Study hall periods and being a teacher helper: pros and cons?
Hello! I am studying in a high school in Mexico City.
Background: We have 8 classes per semester. Never in my school's history have we had free periods. However, a new head of school was hired and he has altered the way our schedules and academic requirements are built. This is the first year we are having free periods available. I am telling you this because I know that college admissions officers compare your profile to those of your similar context and school.
Right now, I have 2 free periods. I did not choose them, but I have to take them because there are no classes available that I am interested in (the only other class available is Anatomy). I fear that when college admissions officers see this, my schedule will not be deemed challenging because as opposed to applicants from my school from other years who have never had study halls, now I have two. For reference, I am taking 3 IB HL classes and 3 AP classes (so 6/8 of my classes are hard).
These are my options:
1. Enroll in Anatomy (easy class but I'm not interested; it is a lot of busy work so while I would have a good grade, it would be time-consuming).
2. Become a teacher cadet (like a helper for the teacher of your choice – you mostly help grade papers).
What should I do?
a) Keep the 2 study hall periods,
b) Enroll in Anatomy and have a study hall period,
c) Be a teacher cadet and have a study hall period,
d) Enroll in Anatomy and be a teacher cadet.
Also, how are teacher cadets viewed by college admissions officers? Is it worth it?
Thank you a lot!
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2 answers
Personally I’d do D or B or C in that order but I’d absolutely disregard A. You already have a very rigorous course load as it is 75% advanced classes so rigor is something you don’t have to worry about unless you do nothing then and have it be a study hall and as crsgo says don’t have 2. 1 is absolutely something to consider.
A study hall is also a great time to do “odd job” stuff such as essay writing, searching schools etc.
Also I don’t know a whole lot of teacher cadets but I view it similarly to a teaching assistant/teacher helper. While not an AO in my mind it shows leadership and responsibility which is a huge thing in. Also make sure to meet all graduation requirements.
Hope this helps and please comment if you need clarification as I’d be happy to help!
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Also is anatomy an advanced class IB AP honors Advanced accelerated etc? If so I’d absolutely recommend taking it if you can handle the coursework.