Choosing High School Courses That Strengthen College Applications

What admissions offices look at first

Course rigor and classroom grades outweigh nearly every other application factor at four-year colleges. In NACAC's Fall 2023 survey of member colleges, 76.8% rated grades in college prep courses as considerably important and 63.8% rated strength of the high school curriculum the same way. Admission test scores, by comparison, were considerably important to only 4.9% of colleges as test-optional policies spread after the pandemic.

That means the transcript does more work than any single test score or essay line. A pattern of increasing difficulty across four years, in the subjects a student is strongest in, reads better than a flat schedule of easy electives.

Build rigor year by year

9th grade

Take the standard college prep track: English, math, a lab science, a world language, and history. Take Honors sections in your strongest one or two subjects if your school offers them. Don't load up on five AP classes as a freshman. Most high schools restrict AP access until sophomore or junior year anyway.

10th grade

Add one or two Honors or AP courses in subjects where 9th grade grades were strong. Many students take their first AP class this year, often AP World History, AP Human Geography, or AP Computer Science Principles, none of which require heavy prerequisite knowledge.

11th grade

This is the year admissions offices scrutinize most closely, since it's the last full year of grades available when you apply. Increase to three or four AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses if the workload went well in 10th grade. Keep the subjects tied to your intended major or clear strengths rather than spreading thin across everything offered.

12th grade

Colleges see your senior schedule at the time of application and again in a final transcript after graduation. Don't drop to easy electives senior year. A senior schedule that looks weaker than junior year raises questions, and colleges do rescind offers over a serious drop in effort.

Honors, AP, IB, and dual enrollment: the difference

Each track signals rigor differently:

• Honors classes move faster and go deeper than standard classes but stay inside your high school's own curriculum.

• AP courses follow a College Board curriculum and end in a national exam scored 1 to 5. Many colleges award credit or placement for scores of 3, 4, or 5, though policies vary by school.

• IB courses run on a two-year Diploma structure in participating schools, with internal and external assessments.

• Dual enrollment classes are taken through a local college or university and appear on both your high school and college transcript.

None of these tracks beats the others across the board. Colleges care that you took the hardest courses your school offered and did well in them, whatever the track is called.

How many advanced classes is enough

There's no fixed number a college requires. Selective schools want to see you challenge yourself within reason, not max out every AP option your school offers. A student who takes 5 or 6 AP classes across junior and senior year and earns strong grades presents better than one who takes 10 and earns C's. Match the load to what leaves room to also do well in your other classes and your activities.

Avoid overload

A packed schedule that tanks your GPA works against you, since grades in those same courses carry the most weight. Watch for these warning signs before you register:

• Taking every AP option in one year rather than spreading them across two

• Choosing subjects because they look good rather than ones you understand

• Leaving no time for the activities that show sustained interest outside class

If your school offers few advanced classes

Not every high school offers AP, IB, or dual enrollment. Admissions offices review each transcript against the courses your specific school offers, using the school profile your counselor submits alongside your application. Colleges compare you to the rigor available to you, not to a national average. Ask your counselor how your school reports this, and lean on dual enrollment through a local community college if your school allows it, since that adds rigor even without an AP program on campus.

Talk to your counselor before you register

School counselors know which combinations of AP and Honors classes work well together at your specific school, and they write the counselor recommendation that goes with your application. Ask them each spring, before course registration, whether your planned schedule fits your college goals. The National Association for College Admission Counseling also publishes free planning guides for families working through this each year.