WHEN DOES COURSE SELECTION BEGIN?

Typically, course selection for the next year begins in February. Your course selections are confirmed in May. You may change your course selections before then, but you may not change course selections after the last day of school.

CAN I CHANGE MY COURSES IN THE SUMMER OR WHEN SCHOOL STARTS?

If you are missing a core class or credits needed to graduate, then yes. Otherwise, no. Advanced, AP & Level II or III weighted courses with an academic or advanced subject equivalent may exit (drop) at the end of first quarter (October 10, 2024) and again at the of the first semester (December 20, 2024).

WHERE CAN I FIND A LIST OF COURSES I CAN TAKE?

See the academic planning guide for details.

I DON'T KNOW WHICH COURSE I SHOULD TAKE.

There are several things you can do to make the right choice.

• Talk with the teacher that teaches it. Tell them about your situation and your goals. They will be able to gauge their course’s difficulty for you. See the staff directory or ask a counselor if you don’t know who teaches what.

• Think about your goals and apply them to the APG. Want to be a nurse? Look under the health sciences seciton of the APG. The same principle applies to any elective course. Don’t forget to take Health and Communications classes to graduate. Ensure you have one Fine Arts credit, one PE credit, and two foreign language credits. Want to learn more about advanced and AP classes? See the following question/answer.

• Take courses that your future career or college will need. If you’re becoming an engineer, taking AP Calculus will help you more than taking AP Statistics. Choose the right course and learn for your future.

• Select courses that raise your class rank. Texas public colleges will grant automatic admission based on their class rank cutoffs. Many colleges automaticaly accept top 10% or higher. Visit the College For All Texans website for more information.

ACADEMIC/CORE, ADVANCED, OR AP?

Finding the right academic difficulty can be difficult. The difficulty of classes will affect your weighted GPA and therefore your class rank.

AP classes are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they are very good for your GPA and class rank if your grades are high and you do well in them. But if your grades are below 80 in an AP class, you no longer have a GPA benefit. Below 70, you are failing your class, even if the same level of knowledge and difficulty would get you a passing grade in an Advanced or Academic/Core class. This is extremely dangerous, because failing any class means you will need to take it again to gain the credit for it. Some credits are REQUIRED to graduate.

While selecting AP classes without regards to their difficulty will hurt you, it is also important to realize that if you feel a class is too easy and you have no room for improvement, or if you think you need to challenge yourself more, taking an AP class is a good step towards that.

Remember that if an AP class isn’t working out for you, you can drop out of AP classes during designated exit periods. Also remember to try as much as you can. It is possible to struggle with an AP course at first but then get high grades at the end. There is an “adaptation” process to each course.

Of course, at the end of the day, learning is the most important thing. Choosing the right class for your feature is also strategically important.

For more information concerning AP courses, see the ‘Advanced Placement‘ tab. The beginning of the Academic Planning Guide also has pertinent information relating to AP vs. Advanced vs. Academic courses.