Freshman, sophomores are you struggling to figure out your path to complete your credits while still taking classes you enjoy? Trying to find a mix between hard classes, interesting classes, and necessary classes can be difficult, so the biggest key is sticking to what you enjoy. 

Back in my sophomore year, I was stuck picking classes for junior year. I was a humanities guy, so I did not know which science to take. I had spent my first two years doing biology and chemistry, but was not great at math so I did not want to take physics, so I had to make a decision on something else. I could have taken nutrition or anatomy, but I thought I needed something harder. To replace physics, I ended up taking AP Environmental Science, and it was the best decision I had made in my classes. Instead of being stuck doing different equations for Newton’s Law, I could focus on the environment, and understand how I individually affect our Earth. This was a class where my interests and credits lined up perfectly. “Taking APES junior year was the best decision I could have made, I truly did not want to take physics and I could take a hard class, but learn about something that I enjoy,” senior Ethan Chelf said. 

The same applies for world languages. If you took Spanish in middle school, and did not enjoy it, then there are different options at Wootton. You can find yourself reading about Latin, studying French, or even learning the important skills of Sign Language. There are options, so do not think one-sided, consider the possibilities to learn more than you originally would. If you are done with language after two or three years, then you can start to find courses that you are truly interested in. Once you finish your language credits you can decide to pick a humanities elective, such as philosophy or film studies. If you are not humanity driven then you can take quantitative literacy or personal finance. These are both courses that help you learn about life skills and managing your money in the future. “It taught me things that the certain core subjects just did not cover, what I learned in personal finance has helped me prepare for the real world,” senior Jack Grange said. 

Another suggestion I have is to take some of the required arts, technology, and physical education credits during the summer. After the end of my sophomore year I had decided to take health during the summer, and it opened my schedule up so I could take more pointed classes my senior year. Instead of having to finish off my credits senior year, I had the freedom to choose to take military history and film: classes I thoroughly enjoyed.

Take advantage of every possibility you have to get through your credits, so that during your junior and senior years, you can pick the classes that look interesting. Have fun and let me know if you need any other suggestions. Take advantage of your time at Wootton, because it truly flies.

-Miller Romm