<aside> 🦗 Have you ever heard of the story, “The Ants and the Grasshopper”? Written by the Greek writer Aesop in 564 BCE, this children’s tale revolves around a nonchalant, carefree grasshopper who spends his entire summer playing music, and a group of hard-working ants who endeavour to gather food from spring till fall. The actual plot is very short, but what essentially happens is that this grasshopper eventually finds himself starving and on the brink of death once winter hits. As he awaits his demise on the cold, icy floor, he begins to realize how the very task he deemed unimportant in the summer — gathering food — ended up becoming the missing key to his survival. The final fate of the poor grasshopper is never disclosed, but one thing is for sure: Had he followed the ants’ example and planned for the future, he likely would have been able to avoid all of his sufferings.
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Now, the moral of this story may seem irrelevant to us students, but the truth of the matter is that it is actually a fair depiction of what course selections are like. In fact, because we are often so caught up in the premise of choosing our courses in the spur of the moment, we occasionally forget to look ahead and consider how the choices we have made will impact our lives beyond school. It is for this reason that this article will focus on explaining the following course selection tips whilst highlighting the importance of making wise decisions:
Together, we will be able to avoid taking on the grasshopper’s fate and create a future devoid of regrets!
It is crucial to look at the prerequisites of the courses you wish to take in the future and fit them into your schedule now. For instance, if you are currently in tenth grade, and you know that you wish to take French in twelfth grade, you will need to add Grade 10 French and Grade 11 French to your schedule because you can only “unlock” Grade 12 French after you have completed the two aforementioned courses. Unless you are willing to attend either summer school or night school, you never want to be in a situation where you cannot enrol in an important class because you lack its prerequisites!
Most of the time, students will need to take a number of specific courses before they can even apply for a post-secondary program. Waterloo Engineering, for instance, demands from its applicants the completion of Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry, Physics, and English at a mixed or university level. It is your responsibility to conduct research on the different programs you are aiming for so that you can gain a firm understanding of their admission requirements and choose the right classes!
At the same time, however, you also need to take into account the courses that you need to complete in order to graduate from high school. This is because every school, whether they are in Canada or the United States, possesses some mandated credits that students must obtain if they want to receive a diploma.
Unless you want to live a sedimentary life at school and focus on studying 24/7, you really should not take on more courses than you can handle, especially if those courses are notorious for being difficult and heavy. If you try to do so, you may “burn-out” and, consequently, receive less than satisfactory grades for all of the effort that you have put in. This is not the only problem with creating an imbalanced schedule, though; in fact, if you “bite off more than you can chew,” you would also be forcing yourself to spend so much time working that you would not be able to commit to extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities, and socialization. This lack of outreaches would not only tarnish your post-secondary applications, but it would also worsen your mental — and, at times, even physical — well-being. As such, please avoid trying to test your limits by taking five AP courses in one year if you know that you will not be able to handle an extremely stressful course load!
Depending on the educational institution that you are currently attending, you may have the option to pursue enrichment opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, advanced placement (AP) courses, which can help prepare you for college-level work; cooperative education, which can provide you with a lot of job experience; and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, which can push you to challenge yourself.
It is important to note that although AP/IB courses generally do not affect your chances of being accepted into Canadian post-secondary institutions, The National Association of College Admissions Counseling claims that 75% of all American colleges consider them as “an important factor in the admissions process.” Thus, it is essential to consider the location of your future studies whilst you are selecting your courses.
Whenever you feel stuck with your course selections, just remember that there will always be people whom you can rely on. You can ask your teachers for details about specific courses to help you determine whether or not you want to take them, or you can ask your guidance counsellor to recommend you some classes based on your previous academic performances. Older students who have taken the courses that you are considering are also great people to seek advice from, although you may need to take their words with a grain of salt because opinions can be subjective.
You should never, ever enroll in a course simply because you want to impress someone, whether it be your teacher, friends, or parents. At the end of the day, you are going to be the one who has to endeavor through that course; you are going to be the one who has to put in all of the work and effort. If your parents want you to take AP Calculus, but you know that you absolutely despise math and cannot imagine yourself grinding calculus problems for hours on end, then do not take the course!
Instead, if your schedule permits it, you should pick some courses that you think you will personally enjoy. Not every choice needs to align with your intended major, so if you are a business student who wants to jam out to some music, then you should take a music course. No one knows you better than yourself!