We asked students what they think about when choosing courses and their advice for younger students.
Logan Huh: Senior
Junior year: APUSH and APCSA
Senior year: APES and AP Art History
When senior Logan Huh was choosing his classes for junior year, he knew he wanted a low stress, balanced course load. However, Huh also knew that he should take a few weighted classes for colleges to see.
“I didn’t really want to take APUSH, but I kind of forced myself to take APUSH because I needed a weighted class,” Huh said.
Although Huh felt pressured into taking APUSH, he said he prioritized his mental health and happiness, and suggested incoming juniors consider doing the same.
“When people go into junior year they’re thinking they have to load up on all their classes but I think it’s just a matter of balance,” Huh said.
Oliver Shafroth: Senior
Junior year: APUSH, Honors Math Analysis, Honors Spanish IV
Senior year: AP Calculus AB, AP Literature, AP Art History
Senior Oliver Shafroth agrees with Huh that a balanced course load is key to an enjoyable academic year. Shafroth also recognizes that he took some classes in order to look better for colleges, namely Honors Spanish IV, Honors Math Analysis, and AP Art History. Shafroth also said his favorite class from high school was APUSH, and ended up applying to Tulane as a history major as a result.
Inaya Majid: Junior
Sophomore year: Honors Chemistry, Honors Math Analysis
Junior year: Honors English, APUSH, AP Calculus AB, APCSP, AP Art, Honors Spanish IV, AP Biology
Junior Inaya Majid said she loves to be challenged. So when she was choosing classes for her junior year, she took every weighted class possible. Her course load was influenced by advice from her parents and siblings. However, Majid said she wishes she had a free period. Majid said she finds herself sometimes waking up before school to complete homework or study to have time for extracurricular activities after school. With little downtime, she finds that her mental health has been affected.
“It’s probably not the best situation for my mental health, but it makes me appreciate the time that I have to just relax,” Majid said.
Additionally, she said that classes like AP Art and APCSP can make her course load feel a little less stressful. Majid acknowledges that this schedule isn’t for everyone, and advises incoming juniors to have realistic expectations if they choose to take lots of weighted classes.
“It’s a steep learning curve. If you’re going to take a ton of weighted classes you can’t be a perfectionist. You just have to learn the material and then move on then come back to it later,” Majid said.
PJ Brayer: Sophomore
Junior year: deciding between taking AP Art History and APES
Sophomore PJ Brayer is the fourth of his siblings to attend Piedmont High School. In order to choose his schedule for his junior year, he relied on advice from his parents and siblings. Additionally, Brayer said he wants to choose classes that his friends are taking so they can work together on challenging material together. Brayer said he wants to have a manageable junior year, and isn’t too worried about taking classes in order to appeal to colleges.
