The college admissions process can certainly create plenty of chaos and havoc. Because of this, many students tend to focus on their schoolwork or test prep and overlook the scheduling aspect. How many Advanced Placement classes can one take each year? When should I take the ACT or SAT? Many of these questions are simply overlooked. As a rising senior, I feel I have benefited from the planning I did last summer. Many of my peers mistakenly took the SAT without adequate preparation. Others scheduled too many AP classes and felt overwhelmed late in the year. To avoid some of these mistakes, please take notice of the following tips in regards to standardized test scheduling as well as class scheduling.
3 Tips on Class Scheduling
Try to position yourself to take AP/ IB courses in your junior and senior years. Whether this means taking honors courses in your first two years of high school or achieving a good grade point average in regular classes, it is vital that colleges see you challenging yourself by taking college level classes.
Challenge yourself with a challenging course load without obtaining a C in a class. If a student receives a C in a class, by no means is it the end of the world. Nevertheless, try to achieve A’s and B’s while still taking difficult courses. If you are unsure whether you can achieve a B in a class, it may be a good idea to drop out of the class. In addition, do not take so many difficult classes that you feel too stressed. 2-3 AP classes a year is plenty for most high school students.
Take classes that interest you so that you will have a clear idea of what you want to pursue in college. If you feel you might be interested in going pre-med, try to take AP Chemistry or AP Biology over AP Psychology.
3 Tips on Test Scheduling
Try to take advantage of off-days in your school schedule. If your school gives you a week off before a certain test date, it may be a good idea to take the test then. Winter break is a good time to start studying for the January test date. (If you can manage- Spring Break for April test date)
Try to take the SAT or ACT (personal preference) twice in your junior year. Chance are you can do better the second time and many colleges and universities superscore (take the best section of each test date to calculate a new composite score). If you need to take it again, you can always take the fall date in your senior year.
Schedule SAT Subject Tests for the May Test Date. Most students during their junior year will be taking a couple AP courses. If your studying for an AP Exam, you may as well take a Subject test for that same AP and kill two birds with one stone.
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