Courses to take in high school to prepare for college
Selective colleges are looking for students who are willing to stretch their minds and challenge themselves by taking honors courses and Advanced Placement classes. If a high school offers advanced classes and a student decides not to take them, then it appears the student did not rise to the challenge. Most selective colleges require, or at least strongly recommend, the following courses:
Social Studies 3 years
Geography, Economics, World History/World Cultures, U.S. History/U.S. Government, Civics
English 4 years
Composition, World, English, and American Literature, Speech
Mathematics 3 to 4 years
Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus
Laboratory Science 3 years
Earth/Space Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Foreign Language 2 to 3 years of same language
French, Spanish, German, Latin, Russian, Japanese
Visual/Performing Arts 1 year
Art, Drama, Dance, Music
College Prep Electives 1 to 3 years
Psychology, Statistics, Computer Science*, Communications
* A computer course is a good elective choice.
