Episode 004:
How to Best Select Your High School Courses
February 25, 2021 by Ruchi S. Kothari
It’s that time of year! Yes, it’s that time of year where you meet with your high school counselor to decide your next year’s classes. So, today, I’ll be discussing with you how to best select your high school courses so that you portray yourself as a competitive candidate for admissions. — I’ll be going over all that and some more in a few. READ THE TRANSCRIPT.
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Episode 004: How to Best Select Your High School Academic Courses
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All high school students choose their academic classes with the direction of their high counselor, which is a good thing, but without really thinking through how these classes may affect their college admissions strategy and ultimately their college admissions. Today, I’ll discuss what colleges expect of you in terms of the choices of your academic courses. I will go on to discuss five things to consider before selecting your classes for the next year while providing you admissions tips, tricks and secrets on what you should do specifically if you are applying to a highly selective college.
I made it very easy for you to implement the practical and resourceful admissions advice I provide you in this episode by completing the How to Best Select your High School Courses IvyBound Worksheet. Remember, We’re going to get through your college admissions journey together. Yes, we’re in it together.
In this episode I highlight:
- [03:42] Subscriber spotlight shoutout
- [04:55] Today’s episode is sponsored by www.ivyboundconsulting.com
- [06:33] Download transcript at https://ivyboundconsulting.com/004
- [7:03] High School Counselor perspective
- [8:35] Admissions Officer perspective
- [10:20] Free download– How to Best Select your High School Courses IvyBound Worksheet
- [10:37] Five ways to best select your high school academic courses
- [10:42] 1. Start with the high school profile
- [13:39] Contact me, Ruchi S. Kothari for guidance and support through your college admissions journey
- [14:37] 2. Fulfill your high school graduation requirements
- [16:39] 3. Take the “Core 5 all four years”
- [16:54] Admissions Tip
- [18:40] Admissions Trick
- [20:14] Admissions Secret
- [20:54] 4. Take the most advanced class of each subject if possible.
- [21:56] Word of Advice
- [23:37] English
- [24:30] Math
- [25:21] Admissions Tip
- [25:41] Admissions Secret
- [26:12] Science
- [26:33] Admissions Secret
- [27:16] History/Social Studies
- [27:52] Foreign Languages
- [28:20] Admissions Secret
- [28:47] 5. Choose your electives wisely
- [30:11] Admissions Trick
- [31:26] Admissions Tip
- [31:57] Admissions Secret
- [32:14] Recap of five ways to best select your high school academic courses
- [32:46] Recap of all the admissions tips, tricks, and secrets
- [35:41] To be featured in Ivybound Consulting’s Instagram and Facebook
- [36:12] Live Office Hours with Ruchi S. Kothari where I answer three real-time college admissions questions
- [36:37] Office Hour Question #1
- [37:32] Office Hour Question #2
- [39:05] Office Hour Question #3
I just know that you’re going to love this episode.
And at the end of each episode, I offer live office hours with myself, Ruchi S. Kothari, where I answer three college admissions questions that high schoolers or their parent’s post. Today, I answer the following questions:
- Is it better to get a B in an AP class or an A in an Honors or regular class?
- It isn’t easy getting an A in an advanced class. Can you suggest resources that I can use so that I can strive for that A?
- If I do not plan to major in Spanish, do I still need to take it for four years?
If you have any college admissions questions, please leave it in the comment box, so I can answer your question next time. I’m so thrilled to help you in any which way I can.
This episode is sponsored by
Today’s episode is sponsored by the Be Collegebound by IvyBound! Series where I guide, advise and support you along your high school to college journey. I have a lot of exciting episodes planned for the year. It’s everything and anything under the sun about college admissions, so please subscribe, rate, and leave me a review. If you have a burning college admissions question that you want me to answer in the Live Office hours with Ruchi S. Kothari, then write the question in the comments below. Please continue to listen to the Be Collegebound with IvyBound podcast or watch the YouTube video series.
As I bring massive clarity and integrity into the college admissions process, I have helped many high schoolers through their journey with the products and services offered at www.ivyboundconsulting.com. And, I hope to help countless more…
Listener Shoutout
A quick subscriber shoutout to Justin who says:
“Thank you, Ruchi for opening my eyes in your last episode to the massiveness of Operation Varsity Blues and its effects on high school students, and especially athletes like myself who are working hard every day to be recruited by a top college. I’ll definitely continue listening to your podcast series to find ways I can best present myself on my college applications. And, I’m also going to share it with my friends.”
Justin from Madison, WI
Thank you so much, Justin. I’m so glad you found my previous episode helpful. I know the details were a lot to take in, but necessary to understand the entire picture and really understand the implications it has on high school athletes like yourself, and other high schoolers. Justin, I appreciate you finding my Be Collegebound by IvyBound! Series useful and are sharing it with your friends. Stay tuned for much more to come…
If you have something to say, I’d love to hear from you. Subscribe to my podcast or YouTube series and leave me a comment. I enjoy reading each and every one of them.
Every other week I release an episode as a podcast. And the following week, the same episode as a YouTube video So I encourage you to go check it out if you need a visual example of the topic being discussed. You can find my YouTube channel by searching up Ivybound Consulting. Feel free to check out all of my podcasting videos. And, please don’t forget to subscribe to the Be CollegeBound with IvyBound podcast and YouTube series, and leave me a review in the comments. Thanks so much.
Don’t forget to join me next time for an entire episode dedicated to rapid-fire Q&A session about everything and anything under the sun about college admissions in Live Office hours with Ruchi S. Kothari.
I hope you enjoyed this episode and thanks so much for tuning in. I’m leaving you with something to think about: Make it Your Own!
Your college admissions journey is unique to your experiences and circumstances. Use your intelligence and your talent, and yes you have many of them, to make the best of your journey, so Make it your Own! Bye for now!
I just know that you’re going to love this episode. Click here to listen!
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