The first and most commonly perceived attribute that colleges look for in an applicant is his/her grades throughout the past four years. Whether you're applying to the local community college or Harvard, all admissions officers are going to be looking for two things when they check out your transcript: superiority and progression
Superiority is all about exceeding the expectations you've had for yourself; as long as you're pushing yourself harder than you initially planned on working, you can consider this part of the job done. If you believe that you are doing even more than you planned on doing in terms of work in high school, then you are off to a good start. Now, you need to choose the right classes.
If your high school offers honors and/or AP classes, it would in your best interest to take a couple of them. What I'd recommend is taking the higher-level classes in your most comfortable subjects; this way, you will at least enjoy doing more work for them! Colleges love to see high school students taking college prep classes and doing well in them because it shows them that you will most likely be a strong student at their school if you are currently excelling in high-level classes now.
Progression is all about not only maintaining your grades, but actively seeking out a higher GPA. For example, if you receive a 3.4 GPA in freshman year, colleges expect you to not only maintain a 3.4+ GPA in sophomore, but take more rigorous classes. Admissions officers want students who know how to handle their course load every year, and not have fluctuating GPAs. They also want students who know how to challenge themselves without biting more than they can handle.
Grades are only one determining factor in the admissions process, though, so you have to make sure to balance out grades with the other factors.
Superiority is all about exceeding the expectations you've had for yourself; as long as you're pushing yourself harder than you initially planned on working, you can consider this part of the job done. If you believe that you are doing even more than you planned on doing in terms of work in high school, then you are off to a good start. Now, you need to choose the right classes.
If your high school offers honors and/or AP classes, it would in your best interest to take a couple of them. What I'd recommend is taking the higher-level classes in your most comfortable subjects; this way, you will at least enjoy doing more work for them! Colleges love to see high school students taking college prep classes and doing well in them because it shows them that you will most likely be a strong student at their school if you are currently excelling in high-level classes now.
Progression is all about not only maintaining your grades, but actively seeking out a higher GPA. For example, if you receive a 3.4 GPA in freshman year, colleges expect you to not only maintain a 3.4+ GPA in sophomore, but take more rigorous classes. Admissions officers want students who know how to handle their course load every year, and not have fluctuating GPAs. They also want students who know how to challenge themselves without biting more than they can handle.
Grades are only one determining factor in the admissions process, though, so you have to make sure to balance out grades with the other factors.
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