What will admissions officers think if I take an environmental science class instead of physics? Can I change from Spanish to French language classes in my junior year? AP Art is only offered at the same time as AP Biology—what should I do?
If questions like these are running through your mind, you’re not alone! But despite the stress and confusion that can result from trying to optimize your transcript for the sake of building a competitive college application, you can relax: there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The answer to all these questions is, “It depends”! But that probably feels like an unsatisfactory response, so let’s break it down.
If you already have an idea about what schools or programs you’ll be applying to, then you can start by visiting the admissions pages on each school’s website or even speaking with members of the admissions teams to learn more about what classes are required or highly recommended. For example, the University of Connecticut explicitly says that first-year applicants are required to have taken Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in order to be eligible for admission, while three years of a world language is strongly recommended. The Rhode Island School of Design website explains that an applicant’s portfolio submission is a required and very important component of their application, which is good actionable information if you’re thinking about course selection. Take art classes and improve your skills! Admissions eligibility requirements can serve as a guide as you build your class schedule and mitigate the uncertainty about what an institution is looking for in applicants’ transcripts. It can make you more competitive and less anxious. Win-win.
Unfortunately, not every institution is going to be explicit about what they’re looking for on a transcript. In fact, some might not require any particular classes, and others, even selective institutions, might not even require a minimum GPA! This is often the case at institutions that practice holistic, contextual approaches to application review. They’re interested in the whole story and do not look to isolated components of the application, like a student’s decision to take one class over another, in order to make an admissions decision. That’s not to say that the courses a student takes don’t matter, but rather that they’re considered alongside, not independently from, the rest of the application. The answer, then, to any of the questions above depends on what is going on in the other parts of the transcript and in the application as a whole.
At most institutions, including many that practice holistic application review, admissions officers are looking for applicants who have pursued a well-rounded, rigorous course of study, and they want to see coursework in core subject areas. This includes English/language arts, math, science, history/social studies, and, in many cases, a world language. Even if your high school does not require you to take world language classes in your senior year, or if it considers a physics class to be optional, many higher ed institutions want to see that you go the extra mile and take classes that are not required but contribute to your overall preparation for a college-level curriculum. For example, many institutions, especially the more selective ones, are hoping to see that you have taken four years’ (or the equivalent) worth of an additional language or pursued lab sciences like biology, chemistry, and physics, if they’re available to you. High-level classes in core subjects are important up to and including your senior year, but remember that intellectual curiosity is a key factor in many institutions’ selection process as well. Elective courses can demonstrate your curiosity and interests in other academic areas. The key is finding balance in your schedule. If you’re passionate about environmental science or studio art, the best way to approach those courses would be adding them to a schedule of mostly core subject classes. Many admissions officers would be glad to see that you explored your passions and broadened your horizons while still focusing on core subject areas.
If you have questions about course selection, college admissions officers are great resources if you want to learn about a particular institution’s requirements. However, they are not in a position to tell you specifically what to do in order to get into the school they represent. Your high school’s college/guidance counselor or a 7Sage Admissions Consultant will be able to provide more tangible advice tailored to your specific situation!
Above all, do not get so bogged down in the particulars of your transcript that you are distracted from pursuing what matters to you and what makes you happy! The people reading your college applications are human, and they want to get to know YOU and learn what makes YOU an academically prepared, interesting, and unique student.
