Electives vs. Rigorous Courses

         It is my belief that the primary purpose of high school in America is to give us all a foundation of understanding as to how the world works. By the time we graduate, we should know how to read and write, how to figure out some mathematical problems, we should have a basic understanding of a variety of sciences, and be in position to form educated decisions on a variety of the social studies. In our educational system, it is the job of post-secondary institutions to build on top of that foundation and provide a skill that can be translated into a meaningful career. 

            Furthermore, within the American educational system that has evolved, we spend an incredible amount of time at the high school level strategizing for what comes next. As the college admissions process grows increasingly competitive, families hone in on maximizing every possible advantage they can conjure and for too many, high school has shifted from a place to learn and into a place to audition for the university of their choice. What is the cost of that? 

            If high school is our opportunity to learn about the world, there is so much more to it than language arts, math, science, and social studies. High school electives are an opportunity to learn about the other things the world offers. Some electives can provide extremely valuable insight into facets of adult lives that parents don’t often do well in teaching their children. Others have the potential to spark interest in areas that can lead to lifelong fulfilling careers. 

            My concern is that in our pursuit of college admissions, we have strayed too far from the idea that high school can do more for us than teach us the basics. An intense focus on college admissions might prevent a student from taking an elective that intrigues them, for whatever reason, in favor of a more academically rigorous course that will be more appealing to the university. For example, a student might choose to take AP European History instead of art even though they’ve demonstrated considerable talent as an untrained artist. I believe European History is an important subject but which subject stands to best further the development of this individual?

            I believe college admissions is extremely important. I’ve done as much hyper-focusing on that at the cost of other options as anyone. I don’t always feel good about it though, especially when I’ve felt like I’ve steered a student away from a class that might have been a good fit for them even though another course made more sense for the college admissions strategy.

            I think the key here is balance. We can still take all those rigorous classes, but we shouldn’t always shy away from taking a class we just want to take because we just want to take it. Maybe this means being creative and figuring out how to take an additional class so we can do both. Whatever the case, I think it’s okay to indulge and let yourself learn something you want to learn. Perhaps, if you take time to explain that to the college you’re interested in, they’ll even be okay with that.