Course selection is one of the most important parts of every school year. The courses chosen have to coincide with goals outside of high school and provide the right credits to graduate. However, the stress of figuring out what classes to take can be taxing on students so early on in the year, if they do not seek out the proper guidance from counselors.
“Selecting courses is a little bit stressful to tackle right now because I am focusing on this semester’s schoolwork and have to balance thinking about my classes for next year,” junior Christian Wilson said.
Making the process less overwhelming is not as simple as some students may think it is. In years past, Huntley High School counselors have tried many ways to give relief to students: delaying the process of course selection and helping students during their english classes, but it became too difficult to help each student individually.
“What we found out is that there were several people who struggled with knowing how to manage Powerschool so they ended up seeing us anyway for help. We decided to have course selection at least a month earlier this year to help people figure out what classes to take,” counselor Karen Miller said.
The early dates are set to actually help students rather than hurt them. It is crucial that students be proactive in meeting with their counselors to find out what classes will lead them on the right path to achieve their goals both in and beyond high school.
Students should challenge themselves and take classes that push them to get into stronger colleges and help them chase their dreams. It is also better financially if students plan on going to college, to take AP classes at HHS because these classes cost significantly more when taken in a university setting.
“I had no idea what classes I wanted to take next year and my counselor walked me through what core classes I needed to take my sophomore year and what classes I would need to get into college,” freshman Max Valenzuela said.
Course selection should not be something that students fear but instead, something that students use to help them achieve their goals and to propel them into the schools they want to get into.
