| |
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| What classes do I have to take to
graduate? |
|
Each
state–even each district within a state–has its own set of
requirements for a high school diploma. Many states also require
that students pass a proficiency examination. To find the
requirements for your area, try internet searches such as
"Chicago Board of Education." |
|
A
school district website may display a
chart like this: |
|
Subject
|
Credits
|
|
English
|
3
|
|
Health
|
.5
|
|
Math
|
2
|
|
Physical Education
|
1
|
|
Science
|
2
|
|
Social Studies
|
3
|
|
Unspecified Electives
|
7
|
|
|
The
"credits" typically translate into "years." In the example
above, the student must complete three years of English (English
I, II, and III), a semester (half-year) of health, two years of
math, etc., in order to earn a basic high school diploma.
"Electives" are courses that you get to pick–drama, music,
painting, etc. |
| |
| But what classes do I need to get
into college? |
| The classes for a basic
high school diploma are not the same as what you need for
college. For college, you need just about four years of
everything, taken at the highest levels you can reach.
Taking four years of everything is called taking college
prep or the college track. This means Algebra
II, not Consumer Math. This means
Chemistry, not Life Science. Also, you need
to earn at least a C (each semester) for the class to
count. (Your school might pass you with a D, but
a university will not count the class.) |
| Here's the deal: A college
will accept you, even if you took only the minimum requirements
in high school. However, the college will require you to
make these classes up in college. Your college will
describe these classes as mandatory or remedial.
|
| |
| What are
mandatory and
remedial college classes? |
| Mandatory classes are any
classes that you are required to take. This means anything
you have to take to graduate. The word is important to
know because it is often used in place of remedial.
The only reason for substituting mandatory for
remedial is to avoid hurting students' feelings. But
it's all the same thing. |
| Remedial classes are any
classes you have to take in college that you should have taken
in high school. This also includes college classes that
are designed to bring you up to college level. If you're
an English major told to take a Science class in college, it's
probably because you didn't take four years of Science in high
school. If you are a college freshman taking an English
class whose course number starts with a zero (such as English
095), it is because you did not take enough English classes in
high school, did poorly in your high school English classes, or
did poorly on the university's English entrance exam. |
| |
| But I hate high school. I'd
rather take the courses in college. |
| A lot of students,
including some of the smartest kids in the class, take advantage
of early graduation opportunities in high school. These
students want to get out of high school and start college
a.s.a.p. For some students, this is a good plan. But
think carefully before doing this. |
| As already stated, not all
high school diplomas are the same. If you graduate without
taking college prep classes (four years of everything), you will
have to take these classes in college. This can be more
difficult, and will cost you time and money. |
| College classes are more
difficult than high school classes. Trust us--it is a lot
easier to earn an A in a high school Chemistry class
than in a college Chemistry class. |
| Most college classes are
three-credit courses. A student takes between 12 and 18
credits each semester (half a year). So each semester, a
full-time college student takes 4 to 6 classes. If you
need to make up classes in English, History, Math, and Science,
that equals an entire semester spent taking remedial classes. |
| At a standard state
university, a full-time semester costs around $5,000.00 (not
including housing, lab fees, or textbooks). By not taking
all of the basic courses in high school, you could easily end up
spending $5,000.00 (or more) that you should not have to spend. |
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