It’s that time of the year again – class registration! Everyone’s gone through it, but how many people actually know what they’re doing? I’m not claiming by any means to be a pro, but hopefully my two cents will help students figure out the best schedule for them.

To begin with, there are a couple major resources worth pointing out to students that they might not know about or have used before. For one, take a look at the counselors’ website (https://wp.lps.org/ehscounseling/registration-resources/). They have extremely helpful links to help students find the classes offered, understand graduation requirements, and give examples of pathways you might take. The counselors’ office is open for consultations as well, and they have a lunch hub students can visit for the next few weeks. It’s also a good idea to ask teachers and older students for suggestions about classes.

When you’re planning for the next year, it’s important to keep in mind graduation requirements. Look at “Course History” in Synergy or the lists on the counselors’ website to find out what requirements still need to be met in order to graduate.

I’d recommend making a four year plan to ensure that students can fit in all of your requirements and all of the electives they’re interested in – it’s never too early to think ahead!

With that in mind, there are also college entrance requirements to think about. As students get further on in their sophomore and junior years, it’s worth looking into requirements at colleges they might want to apply to. Then, make sure the classes being scheduled align with the requirements to enter.

So what electives tochoose? In my eyes, the point of high school is not just to gain skills in all of the core subjects – math, social studies, science, and English – but also to explore different areas of interest that can help inform someone of where they might want to end up later on in life and who they want to be. To do this, East has a HUGE variety of different electives to try, from woods and manufacturing to jewelry and music. Don’t be afraid to try something completely new.

Another important factor to consider is making sure to find a balance between challenging and less demanding classes. This doesn’t mean taking all AP classes, or the reverse: taking none at all. It’s definitely important to keep in mind how much time will be spent on homework along with time spent in any activities, so try to find out how much of a workload each class has. Students should push themselves in areas they are passionate about.

It’s a good idea to do some digging, too.  There are plenty of versions of classes that can fill requirements, and some might be more interesting than others. In my experience, I’ve found the LPS Course Guide (https://www.lps.org/apps/courseguide/?loc=302) to be very helpful. It shows the class description, the course number, and what graduation requirements each class fills.

Being informed allows students to make the most of their education!