I wouldn’t consider myself to be a heavy overthinker, but there are a few things that I think about frequently, including the classes I’ve taken throughout high school—and what I could have done differently. I don’t think I have any big regrets, and I’m glad things worked out the way they did, but there were definitely a few classes here and there that I’m not sure much was gained from.
As first semester begins to come to a close, I’ve started getting questions from underclassmen about potential classes that they can take in the future. In an attempt to help them, I’ve been reflecting on my experience a little more. In general, I’ve been pretty happy with my education all four years, but there is still a divide between classes that I would encourage others to take and classes that are just…okay. So, here are some classes I loved, classes I wish I took, and things I wish I did differently:
AP Calculus BC
Starting off strong, Calc BC. While this might have been the biggest adjustment I’ve ever had to make to my studying habits, I honestly think it was worth it.
There are a few notable things about BC that have shaped my high school experience, including (but not limited to):
1.) Teaching me about consistency. There is homework nearly every day, and it’s almost always the same: 8-10 questions from the textbook.
2.) Forcing me to actually study. I don’t think I could have passed this class without putting in conscious effort to study before exams. As someone who usually studies for tests the day before, this class taught me the importance of either making a LOT of time the night before to study, or actively putting effort into studying a few days in advance.
3.) Making sure I actually use my resources. Mrs. Moore is one of the best resources you can have as a BC student, because she’s practically glued to her email. When I realized that I could just put my pride aside and email her my questions, my life got a lot easier. Suddenly, I didn’t have to waste an hour and a half of my life on one question that I didn’t understand, and could get the help I needed within an hour of sending an email.
A picture of my BC homework (ft a wrinkle in the corner from erasing too hard) →
To anyone questioning whether or not they should take BC, I’d probably say yes, although I understand not wanting to take it. It was really stressful, and I would not have done so well if I didn’t have the support system that I did. But truly, this class probably single-handedly changed my life.
Honors Biology/AP Biology
I noticed that this year, an odd amount of sophomores are in AP Biology. As in, more than ever before, which really got me thinking. I honestly believe that Honors Biology had more merit than AP, although I heard they changed the curriculum recently.
Absolutely no hate to any teachers, but Honors Biology just taught me more than AP Biology has. I feel like the class was more structured and there were more resources, while AP Biology kind of relies on your ability to self-learn. The class also feels oddly specific and there are some things that the AP curriculum expects you to know that I just don’t find useful. However, as someone who hopes to major in biology, both of these classes were worth taking.
Even if I was allowed to take AP Biology my sophomore year, I don’t think I would have done it. A lot of the knowledge I have of biology actually comes from the stuff I remembered in Honors, not AP. But I don’t regret taking AP Biology either, because not only do I find the information interesting, but I’ve heard horror stories about AP Chemistry.
Art Classes
One of the best decisions I made for myself was taking at least one fun class each semester. Most of these classes were art classes, since that’s what I enjoy. However, I started off high school with Drawing 1 and Painting 2, which was kind of a bizarre experience. I tried to skip Drawing 1 (I’ve been taking art classes my whole life), but it didn’t work out so well. It ended up being fine, because my assignments were kind of easy and it was really chill, but I still wish I was placed in a more challenging class. For second semester, I managed to convince them to let me take Painting 2 instead of Painting 1, which was a much better experience. Last year, I was in AP Studio Art, which w
as quite the experience, but totally worth it. It was more work than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed the work that I was producing and it was a good destressing class.
I think the biggest lessons to be learned here are to take classes that you genuinely enjoy, and try to fight your counselor to put you in the correct level.
Blended?
The first blended class I ever took was Blended Humanities 1, first semester sophomore year.
It was magic.
Whenever people ask me if they should take a class blended or not, I will (almost) always say blended. Unless you know you’re awful at completing homework, blended is the way to go. It gives you enough freedom to relax, take a break from school, and piddle around, but it also
gives you enough structure to actually learn. I feel like taking blended classes was one of the best decisions I ever made. Personally, I enjoy getting the work done the night before, so during my actual blended period, I’m free to do whatever I want.
← why do work at school when you can do work at Panera?
Taking Classes Over The Summer
I’ve never been a fan of history or economics, so I took both of those classes over the summer. The same summer.
Was it awful? Kind of. But was it worth it? I think so.
I feel like if you’re taking US History, it’s more worth it toget it over with over the summer rather than dedicating an entire year to it during school. In my opinion, it’s better to take a fun class during the school year to balance out your workload. And if you’re taking APUSH, you’re a psychopath (kidding).
I will say, if you’re a big fan of history, you probably shouldn’t take it over the summer. But for me, it was worth doing just so I could get that graduation requirement. I feel similar about Consumer Economics, although occasionally I find myself regretting not taking AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, because I feel like economics is probably something we’ll need to know for the future.
Last But Not Least, Classes I Wish I Took
I don’t really know much about a lot of these classes, but looking through the course catalog, these are the ones that I wish I knew about sooner:
– American Sign Language
– Advanced Chemistry and/or Biotechnology
– Business INCubator
– Sculpture
– Interior Design
– AP Art History
And here are a few classes I wish NNHS offered:
– Architecture
– Cake Decorating
– Cosmetology
– Emergency Preparedness/Survival
– Yearbook (BRING IT BACK PLEASE)
– DECA (this is a JOKE) (but some schools do offer it)
Thanks for sharing Kate! I really connected with your commentary associated with Calculus BC, especially when you said “I could just put my pride aside and email her my questions.” Even the most academically inclined students are curbed by Calculus BC. It’s a class that humbles, teaches, and ultimately makes a student grow. Everyone wants to be seen as “smart”, and to do this there are certain actions that these students try to avoid, like asking questions or showing vulnerability in any way. Even though I didn’t ever take AP Biology, I certainly heard about it. Sounds like a lot of memorization, which is on par with Honors Biology. I totally agree with your last piece about Art classes. I would definitely change some of my class choices if I had another go, but overall I’m happy with how everything went. I wish I was more efficient with my time and took classes that looked interesting. I wish I had another older sibling to assist me with what to do when I first started, but I’m really glad I got to work with the people I did. Especially in classes like AP Physics C, AP Lit, and MVC.
I liked reading the classes you wished you took. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. I have enjoyed reading your blogs this semester.
Kate, I really enjoyed reading your opinions over your classes, especially Calculus BC. I myself had the predicament of whether or not to take Calculus BC, and I ended up not taking it. I feel like my choice seemed like the right choice because of my schedule, since I chose to take AP Chemistry and AP Biology at the same time. I always hear people complaining about the homework quizzes, tests, and just the overall content which makes me glad I didn’t take Calc BC, but at the same time, I feel like I’m not pushing myself enough. I also agree with you about AP Biology, a lot of the course is over your ability to self learn. I think that the class is good to prepare you for a college level course since you have to learn most of the content yourself. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post and I totally agree with the classes you wish were a thing, especially the cake decorating class and cosmetology class.
Kate, I really enjoyed your blog and truly related with a lot of your experiences. I have had similar experiences with blended classes. Personally, I love them and agree that they provide so much more flexibility and relaxation throughout the day, which is especially helpful when taking such a rigorous course load. I also completely agree with the statement, “why work from school when you can work from panera?” I practically live by that as I am at Panera for at least 20 hours a week, and no that’s not an exaggeration! I also related to your opinion of summer classes. I found summer courses to be a bit of a pain and pretty time consuming, but overall they opened up my schedule and gave me some freedom that I am overall grateful for. However, the classes that I ended up taking in those free periods ended up not really benefiting me that much overall, but I still think it was worth it. I agree with many parts of your blog, many of which I have already indulged in, however I do want to note that many students may not be used to the level of difficulty that many of these classes require, so these recommendations definitely depend on the type of student you are talking to. Overall, I think it’s a great blog as many of your points truly resonated with my experiences.