Curriculum Planning - Now is the Time to Chart Your Course!

February and March mark the time of year when high school students begin to think about their academic programs for the following year.  These decisions are particularly significant because in many cases the single most important factor colleges will consider as they review your application is your transcript, which reflects both the level of academic rigor as well as grades.

With secondary schools offering many course choices, it can be daunting for students to match their abilities, their intellectual interests, and their desire to have a strong transcript with the right program for them.  Your Dunbar consultant can help you create the optimal plan for you at your particular school.

To avoid being surprised that an academic choice made in an earlier year has an unwanted effect on preparation for and admission to the college (and college program) of your choice, here are a few tips:

If you are thinking that it might be nice to take easier courses your senior year or perhaps to drop out of a core course you don't enjoy (for example, not taking a foreign language in your senior year), change that thought!  If you are targeting selective colleges, it is important to follow through in your core academic subjects-English, math, history, science and foreign language. There can be exceptions for students who have reached the AP level in a foreign language in their junior year or for those who doubled up in science courses.

Contact your Dunbar consultant to ensure that you are taking appropriately challenging courses. In addition, we will help you determine if there are gaps in your program that could be filled with a summer course, particularly if you intend to apply to a particular program at a university (e.g. engineering) that has specific prerequisites.  We recommend you research what the program expectations are at your "reach" colleges to make sure your plan matches their requirements.

Sophomores:

This is the time to consider whether you may be able to succeed in a more challenging academic track or perhaps you need to make an adjustment in a course in which you find yourself struggling.  Maybe you anticipate exhausting your high school's offerings in a particular subject before you graduate and you want to pursue other options.

For students who have the option to pursue the IB Diploma, you will choose both your 11th and 12th grade classes during the spring of 10th grade.  Since you will be choosing your classes for two years, it is particularly important to make selections that will be appropriately challenging and reflect your academic interests and strengths.

Your Dunbar consultant can help you navigate those choices.

Freshmen and current 8th graders:

Now is the time to begin this planning process to create a "road map" for the next three or four years, if you haven't already done so.  Take the classes at the most advanced level in which you will be successful (earning an "A" or a "B+").  

Other Factors to consider:

1. The academic disciplines most valued by the colleges include: English, history, math, science (biology, physics, and chemistry), and a foreign language. Philosophy and government are also valued as courses because they tend to develop strong writing skills. In contrast, psychology and economics, for instance, are not as highly valued in the admissions process.
2. Selective colleges and universities react positively to students who have completed math at least through pre-calculus.
3. A follow-up at the AP level in at least one of the sciences (after taking the standard lab sciences of Biology, Physics, and Chemistry) shows a stronger program.
4. Persevering through 3 or 4 years of a single foreign language versus discontinuing one and starting another is preferable.
5. Admissions officers at the most competitive colleges will expect to see AP courses on the transcript if AP courses are offered at your school (or honors courses).  They want to know that you are taking the most challenging courses that are appropriate for you.

These are general guidelines behind making good curricular choices in high school, but we understand that individuals and particular schools vary both in the range of courses offered, their progression, and individual abilities and interests. Our goal is that every student who works with us will develop the plan that makes the most sense for him or her.    We want to discuss your plans with you so when the time approaches to select courses, please give us a call.

In our next newsletter we will discuss the implications of the new SAT on test-taking planning, particularly for current sophomores (class of 2017) who will be the first to be able to take it.  In the meantime, we are available now to discuss the timing and choice of which standardized tests to take for your particular circumstances. 

We look forward to hearing from you!