If college is the foundation for the career path of your child’s choice, high school is the soft skills training for success in college and beyond. Though filled with academic challenges, these four years help your child develop healthy habits, a sense of responsibility, and networking skills. Every course they take and extracurricular they participate in builds a stronger college profile that tells college admissions teams why your child is a good fit for their school.
What Does High School Experience Tell Colleges?
The courses your child takes throughout high school can show a student’s academic strengths, interests, and passions. They should work with their school guidance counselor or a college counselor to create a schedule that plays to their strengths. If your child already knows what major they want to pursue in undergrad, their guidance counselor can recommend courses that will prepare them for that path.
During the application process, when your child’s guidance counselor sends transcripts to your child’s chosen schools, they’ll include a note or letter explaining the high school’s grading scale, available course offerings, and other information to provide context for your child’s course choices.
Colleges seek students who challenged themselves academically by taking rigorous courses. At most high schools, the most rigorous courses available are Advanced Placement (AP®) courses. While it’s well known that these courses are attractive to admissions teams, most aren’t sure why. The answer is what they represent.
Because AP courses are more challenging than regular or honors level high school courses, your child has to be more engaged in their education. They show your child is willing to go above and beyond the minimum while demonstrating they can handle more coursework. Taking courses in a specific subject area also speaks to their interests which can be helpful if they’re applying to colleges with major requirements.
For example, Howard University has major specific requirements for those applying to their Studio Art, Theatre Arts, Music and Architecture and Design programs. Taking an AP Art and Design course can add to your child’s profile and build their creative portfolio.
Depending on where your child goes to school, they may have International Baccalaureate (IB) programs instead of AP courses. The challenges posed by IB courses are similar to those of AP courses but on a global scale. These programs promote critical thinking, accountability, respect, and independence. With an intercultural approach to education, their goal is to foster a more peaceful and compassionate world. Colleges recognize both IB and AP courses as evidence of academic rigor.
Why Are Humanities Required in High School?
Many of the nation’s top colleges, including the Ivy league colleges, are liberal arts colleges. They offer a broad curriculum to encourage intellectual curiosity, foster free thinking, and produce well-rounded graduates with a broad base of knowledge.
Humanities classes — like history, foreign languages, literature, etc. — give your child general knowledge of the world around them while developing soft skills like critical thinking, research, and creativity. These classes teach students to make connections and draw parallels between seemingly unrelated information. They make students think critically and form their own opinions on complex issues rather than accepting a singular viewpoint.
One of the main reasons for including humanities in the high school curriculum is to produce well rounded individuals. While math and science are important, they offer a more practical approach to education. Humanities courses give a more holistic approach to learning by exposing students to different subjects, theoretical concepts, voices, and perspectives. These traits are valued even at colleges that specialize in science- and math-based fields.
Studying humanities also helps students develop empathy and understanding towards different cultures and perspectives. Studying different languages and literature from around the world gives a much deeper appreciation for different cultures, beliefs and ways of life. Colleges value a background in the humanities as they seek to build diverse and cooperative campus communities.
Do Extracurriculars Matter to Admissions Teams?
Yes they do.
While your child’s academic performance is of the utmost importance in college admissions decisions, colleges aren’t just admitting students: they are admitting people. Extracurriculars show who your child is outside of the classroom and what matters to them. Volunteering at a homeless shelter or an animal shelter shows they care about giving back to their community. Creating or joining a photography club shows they have passion for art and are willing to take their professional development into their own hands. All of these activities give admissions teams a look into the person behind the application.
Being in multiple extracurriculars while keeping good grades shows your child can manage their commitments. Plus, they can differentiate your child from other applicants who may have similar academic backgrounds. Admissions teams look for students who can bring diverse and unique perspectives to their campus community.
Extracurriculars also give students an opportunity to develop important life skills like time management, teamwork, and problem solving. These are highly valued by admissions teams as it shows the student can juggle multiple responsibilities and adapt to new situations.
What Does It Mean When Colleges Admit by Major, College, or Division?
When a college admits by major, they are looking for applicants who have strong performance in courses, extracurriculars, or activities related to it. They do this to gauge your child’s preparedness for what could be a high demand major including but not limited to:
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Biology
- Business
- Communication
- Psychology
These majors can give your child more career flexibility and higher earning potential in the future. By admitting by major, colleges are looking for students who are genuinely passionate and committed to their chosen field of study. This can improve student performance and increase their chances of actually completing the program.
Others may be admitted by college or division, meaning they will consider applicants based on the specific school or department they are applying to within the university. For example, instead of applying to a specific engineering major at Cornell, your child would need to apply to their College of Engineering when filling out the application. Schools like Cornell may have additional requirements for each school or department so it’s best to check the school’s policy before submitting the application.
Just because some majors are more popular than others doesn’t mean your child shouldn’t apply if they are genuinely passionate about the subject. If your child is considering an alternative major, they should choose one based on their interests and not because they think their application isn’t strong enough. At C2, we can help them build a competitive college application based on both their academic and career goals.
Build Your College Profile With C2 Education
We know the college application process can be overwhelming for students and parents. That’s why we have a comprehensive program to help students build their college profile.
Our tutors will work with your child to develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses. Our guidance counselors will also help build a well-rounded profile by guiding your child to choose extracurriculars and leadership positions that match their interests and goals. Additionally, our AP, SAT®, and ACT® prep programs can help increase your child’s test scores to make them an even more competitive applicant.
Don’t let fear of not being good enough stop your child from applying to their dream major. With C2 Education’s support, your child can apply to their top choice colleges and get in.
Start building your child’s college profile today with C2 Education.
