Class Electives

Hey y'all, I'm a junior working on my course selection for senior year, and I wanted to get some advice. What's the deal with class electives? How much impact do they have on my college applications? Are there any must-have electives that will look impressive on my application? I'm open to pretty much anything at this point.

Colleges value both the breadth and depth of a student's academic interests, and electives can be a great way to showcase this. When it comes to high school electives, they can have an effect on your application, but not always to the extent primary courses like math, English, and science classes do.

Firstly, taking electives that align with your proposed major or career path can enhance your application. For instance, if you're interested in pursuing computer science in college, an elective in coding or web design can show that you have explored this interest outside of the standard classroom setting.

If you're unsure of your intended major or career, then electives can be a way to explore your interests and potentially identify areas that you may want to study further. For example, if you've never taken a sociology class but are interested in human behavior, taking a sociology elective might highlight an interest you didn't know you had!

In terms of "must-have" electives, there really aren't any that universally boost your application. It's more about how the electives align with your academic passions and pursuits. High-level electives or specialized courses that require effort or competition to get in could be seen as impressive, but only if they align with your interests and future goals.

One other aspect to consider is how the electives might showcase other non-academic skills or qualities you have. For instance, choosing an elective in art might not directly link to a prospective engineering major, but it shows you have creativity and an appreciation for different ways of understanding the world, which could be seen as a positive.

Remember, the most important thing about choosing electives is not what colleges might think, but what you will enjoy and benefit from. Pick something you're genuinely interested in, and it's likely this will be reflected positively in your application.