5 Reasons the Courses You Take Matter, Especially Junior Year of High School

The courses you take in high school matter, each and every year, but maybe especially during junior year.

Whether you are working through the admission application for a safety, target, or reach on your university list, your academic perfomance in high school will play a critical role in how your application is reviewed for admission. The courses you have taken in high school and your performance within those courses (i.e. GPA) are the first elements of your application evaluated by nearly every admission office after you apply. 

At safety schools, your courses and grades are evaluated to verify your admission, consider you for scholarships and honors programs, and to ensure that you are meeting the minimum courses and credits required to enter their college/university as a first-year student. 

At target universities, your courses and grades will help the admission office understand the level of academic challenge you have accepted in high school and the level of academic achievement you have attained. This sets the stage for your academic competitiveness amongst an equally talented pool of applicants and for the details of the rest of your application. 

At the nation’s most prestigious, selective institutions, high levels of both academic rigor and academic performance are expected. They are the ‘norm’ in the applicant pool, and while rigor and grades alone do not determine admission at these institutions, they are the first evaluation tool that moves an applicant forward. 

As you are planning for your junior year of high school, keep these facts and tips in mind as you select courses, create study plans, and eventually, select your course enrollments for senior year of high school.

The 2 Most Obvious Reasons Academic Rigor and Academic Performance Matter in University Admission

Demonstrating Readiness for College-Level Work

All universities, no matter their competitiveness at admission, seek students who are prepared for the intellectual rigor and demands of their academic programs. When your high school transcript shows advanced courses – AP, IB, Honors, dual enrollment – admission officers can better translate two things about you as an applicant: you have the drive to accept academic challenges and you have the capacity to succeed and balance the demands of rigor. In short, you are ready to succeed in college.

Standing Out in a Competitive Applicant Pool

When rigor and grades are being used to differentiate applicants either for highly-selective admission or for scholarships and honors programs, admission officers will consider the challenges you have taken on in the context of your high school community. They will understand the difference between a student who played in safe in the rigor department and another who maximized the resources available to them and capitalized on opportunities. 

Standing out as an applicant because of strong performance in the face of challenging courses is MUCH more compelling than maintaining a high GPA without the challenge of rigorous courses. 

The 3 Less Obvious Reasons Academic Rigor and Grades Matter in University Admission

Building Key Skills for Future Success

When you take challenging courses, you are building the foundational academic skills necessary for collegiate academic success. Advanced courses require students to develop critical thinking, team work skills, time management, advanced problem solving, and perseverance. In university course work, these are precisely the skills you will need to succeed. 

Showcasing Intellectual Curiosity

The more competitive (read: selective) universities on your list will often state that they are seeking to understand if an applicant is intellectually curious. The courses you take, the ideas and topics you find compelling, and how these courses might align with your academic interests in college are a great way for admission officers to see your intellectual curiosity playing out in your high school transcript. 

Making the Most of the High School Experience Academically

Admission officers are reading applications with the intent to better understand all the ways that each individual applicant will engage in their community as a student. While the experience of going to university is complex, it is an academic experience. When an applicant has truly taken on the challenge of rigorous courses while in high school, an admissions officer sees an applicant who is making the most of every single piece of the high school experience. That gives them a good idea of how you might behave similarly on their campus and that matters! 

Planning for Junior Year of High School

Planning for your junior year of high school includes many things – academic performance, course rigor, extracurricular activities, and college application planning – to name a few.

While there is a lot to balance over the course of junior year of high school, taking time to plan for the courses you will take and the importance you will place on staying academically organized, planning ahead for sufficient study time, and how you will take care of yourself along the way is of the utmost importance.