Please note that the content in this post is directed specifically to Valley Christian 8th graders going to Valley Christian High School
When you’re trying to choose what you want to do next year, like the classes and programs, there really just 3 things you should know before you make your decision. These are the things I wish people told me personally (this advice may not work for you at all).
A bit about me
I’m an academic-focused programmer and musician (so my 2 categories are AMSE and Music) that goes to Valley Christian because it’s a Christian school. I would recommend you read my philosophy on high school at the end of this blog as it should really help with showing you my internal reasons for my decisions.
What classes should I take?
In your freshman year, you have the time and you have the resources to be able to try everything, to try every potential aspiration that you would have. For example, if you have the slightest interest or curiosity in business (as I did) and don’t know if you want to pursue it as a career, take Business Fundamentals. Business Fundamentals is a prerequisite to many other classes (such as Entrepreneurship Honors) or programs (like DECA), so taking it freshmen year can leave your options open in case you ever suddenly want to switch. In short, try to keep your options open (so you won’t potentially regret it later on).
I did 8 classes in my freshman year. Do I regret it? Not really, although I did envy when other people were able to sleep in using their open period. They can just wake up at 8am and come to school at 9 o’clock, while I had to wake up at 6 o’clock every single day. But I would recommend you try taking 7 classes for all 4 years if you can, because of my philosophy
Here is my ClassChoice advice:
- Try to double Chemistry and Biology because this:
- Keeps your options open
- Helps you meet prerequisites sooner for future programs such as COSMOS (see reason 1)
- Shows colleges your interest in science
- Shows colleges your willingness to “take a challenge”
- May be the only time you are able to double science. At this time of writing, my counselor told me that I was not going to be able to double physics due to the significant amount of people failing to do this double (i.e. doubling chemistry and physics but doing bad in physics, chem, or both).
- Do the honors versions of your classes. Not only will this boost your GPA (although honors classes don’t matter as much as AP), it helps filter out the “bad kids” so your school experience won’t be like the monkey exhibit of the San Diego zoo.
- I heard Biology Honors is easier than regular; I also heard English Honors is easier than regular. As far as I know, this is pretty much true, so yeah.
- For those in algebra 2 ready to take Pre-Calculus Honors, please try to transfer to Dr. Shim; he makes the tests and the standards and he’s historically the better teacher. Additionally, everyone knows this so you’ll likely have more friends you can ask about test, homework, etc.
- For those taking Algebra 2 next year, please don’t slack off in Algebra II. It’s an easy course if you pay attention; don’t make it hard on yourself. Keep a positive attitude. I know you can do it!
- Don’t take history unless you like history AND extra work or you are planning to take AP Human Geography (APHUG) as a freshman and no-life your GPA (boost your GPA as it’s an AP course). Taking APHUG was not an option for me.
- Do band. I love band. (obviously this isn’t a serious recommendation).
- If you don’t plan to do the AP version of the class (e.g. AP Bio after you do Biology Honors) then do try to apply for dual credit IF AND ONLY IF you know for sure that you will do well in the class. You should note that I didn’t dual credit Pre Calculus Honors because I was planning to take AP Calculus BC anyways.
Here’s the thing about APs and Honors though: you would rather take an easier course and get an A than take an AP and fail it. This can show your ability to know your limits to colleges. Please note that a lot colleges just take your unweighted GPA, so it’s at a 4.0 scale (where AP and Honors don’t change anything).
There’s a saying that “freshmen grades don’t matter that much”; I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I would stay cautious either way.
There’s one class in particular that I want to talk about: AP Computer Science A. It’s an extremely easy AP if you’ve done any sort of basic computer programming before. For me, it was essentially a free period that just so happened to boost my GPA (which, as established before, doesn’t matter that much for freshmen). Finally, by taking the course, I can assure programs of my knowledge in Java (which I had never coded in before this year). This quite useful for me as (in addition to currently being in USACO Silver) I can say that I have completed (or am currently doing) AP CS A as a quantitative minimum baseline of my programming skills.
AP classes are better than the honors equivalent because they are widely acknowledged by colleges as “college-level courses” and can even get you college credit (I think…not too sure where I read that).
How did I decide?
As a STEM kid, I was planning to pursue AMSE Artist:
And personally, I wanted 4 years of math, 4 years of science, and 4 years of band. PE is also required but history isn’t. I also don’t like history. And I already talked about my reasoning for CS A and Business Fundamentals. So there we have
- Bible (required)
- Pre-Calculus H
- English 9 Honors
- Biology Honors
- Symphonic Band (I got into Symphonic Wind Ensemble)
- PE
- Business Fundamentals
- AP CS A
What programs should I take?
There are many different programs in this school but in the end, there’s only 4 categories:
- AMSE
- Business
- Art
- Sports
I would recommend you take (or at least apply to) as many after school programs as you have the time and interest for. Notice how I didn’t list energy; you really don’t know your limits unless you test them, which freshman year is perfect for. In my opinion, the maximum amount of categories a sane person can do at a time is 2.
That’s very limiting (I know), especially when you’re part of a large-time-commitment program such as OAE (marching band) or FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition). I could not do both water polo and FRC without compromise. But DO STAY HEALTHY GUYS. Exercise at least every week and sleep at least 8 hours. Enjoy your optimal teenage body.
If I could go back in time and re-do 9th grade, the programs I would apply for (as they don’t conflict) would be:
- FRC (but you could also apply to RoboQuest as it’s like a watered-down FRC)
ISS baby program(conflicts with FRC as it’s every Monday and Wednesday I think??)- Debate
- Math team (because all my friends are there so if I don’t, I’m lonely during Thursday lunches)
Funny enough, these are the programs I’m thinking of doing next year. I heard debate is a ton of work. My friend Amaar says that in order to stay sane, “do NOT do debate and FRC.” I am totally disregarding his warning :D (let’s see if I regret this).
My program experiences
I regret only doing FRC. I had gone all in because I was told it was selective. What I can say is that if you want to do it well (which you should be), expect to spend a lot of time. You’ll learn a lot in FRC, and it’s not just robotics.
The ISS research lab in our school is really good, so if you didn’t do the baby program in 8th grade (which is a hard prerequisite that you can’t skip) I would recommend you do that right now in your freshman year.
I’m going to do the ISS baby program next year (and the research program junior year) because I didn’t realize that our school’s ISS program was actually that good. My original reason for not doing ISS (this year) was because I was like “nah I don’t care that much about space.”
You can actually get a real paper published if you do well, and it’s going to be impressive too. I’m not part of the program so I can’t really say much, but think of this: by nature, the papers you publish (if you do) in the ISS program will be super impressive because of just how unique the opportunity is. For example (not saying this is what they do but just in theory), if you take an existing research topic and slap the words “the effects of microgravity on” in front of it, it’s a completely new and innovative topic to research about.
Our school’s XPRIZE program is in a similar situation too: XPRIZE isn’t even meant for high schoolers (but instead like organizations and business around the world).
Obviously, these programs are said to be competitive as well. You don’t need to wake up early to apply because these programs are application-based (not first-come-first-serve). I wish I knew this beforehand :sob:
My personal philosophy for high school in general
Life should be fun. Colleges are not the only thing that matters in life; they should never be the end goal. If studying and school are taking 100% of your free time (to the point where you can’t even practice piano or do your hobbies), then you should really reconsider your time management. That’s ok: your freshmen year is perfect for experimenting. Try different schedules (like showering right after dinner or taking a nap right after school); try different note-taking systems (like Obsidian or hand-written, color-coded notes); it’s a good time to think about philosophy, or how you’re going to perceive the world.
Life is meant to be lived for and worship God daily (“…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31). Have fun with friends, but don’t drag them down. Build each other up.
Find an interesting hobby or something to do in free time. But studying and doing well in school is important. There is a reason to do well: give everything you got or else you’ll regret that you didn’t. If you didn’t get into MIT, you should never be able to say “well I should’ve tried harder.”
However, there are things in life that you cannot control. Accept that fact. But do the best you can so you know for sure you failed because of a factor you could not control.
Conclusion
But also you should remember: this is YOUR life. None of what I say is what you HAVE to do. Ultimately, your life should look completely different from mine (or else you won’t stand out in college admissions) and always remember: college is not the goal. Good luck!