In the typical high school schedule, seven classes fill up seven hours of every hectic school day. The process of registering for each corresponding slot can be an anxious and exciting for some, while confident students may enjoy swiftly clicking away as their schedule for the upcoming year is compiled. At the same time, conflicted students may be staring blankly at a computer screen, hovering through check-boxes and clouds of stress.
Thankfully, if the conflicted student is you in the aforementioned scenario, there is no need to panic. Even if it is edging toward March and you still are not sure you have made the right decision, there are always peers and advisors to help make the choice easier and find the best electives to help fill up your schedule.
When junior Andrea Chen received her registration card in December, she was already certain that she wanted to apply for a class that would prepare her for a future involving leadership. She pursued the opportunity to be involved in Student Government Association and was accepted into the class for the upcoming school year. “I’m taking SGA because I know I will be more experienced in planning and giving back to my community, and I get to have class with unique, talented people,” Chen said.
On the other hand, freshman Jeffrey Riker was not immediately ready to register for the upcoming year but eventually decided to take the elective class Guitar 1. “For me, it was not easy to register for sophomore year,” Riker said, “but I was excited to take guitar because it seemed like an interesting challenge for me.”
In junior Nick Gracyalny’s opinion, students should not stress themselves too much over choosing their classes. Although he could see himself going into the field of accounting someday, Gracyalny chose to apply to take AP Human Geography in his senior year as he still wants to enjoy learning about a variety of topics in his final year here. “My advice would be to do what you wanna do,” Gracyalny said.
When asked what electives they thought were popular, the interviewees’ answers included team sports, yearbook and golf. The interviewees then argued that these classes are most popular because they offer a break in the day for students who plan to take challenging courses. “PE classes are good schedule-fillers because they’re fun and fulfill requirements and they offer a break from academics,” Chen said.
Unfortunately, there is not a clear method for everyone in picking electives to fill their schedules. “I’m not sure what advice I could give to anyone but I solved my schedule problem by looking for easier classes,” Riker said.
If you are faced with a scheduling dilemma, the best strategy may be to fill out your remaining schedule with electives that will ease your load for the following year, while also keeping you interested. “The best way to pick out your classes I think is to explore new options,” Chen said.
Brian Myers
Features Editor
