worth of a grace period to get your schedule straightened out.

[u-gotNOgame]

Ok, so the lowdown. I am currently a sophmore going into my junior year of highschool. I can say that honestly do what you like. If you have a career in mind it wouldn't be bad to get a class or two in that general area, but try to not be specific, things change ALOT. So if you like computers and you might think about going into it as a career then tank Comp. Apps. I, it'll be a bore if you were as computer literate as i was, but the man requires you to take it before fun classes.

Its good to see another bandy(i play clarinet), i reccomend sticking with that, its fun and opens doors to a lot of people and interesting places, if your school has a marching band... DO IT!!!!! Its just a blast, although you might have to learn saxophone, or do pit... not that thats a bad thing.

As for foreign languages take one, i cannot stress this enough. Some colleges allow you to trade in fine arts (read band) credits for foreign language credits, and i banked on that and skipped taking one my freshman and sophmore year, only to findout that my top choice school doesn't do that... so now im really screwed and will probably have to pick one up in summer school, which is a drag.

So, in conclusion take what interests you, freshman year isn't about planning your career options, its about making a smooth transition into a new setting, and finding starting to narrow down where you might want to work, i know more then one person who came into high school thinking one thing and went out with a whole new mindset. Its good to see your in the honors track, it might seem like a lot of work but you'll get used to it. Also don't listen to PirateJesus, im sure you'll do fine. And about teachers, you might get some lousy ones, but most schools DONT let you change you classes based soley on what teacher you got, so you'll have to live with in.

-UGNG

[THAC0]

Its good to see another bandy(i play clarinet), i reccomend sticking with that, its fun and opens doors to a lot of people and interesting places, if your school has a marching band... DO IT!!!!! Its just a blast, although you might have to learn saxophone, or do pit... not that thats a bad thing.


Ok, I'm going to be a bad music educator and say something I would never ever say to a student in real life.

I HATED marching band.

With a passion.

HATED it.

Still, it's not a bad thing to do. I did get some good memories out of it.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Dude... take something fun. The way it's going you've loaded yourself with honours courses which means all your life will consist of schoolwork.. Not very much fun. Especially since it doesn't matter whether you're taking college credit courses or prerequisites in grade 9 or grade 12.

Take theatre... Could be a good way to meet cool people (unless it's all weird overemotional drama queens taking theatre at your school but usually its class clowns types that are taking it).

PS: PirateJesus, high school could be awesome. If it's not, chances are you're either really bored (which means you're taking easy courses) or you need assertiveness training.

PPS: there's no right time to make career choices.. I personally got into university for engineering, decided to screw it, took a year off (too late to change to arts), got into psychology and now I'm messing with my courses so I can potentially get into medicine. And heck, my dad had a major career change at 34, quit teaching English in college, went to business school and became a financial analyst.

[BizzaroStormy]

PS: PirateJesus, high school could be awesome. If it's not, chances are you're either really bored (which means you're taking easy courses) or you need assertiveness training.

Bored would definately be an understatement. That and if I let my math grade drop below a d- I'll be stuck in not just a 5th year of HS, but a 5th year in which I'll also have to hold a job.

[Berserk Monk]

Pick courses that all the hot chicks will definitely take. Also, if there's a class called "hot chicks in bikinis riding motorcycles 101," or "girls making out with each other while you get to video tape," those would be some good choices (and send me a video of that too).

[Don Julio Anejo]

Pick courses that all the hot chicks will definitely take. Also, if there's a class called "hot chicks in bikinis riding motorcycles 101," or "girls making out with each other while you get to video tape," those would be some good choices (and send me a video of that too).
Yep, it's settled then. Take French! :biggrin:

[Quincunx]

Foreign Languages:

Language students vary by school. One school's overachiever language might be another's collection of religious eccentrics. I'll swim against the flow here and say that it's more important to match your temperament in the class than dither over which European language you take--the Europeans are going to be bilingual and you are, unless you devote your high school time to it, not. Only you can know if you can master a new alphabet as well as new vocabulary and grammar for non-European languages.

Practical Arts:

Foods > Teen Living. Specific trumps general since you will have to be slightly smarter to want the specific, insulating you against the complete numpties tossed into catch-all courses, and as dish said, everyone needs to eat. (Also, if that nice guy who was studying to be a pastry chef was any indication, if you want dates and can cook fancy, you have dates! His _sister_ was having to peel girls off of him--a legitimate, non-ironic Nice Guy--that's how powerful it was.)

By similar reasoning, Automotive (Have you "passed Algebra I" in 8th grade or not?) > Drafting > Digital Communications > Computer Applications. There's a bit of a mental adjustment for an honors student daring to venture into the practical arts and you might have to get used to biting your tongue, but waking up a different part of your brain after wringing the intellectual juice out of it all day can be good. Full-featured drafting software is also ex-pen-sive! You could scrounge a dead car to work on for less! This might be your only chance to fiddle with it for free. The file format isn't supported by an open source program as far as I could research.

Fine Arts:

Band > Visual Arts > Dance. Unless you have a yearning to broaden your knowledge, stick with what you know. Visual Arts might lead into Art History which would fit well with an intellectual, historical focus; Dance is a matter of personal rhythm, yet it might mix you with a pack of females needing a dance partner. Band and Theater both take too much time and cannot overlap if you want to remain sane. (Theater's overlap with "sane" is marginal at the best of times.)

I skipped a few classes which are probably too practical and out of your areas of interest, and the business class because I couldn't write about it without pulling a face of disgust (grits teeth) but - it - might - be - useful.

[Lupy]

I filled out my form today, and here's what I put (I have until Wendsday to make any changes):

REQUIRED:
Geometry Honors (I took Algebra 1 and got Bs all year, mostly. I'm apprehnsive about this, but literally everyone I asked said "HONORS!")
English Honors (Will not be challenging, I've had 99s all year in English)
World History Honors (see above)
Biology Honors (as long as I apply myself [and I will] I'll be fine)
Physical Education (mandatory, but it's 99% running, which is fine with me)
__________________________________________________ _________________
OPTIONAL (picked 9, get 3):
1 Concert Band (guaranteed entry)
2 Wind Ensemble (iffy, they have to get enough people, but they should have the class)
3 Computer Apps I (I could easily teach the class, but easy As are nice, and you have to have it to do programming in 10th grade. I will probably not get in though :smallfrown: )
4 World Geography (easy A, almost guaranteed entry)
5 Oceanography (see above)
6 Digital Communications (I found out today that it's remedial, so I can't get in. Whew.)
7 Foods I
8 Drafting
9 Printing Arts I (some kind of digital art class)

I can take all of these next year if I want to, but is there anything you would change?

(Thanks for the tips by the way.)

Note:
I'm dithering back and forth between computer science (from the literary end, not the math end) and history, so I'm stacking those two areas.

[User Name]

Ahaha, what's Teen Living? Take that, it sounds fun.

[Em Blackleaf]

It's probably just learning how to be lazy good-for-nothing kids. :smalltongue:

Computer science sounds fun. I guess it kind of depends on what you want to do with you life (of course, I'm thinking that way, I don't know about you). And, at least where I go to school, you only need two years of history. World history, then U.S. history. And they ask for a lot of elective credits.

Also, you're an upcoming freshman? I could swear you were older!

Finally, someone who's younger than me. :smalltongue:

Anyway, good luck finding your way around campus and making friends. :smallsmile:

[Icewalker]

Looks like a good schedule. I wouldn't be worried, if you really focus on your work you'll do fine overall. From my memory, and with my schools at least, it wasn't a huge gap between middle and high school, you shouldn't panic over a workload increase.

No, save that panicking for the beginning of Junior year and the beginning of college.

[u-gotNOgame]

Whats the difference between Concert Band and Wind Ensemble? In my school the Wind Ensemble is an audition only group... so you would take that instead of concert band, also Comp. Apps. will be a waste of space in your schedule but its required.

I personally do very well with Algrebra but suck with geometry, however i got geometry out of the way my 8th grade year to i had Alg. 2 Trig. freshman year, over all tho if you keep your head down you should be fine.

The jump in work wasn't so bad, then again i only carried 2 honors courses, but really i had plenty of time to game, and converse via internet. Really your biggest school related time-sink should be your extra curiculars. Those are what really keep me interested in school, so you should do one, i don't care what.

-UGNG

[DrakebloodIV]

Several things to check for:

1- Do your advanced/IB classes offer a 1.0 GPA modifier for their classes. If so, take as many as you can handle

2- Have you taken any language before?

3- Do you want to do jazz or just plain band?


If taking a language, I recommend latin. That helps with majoring in pre law. Also, three years of that is usually the maximum, other languages have 5 years max. I don't recommend spanish unless you need it for your field of work.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Several things to check for:

1- Do your advanced/IB classes offer a 1.0 GPA modifier for their classes. If so, take as many as you can handle

2- Have you taken any language before?

3- Do you want to do jazz or just plain band?


If taking a language, I recommend latin. That helps with majoring in pre law. Also, three years of that is usually the maximum, other languages have 5 years max. I don't recommend spanish unless you need it for your field of work.
1. Man, some schools do that? We got ripped off than... Our honours courses meant 3x the work of regular classes for the same mark... I stopped taking them in grade 10 because of that.

Language... Latin is pretty much useless in real life except for pre-law. Spanish is actually one of the most useful languages you can learn, considering a continent and a half speaks it almost exclusively...

[Egiam]

If you plan to stay in the US, I recommend Spanish. It is the easiest language to pick up from English, and very helpful with immigrants. Once you start noticing them, you realize actually how many people here only speak Spanish.

If planning on going into international business or travel, I'd say Chinese. Maybe Arabic.

[Jack Squat]

Do you have a vocational school around?

If so, I'd recommend taking a wood shop or metal shop class...maybe a auto mechanics class later on (it's always good to know some basic maintenance - even if it is no more advanced than changing out oil/brakes/the radio).

If you don't have a vocational school, maybe some computer classes? I liked my web page design class, and there was a Virtual Enterprises class that was pretty cool - more business than computer, but you used computers for everything.

[u-gotNOgame]

About language, in less you plan on needing it in your future job take 2 maybe 3 years, thats all you need for college transcripts (at least in the US) and then you can free up your schedule to take more specialized, and maybe more enjoyable classes.

Also playing the oboe i doubt he'll be playing in any Jazz bands, unless he wants to learn saxophone.

-UGNG

[THAC0]

1. Man, some schools do that? We got ripped off than... Our honours courses meant 3x the work of regular classes for the same mark... I stopped taking them in grade 10 because of that.


1.0 modifiers are annoying, IMO. Assuming you're talking about what my HS did. Which meant that anyone who took, say, Band, which wasn't an honors class, was tanking their gpa. And since it made it overall into a 5.0 scale, the actual gpa number didn't matter for colleges, since no one knew what it meant.

[Billyjoe]

I'm just finishing up high school here, good luck on whatever you go with :smallsmile:

Heres what I took that seems to apply (from my freshman year):

TAG World History (Such a great course. It was assumed we could locate major geographical features and so we only did them for a few days based on any region of the world, the rest of the class time was devoted to a study of different cultures. World Geography was one of the better classes I have taken but depending on the teacher and how they handle the course it could be awful. This was als the prerequisite to doing AP world history in 10'th grade.)

Choir (After 4 years of concert choir and 2 years of jazz I can say this is my favorite thing about school. It is for these reasons that I think band is an awesome choice!)

Looking at your courses availible for electives:

Take whatever you need to get into comp. sci.

I'm in my third year of comp. sci. and it is amazing. I took Pre-AP Comp Sci tenth grade (intro to programming and programming theory), and my junior/senior year have been IB SL and IB HL comp. sci. My only regret with this class is that I didn't take Pre-AP my freshman year so I could get in a fourth year of AP Comp Sci BC. This was the single most useful class I've taken, it has helped me out in so many situations. If I need to write a program to do anything I can write it, and I can make it (somewhat) efficient.

Depending on electives I'd reccomend Theatre (I just participate in the schools play and in play competitions. Theatre is great for meeting new people and just having fun.)
Some form of speech is also nice. I actually did debate all four years. There is no end to which this will help you. College interviews? Pffft, too easy. Scholarship interviews? Pfffft, same thing.

A foreign language: I've taken 6 years of it (started in 7'th grade) and it was fun. I took spanish but from what I hear latin and mandarin are the most useful (niether were offered as IB courses at my school so I couldn't take them :smallfrown: ). Try to get in at least 3, shoot for 4.

I've never enjoyed 'practical' courses, like automotive. I've always just done stuff with my parents to learn to cook and to work with cars. Sitting in class for an hour or an hour and a half and doing cooking just seems... silly. Maybe it was just the fact tha they never made anything very complicated.

You know, if you realy want to do history I'd look a lot at world geography. Ask people about the teacher(s) and what the course runs down to. It always nice to have an understanding of the land and cultures when dealing with history. If its just locating and labeling major mountains and rivers for a year... I'd pass :smalltongue:

Don;t worry too much about finding a major in high school. Just do courses that seem fun. Also don't worry about loading up on AP courses. I've done AP stuff since 10'th grade and IB stuff since 11'th and you will find that as you become accustomed to the work it gets far easier to manage. I'm never in need of free time to just hang out with my friends.

Once again, good luck in whatever you go with! Hope you get into your top choice courses :smallsmile:

[Quincunx]

That reminds me of something for the long-term outlook. If you have any plans on studying abroad, and a choice between AP and IB (not likely, having both on offer), aim for International Baccalaureate. You will, I guarantee, get exasperated with re-explaining the equivalency of AP exams if your chosen school hasn't had much experience with U.S. students. Also, AP carries all of its grade in the exam, and from what I understand IB incorporates coursework into the grade as well--plan according to your strengths.

I didn't realize Computer Apps was a pre-requisite for something you wanted later, Lupy. Ironic hurrah for grinding through that.

Latin was useful as a vocabulary expander, grammar boot camp*, and cultural background class rolled into one, but its worth in 'whatever language situation you might find yourself in later' was, ah, overtaken by events. Also, it didn't have any oral exams, unlike the live languages. (IB may be different in this.)

*Grammar, like algebra, is nearly useless in itself but a wonderful tool for understanding more about what you're doing--in this case, with languages. You can speak a language perfectly without ever articulating its rules of grammar.

[Shades of Gray]

Well, quite a few of my courses were mandatory for next year (grade 10), so here were my options:

Language:
Latin II
Greek I
Italian I

Sciences:
Chem 11
Phys 11
Bio 11

I have 9 courses... out of 10... fun.

[Llama231]

Um...
Did I miss the list of choices for a world language (the politacally correct title now)?

[Faulty]

That reminds me of something for the long-term outlook. If you have any plans on studying abroad, and a choice between AP and IB (not likely, having both on offer), aim for International Baccalaureate. You will, I guarantee, get exasperated with re-explaining the equivalency of AP exams if your chosen school hasn't had much experience with U.S. students. Also, AP carries all of its grade in the exam, and from what I understand IB incorporates coursework into the grade as well--plan according to your strengths.

Unless you're a very, very hard worker, do not go for an IB diploma. You get crushed by work and it made a lot of my friends very unhappy people. I took IB English and got 6 200 level English college credits for it. Maybe take a class or two, but keep in mind that it's really tough work.

[Lupy]

I've never even heard of IB. :smalleek: Sounds even worse than AP though. :eek:

Anyways, I can't take a language 'til next year, when they'll have Latin again (the teacher quit two weeks before school started this year, so they didn't have it). I'm planning on taking Latin, because it will make romance languages so much easier, and since 1 in 10 people in North Carolina is an illegal immigrant, that can only be useful. (Don't believe me? We have a pop. of 9 million legals and over a million illegals, look it up.)

Next, on GPAs.

Honors courses have a max of 5.0, and regular courses have a max of 4.0, with a 3.5 required if you hope to go to a state school.

Next, wind ensemble vs concert band:

Wind Ensemble is for people who care, Concert band is for people who don't. (But the director requires you take two band courses, and Oboe's a nogo for marching or jazz. (May sax playing is pretty bad. >.>)

Thanks for the ideas!

[Jack Squat]

Honors courses have a max of 5.0, and regular courses have a max of 4.0, with a 3.5 required if you hope to go to a state school.

Wow, tough.

I know a guy who got into my current university with a HS. GPA of 1.81. 'Course he did it to prove that high school was pointless. He's doing pretty good in College last I checked.

[Lupy]

The Schools here in NC are pretty tough; State and Chapel Hill especially. (I'm hoping for Chapel Hill, but my friend at Asheville says it's a nice school.)

[u-gotNOgame]

Next, on GPAs.

Honors courses have a max of 5.0, and regular courses have a max of 4.0, with a 3.5 required if you hope to go to a state school.

Yeah, thats basicly what it is like in IL, however dont be discouraged. A 3.5 isn't as hard as you think if you keep your head down and do your work. Honors courses are just more busy work, if you edjucation system is anything like ours.


Next, wind ensemble vs concert band:

Wind Ensemble is for people who care, Concert band is for people who don't. (But the director requires you take two band courses, and Oboe's a nogo for marching or jazz. (May sax playing is pretty bad. >.>)

Then i would definatly suggest Wind Ensemble, if you can get your sax up to snuff. I can attest to the fact that being around people that care about playing makes the experiance infinitly more productive, and enjoyable. Playing harder literature, and hanging around people who are as serious as i am is basicly the only thing keeping me in band right now.

-UGNG

[Lupy]

What I was saying was that without Sax skills I can't be in Jazz, I'll be okay in WE.