How To Make Sure Your High School Transcript Works For You
Course Selection Tips for College-Bound Students
By Eric Dobler
Why High School Course Selection Matters for College Admissions
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be meeting with students to discuss high school course planning. While course selection may seem straightforward, especially with teacher recommendations and a school’s program of studies available for guidance, I find myself having a version of the same conversation.
It usually goes like this:
Student: I know I have to take English and math, but I’ve fulfilled my graduation requirements for everything else.
Me: That’s true. Your high school requires three years of math and science, and only one year of a foreign language. But are you planning your schedule just to graduate—or to show colleges that you’re prepared for the academic rigor of college?
Student: But I’ve worked so hard the last three years. Can’t I take it easier next year? I thought colleges only looked at my grades through junior year?
Me, after a pause: I hear you—but here’s the key difference I want you to understand: meeting minimum graduation requirements isn’t the same as building a complete academic record that shows colleges you are working hard and challenging yourself through senior year. High school is four years, not three. Colleges absolutely review senior-year course selections and, depending on when you apply, they may even see your first-quarter senior grades.
Student, after a minor groan: Oh…
I don’t enjoy having this conversation, but it’s a pivotal one. How a student handles course selection can have a major impact on how their college applications are evaluated. This is especially true at the most selective colleges who have incredibly deep applicant pools, and who are looking for the most outstanding students with the strongest academic, and extracurricular, profiles.
What Colleges Look for in a High School Transcript
When planning out high school courses, students should focus on taking the most rigorous classes in which they can reasonably succeed.
For example:
- A student interested in engineering should ideally show honors, AP, or dual-enrollment coursework in math and science—particularly calculus and physics.
- A student considering business should aim for a strong math sequence through at least pre-calculus, with statistics included when available.
College admissions officers understand the demands of their own majors and programs. Their job is to determine whether a student’s academic record, as demonstrated through both grades and course rigor, suggests they’ll be successful or not once enrolled.
Colleges want students who will persist and graduate. If an applicant hasn’t challenged themselves appropriately in high school, it raises concerns about how they’ll handle the increased academic demands of college-level coursework.
Does this mean students should take only honors, AP, or dual-enrollment courses? Absolutely not.
What it means is that students should evaluate their strengths, weaknesses and interests, and then build a balanced schedule. I’ve advised plenty of students to take a less advanced course in an area that was clearly not a strength for them. I also had them challenge themselves more in areas of strength. It’s about balance.
How to Plan High School Courses Strategically
As you prepare for course selection, start by reviewing your high school’s program of studies so you understand the sequence of courses and any prerequisites that may be in place. This is especially important for 9th and 10th graders as the decisions they make now will impact the decisions they have available to them down the road.
Then, have honest conversations with teachers about what they see in your work and what they feel are appropriate options for course placement. Also, think about potential majors of interest so that, like the engineering and business examples above, you can make the most of what your high school has to offer while also ensuring that you have taken the courses colleges are hoping to see.
Eric Dobler founded Dobler College Consulting in October 2011 after spending twelve years as a college admissions counselor and academic advisor. When Eric was in high school, he had no clear plan for college. He didn’t approach it as a structured search, didn’t prepare for the SAT, and didn’t tour the schools he applied to until just before the May 1 enrollment deadline.
It wasn’t until college that Eric began to recognize his potential and bring everything together. While he enjoyed his college experience, he knows he missed opportunities simply because he lacked guidance. Because of his own journey, Eric is passionate about helping students find colleges where they can thrive academically and socially—without taking on unnecessary financial stress.