Question

I'm in 10th grade and we just finished our first-semester finals. Will taking a regular English class one time affect the way a college looks at me?

Accepted Answer

Taking one non-Honors English course, especially if is simply is not offered at your school, will not adversely affect your ability to get into a good college. Looking at the totality of the coursework and elective and extra-curricula activities listed, it would appear that your academic record will be just fine, assuming you continue on in this manner. You still have all of your junior year and at least the first semester of your senior year of high school to build upon the record you have constructed up to this point. More important than whether you are unable to take an honor's course that is not offered at your school will be your grade point average (GPA) at the time you apply to universities, your scores on college entrance exams, and your record of extra-curricular activities. Band and Junior ROTC, in fact, will both weigh in your favor with many college admissions officers, especially if you intend to enroll in ROTC at the college level, which presumably is the case. (You should, by the way, look into the possibility of applying for a ROTC scholarship, which could pay your entire way through college, plus provide a modest stipend for additional living expenses, in exchange for a commitment to serve in the military, either on active duty or in a reserve component.)
College admissions officers look at the totality of an applicant's record, including extra-curricular activities and college entrance exam scores. There is no reason to believe that the inability to take a single honor's course will hurt your chances at attaining admission to a good university.

Answer

I don't believe it would negatively affect you for taking one non honors course. Colleges tend to look at the whole transcript; however, have you considered looking into becoming a volunteer tutor for your school? Colleges love to see philanthropy in their applicants, and since a more rigorous English course is not available to you, you might be able to both assist your fellow students and  work on bettering your overall application to colleges by tutoring in your high school. Another option is to look into dual enrollment at a local college. Colleges sometimes offer current high school students the ability to take college level classes while they are enrolled in high school.  Courses are even offered online if necessary.

Colleges and Universities

I'm in 10th grade and we just finished our first-semester finals. Will taking a regular English class one time affect the way a college looks at me?

Expert Answers info

Unlock This Answer Now

Student Answers

Ask a Question

Popular Questions