Do study halls look bad for colleges?Answered
Personally, I have never taken a study hall in my freshmen through junior years. My school has 8 periods and this year I am taking
6 APs
1 Elective
1 Study Hall
Would it look bad to colleges if I am taking a study hall senior year? I am aiming for highly selective colleges in the Ivies range for computer science.
The only other options I have for the study hall are:
1) swap it with AP Bio
2) swap it with 2 semester-long history courses
Should I keep my schedule full of classes or keep the study hall? Will it damage my "course rigor" if I keep the study hall? Thanks!
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5 answers
Taking a study hall period when you are taking 6 APs at the same time shows your maturity and self-control in making sure you have an adequate buffer during the day in case you need to cram for a test or wordsmith a paper.
You will get no penalty from any college for taking a study hall in conjunction with 6 APs. I think there would be less high school burnout and pre-mental illness if there were more proactive students, parents, and counselors that suggested a study hall period.
Good luck
My school requires study hall. I don't know about your school, but it sounds like you have way more AP options than my school. You've definitely got many more options than I do, so just make sure to start and finish strong. Take as many AP classes as you feel is right. To be honest, AP classes are no harder than normal classes. The exams are the only extra parts. Have you looked into dual-credit and other weighted options? Those work just like APs and offer college credit. They will also go as a "hard course" for your rigor, and usually offer guaranteed college credit, without even doing an AP exam. If you can get an A in any class, I recommend dual-credit, and if your school doesn't offer that many APs (like mine) then you should take all the APs you can and put as many dual-credits in your schedule as you can. If I had the option, I would take the extra class, but that's only me.
Final answer: Don't get scared of the work. It's all the same. If you're afraid of the exams in May, take dual-credit instead.
It would not look bad to take study hall since the majority of your classes are APs. Most students take more than one elective per year, so having study hall will make you a more well-rounded applicant. It will also give you the chance to work on extracurriculars, another essential part of your application. Hope this helps!
Personally, as a fellow student, I believe it helps you to take a study hall. Some people believe that if hinders their chances by making them look "lazy" but many advisors have told me that schools are looking for what you do OUTSIDE of the classroom setting. Judging from the classes your course rigor is more than enough, having a study hall is the perfect opportunity to do personal projects and show colleges that you have interest that benefit you in school and real world settings. The bottom like is make sure to show schools you can balance life and education and try not to get burnt out. Good luck :)
They don’t but you have include what you were doing and how valuable that was like for example helping fellow students or studying topics that interest you
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Hey @CameronBameron, so should I say how I used my time in the study hall by requesting my counselor to put it in his letter of rec, maybe just mention it in one of my essays, or put a short note about it in an "extra info" section if colleges have it?