Build a High School Course List for Success: Take All FIVE Subjects All FOUR Years, and Here is WHY-

What courses are you enrolled in? Make sure to build a college course schedule that will allow you to go in any direction. Here is what I mean by that….

Families have consulted me about the classes their children are taking. Parents want to make sure their children are enrolled in the appropriate classes each year, whether they have a rising senior or a rising freshman.

When choosing classes for high school, I take a fairly straightforward method. It is the 5 times 4 Plan. Regardless of whether they took high school courses like Spanish I or Geometry in middle school, it is equivalent to a kid completing all five major academic subjects for the entire four years of high school. Yes, it is correct. That's the best strategy for every kid who wants a conventional, four-year degree. Always. Whatever area of study your child finds interesting.

But hold on. You ask, "Don't colleges have minimum requirements?" In fact, they do. But performing the bare minimum is just that—bare.

Here is the plan broken down:

English, math, a foreign language (such as Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, etc.), science, and social science, social studies, or history make up the FIVE core disciplines. And this is how it goes for each of the FOUR years in the majority of high schools:

English

This is true without exception. Every single student must complete a full year of English in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades (or the equivalent if the school uses block scheduling). If offered for junior/senior year, I would advise students interested in extremely selective universities to take AP Literature and/or AP Language (or the equivalent).

Math

Math should be taken throughout four years of high school, just like English. A student should take math from ninth through twelfth grade, whether it is Algebra>Geometry>Algebra 2/Trigonometry>Precalculus or Geometry>Algebra2/Trigonometry>Precalculus>Calculus.

Foreign Language

In fact, this is true. No matter what you did in middle school, aim to study the same foreign language in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Why? Since most institutions require students to have a foreign language as a key subject, they don't like it when students drop out.

Science

For grades 9 through 10, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are the highly regarded science courses. If you can manage it, I would suggest taking an as difficult or even harder scientific course your senior year (AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Environmental scientific, or an equivalent). History, Social Studies, and Social Science Classes like Economics, Government, European History, World History, AP Psychology, and AP Art History all fall under this heading.

But what if the 5 times 4 plan cannot be implemented?

Conflicting schedules are common among students. It is the responsibility of the student's counselor of record to explain in the counselor's secondary school report or letter of recommendation if a student desires to take all five core courses in a given year but is unable to. It is crucial to convey this to the counselor both verbally and in writing. The student is not expected to complete all five cores in a given year if a counselor identifies a scheduling difficulty that is beyond their control.

You are creating a case for admission with your application. Your application should support your main decision. The major you decide to pursue is strongly influenced by the classes you thrive in, love, and take at the greatest level. Even more telling regarding the major you ought to declare on your applications is how you spend your free time. Although colleges have an internal list they utilize, they rarely break down their basic requirements for admission into what they seek for each major choice. In order to achieve the best outcomes in the admissions process, pick your major carefully and "back it up" with as much information as you can.