What class should I take next year? Starting in late January, many students ask this question when deciding which classes to take next year.

There are a wide variety of classes that students can choose from. Here are some tips and information that can help with choosing the right classes.

Varying class levels

College Prep (CP), Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and Dual Enrollment are the different class levels a student can choose from. However, not all subject departments have certain level classes, and students sometimes need a teacher’s recommendation to take a certain class level.

Pascack Hills guidance counselor Cristina Schneider noted that AP courses are “regulated by the College Board and the course will culminate in an AP exam in May, so there are stricter guidelines” on what is taught to students.

Other than the level of difficulty, one main difference between CP and Honors classes compared to AP and Dual Enrollment ones is that the latter allows students to earn college credit. Students have the option to pay to take the AP test or pay a college to earn credit through a Dual Enrollment class.

A dilemma that might come up is whether a student wants to take a class because they are genuinely interested in the subject or solely because it is a more difficult level that can allow a student to show off their academic prowess.

When asked about what advice she would give to students who are conflicted about this, Guidance Counselor Jenna Howard said, “It is important to take classes that you are really interested in to expand on basically who you are overall.”

“I think there is a big draw to take as many Honors and AP classes as you possibly can,” Howard continued, “but a lot of times that’s not always what’s going to be best.”

Fellow guidance counselor Marin Donnelly mentioned how students should think in the mindset of “‘What classes do I enjoy . . . that I excel at, that I want to take the additional challenge, that I want to spend extra time working on that class’” instead of just taking a class because of its level.

Classes based on specific or general interests

Whether a student has a specific interest in a subject or cannot even decide what their favorite class is, here are some suggestions to think about when building a schedule.

Some students have a clear preference on what they want to learn, whether it be something purely academic or artistic.

Donnelly recommended that these students “look for course work that further exposes them to that field of study.”

“At the same time, it is also important to have a balance and to not have it be too specific,” she added.

A person’s interests could change over time, so taking courses only pertaining to a specific subject could lead to a student losing the chance to explore other interests.

“Sometimes students would change their mind in terms of what they want to study, but experiencing it in high school and figuring out what you like and don’t like is really a great time for exploration,” Donnelly said.

On the other hand, sometimes students struggle with deciding which classes to take because of their broad range of interests.

To this, Schneider said, “That’s probably a benefit of why we have elective requirements and why we have a requirement in different areas of electives . . . It sort of exposes you to the possibilities within those categories and . . . could lead to figuring out what you like and even just as importantly what you don’t.”

Accounting for extracurriculars and other responsibilities

Along with school, students juggle completing assignments, clubs, sports, familial duties, and time for themselves. These should all be accounted for when students consider which classes they want to take.

Schneider said, “[It is important] to have time to do all the things that you love and enjoy but also make time for the things that are important to you and important to everyone like rest, and self care, and family, and eating, and sleep.”

Howard added, “[It comes down to having an] understanding of who you are and what’s going to be the best for your particular situation.”

Being aware of the time to dedicate to each activity is vital to balance a student’s schedule. 

Donnelly cautioned students to “be realistic . . . in terms of the time that [they] can devote” to the classes they choose while also balancing their other commitments.

Required classes

While students have flexibility about which classes to take each year in high school, there are some requirements that have to be fulfilled before graduation.

Students need four years of English and physical education, three years of math, three years of science, three years of social studies, and two years of a world language in order to graduate. Students also have to take one year of visual or performing art, one year of a 21st Century Life or a career course, and half a year of Financial Literacy.

However, Financial Literacy is one course that many believe is more beneficial when taken in junior or senior year.

“I view freshman year as a big enough transition to begin with,” Guidance Counselor Steven Casamento said.

He added, “This is your first opportunity to…check out what you like . . . you have the first opportunity to take something that can lead to something else whereas Financial Literacy is kinda like a stand alone class. It’s not something you need for something else.”

Donnelly also said, “The idea of taking it [Financial Literacy] later in high school is that students are a little bit more available to receive that information and apply it . . . If a student does take it freshman year, which is certainly fine, they may not be as much in the mindset of managing and budgeting money when they go off for college.”

Virtual High School and other alternatives

Students are sometimes interested in classes that Hills might not offer. Alternatively, there are occasions where a student cannot fit a certain class into their schedule due to conflicts with other required courses.

To help with these situations, students can take classes through Virtual High School (VHS).

“The real reason we brought, developed a partnership with VHS,” Donnelly said, “is really to allow for more course offerings but occasionally it can be helpful while trying to resolve a very difficult scheduling conflict.”

Casamento added, “We try to always do what’s best for the students in situations where a student is passionate about a particular topic [but has to take a required class] . . . I think that we do a good job of being adaptable to things like that.”

Although unresolvable conflicts are not common, Casamento mentioned that “sometimes it’s inevitable that things are in conflict” as a student takes more advanced level classes.

For example, there are multiple class periods to accommodate the biology classes taken in freshman year, which makes it more flexible, in comparison to students only being able to take the one class period of Advanced Topics in Computer Science.

Final pieces of advice

While choosing classes can sometimes be difficult, there are ways to help ease the process.

Donnelly advised that before students meet with their guidance counselor, they should “really take some time to look over the course offerings.” 

She mentioned how most of the classes taken in senior year will be mainly “elective based,” other than English and Physical Education, “so the world is their oyster.”

Howard added that students should ask the teachers about the courses they are interested in so they can make an “informed decision” and not solely select a class “because [they] feel that’s the next thing to take.”

As students are preparing to select their courses for the 2023-24 school year, Hills guidance counselors advise students to maintain balance within their academic and personal schedules.