Hi everyone. I think that I'm done with this essay, but I'd really appreciate some feedback before I submit it. It's due tonight. Thanks in advance!
Prompt: What experience in high school has mattered most to you? How do you see this experience influencing your decision-making in college?
The classes you take in high school mean more than you think they do. They decide what you will study. They decide the classes that you can take later on in school. But they also mean more than what shows up on your transcript. They classify you. At a school like mine, course selection isn't always a personal decision about your likes and dislikes. In reality, the decision is about the requirements to graduate, to get an honors diploma, to get into higher level courses, to get into college, to expand your claustrophobically small social circle (...or not to), to have a certain teacher, to avoid another teacher, to balance your course load and even to sleep in for an extra hour... well, for half of your senior year.
Clearly course selection is a daunting task and there are many more considerations to be had than once thought. While some factors are fairly standard across all schools, others aren't so. With small class sizes (both in course and grade), you aren't likely to meet more than a couple hundred people in your [school name here] experience. So factoring the social aspect into class selection decisions may be important. "Will I have anyone to talk to in the class?" Mind you, this is a very complicated question as many people become engrossed in a social circle and rarely stray from it. Then again, there's also the teacher variable: Is there a teacher you'll die without? Or one you'll die with? More than likely, you know all the teachers, or their reputations. This shouldn't prove to be too much of a problem, though.
Realistically thinking, don't forget to factor in that there are only seven periods a day and only seventeen hours between school days. You wouldn't want to overload your schedule. After your junior year, you really understand the importance of getting more than a few hours of sleep - at least strive for one full REM cycle. Considering the overwhelming number of AP courses offered, try to be realistic with your expectations. The girl who took seven AP classes a few years ago was the exception, not the rule. Lastly, you really can't forget how much you would love to sleep for an extra hour in the mornings. Natural night-owls need a later start in the day.
The concerns raced through my head as I had to reconstruct my schedule for my senior year. It was summer and I had just received a voicemail from my guidance counselor: "Caroline, it's Ms. Smith; your schedule just isn't going to work. We're going to have to change some things." By the time I had a chance to think about what I would change, it was July and the school was closed for summer. I had to wait until August to create my new schedule.
Two weeks before school started, I was in Ms. Smith's office with master list printouts of all the classes being offered for the year. After several hours of working with the master lists, I had carefully crafted a working schedule for the year, although there were compromises: College Prep English instead of AP, AP Calculus BC instead of AB, and clearly there was no way that I could squeeze in Marketing III and a concurrent internship. Although I had some anxiety about switching to a lower English class, it was the only way that I'd be able to take the other classes I had wanted.
Using prioritization, my schedule slowly came together. The classes I couldn't live without were the foundation as I piecemealed the rest together. This scheduling experience has enabled me to clearly see how prioritization can help to come up with the best solutions. As I transition into college over the next year, there will be many more times when prioritizing will be necessary, both academically and socially. While there will be many more courses to choose from, I'll choose those that are best suited to my interests. Also, there will be many more ways for me to spend my time outside of class, be it with friends, various student organizations or studying. Prioritizing will help me to make the best decisions about how I spend my time so that I can both be successful and happy.
P.S. I'm still working on a title for it. Suggestions?
Prompt: What experience in high school has mattered most to you? How do you see this experience influencing your decision-making in college?
The classes you take in high school mean more than you think they do. They decide what you will study. They decide the classes that you can take later on in school. But they also mean more than what shows up on your transcript. They classify you. At a school like mine, course selection isn't always a personal decision about your likes and dislikes. In reality, the decision is about the requirements to graduate, to get an honors diploma, to get into higher level courses, to get into college, to expand your claustrophobically small social circle (...or not to), to have a certain teacher, to avoid another teacher, to balance your course load and even to sleep in for an extra hour... well, for half of your senior year.
Clearly course selection is a daunting task and there are many more considerations to be had than once thought. While some factors are fairly standard across all schools, others aren't so. With small class sizes (both in course and grade), you aren't likely to meet more than a couple hundred people in your [school name here] experience. So factoring the social aspect into class selection decisions may be important. "Will I have anyone to talk to in the class?" Mind you, this is a very complicated question as many people become engrossed in a social circle and rarely stray from it. Then again, there's also the teacher variable: Is there a teacher you'll die without? Or one you'll die with? More than likely, you know all the teachers, or their reputations. This shouldn't prove to be too much of a problem, though.
Realistically thinking, don't forget to factor in that there are only seven periods a day and only seventeen hours between school days. You wouldn't want to overload your schedule. After your junior year, you really understand the importance of getting more than a few hours of sleep - at least strive for one full REM cycle. Considering the overwhelming number of AP courses offered, try to be realistic with your expectations. The girl who took seven AP classes a few years ago was the exception, not the rule. Lastly, you really can't forget how much you would love to sleep for an extra hour in the mornings. Natural night-owls need a later start in the day.
The concerns raced through my head as I had to reconstruct my schedule for my senior year. It was summer and I had just received a voicemail from my guidance counselor: "Caroline, it's Ms. Smith; your schedule just isn't going to work. We're going to have to change some things." By the time I had a chance to think about what I would change, it was July and the school was closed for summer. I had to wait until August to create my new schedule.
Two weeks before school started, I was in Ms. Smith's office with master list printouts of all the classes being offered for the year. After several hours of working with the master lists, I had carefully crafted a working schedule for the year, although there were compromises: College Prep English instead of AP, AP Calculus BC instead of AB, and clearly there was no way that I could squeeze in Marketing III and a concurrent internship. Although I had some anxiety about switching to a lower English class, it was the only way that I'd be able to take the other classes I had wanted.
Using prioritization, my schedule slowly came together. The classes I couldn't live without were the foundation as I piecemealed the rest together. This scheduling experience has enabled me to clearly see how prioritization can help to come up with the best solutions. As I transition into college over the next year, there will be many more times when prioritizing will be necessary, both academically and socially. While there will be many more courses to choose from, I'll choose those that are best suited to my interests. Also, there will be many more ways for me to spend my time outside of class, be it with friends, various student organizations or studying. Prioritizing will help me to make the best decisions about how I spend my time so that I can both be successful and happy.
P.S. I'm still working on a title for it. Suggestions?
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