Should high school be fun?

Great question I believe it depends on what you really want to focus on. I think you can still have fun in high school and also take harder classes as well. I would suggest to start taking classes for college as I waited and could of been way ahead in college if I took more college classes in high school. Note having some college classes that you complete in high school could help you get into a bigger college if that is what you are choosing. Hopefully this helps.

I say do both. You can take challenging courses one semester then take easier classes the next. The most important thing to do is to sit down with your guidance counselor to make sure that you have enough credits for graduation. You don't want to slack off and take easier classes all four years just to find out you can't graduate because you didn't satisfy the math or language requirement.

I believe that it's important to have fun while you're still young but you have to learn to balance everything out. Don't party too hard but don't get stressed out over grades and your career either. Once you figure out what you want to do for a career and what you want to major in, you'll be able to determine which classes in high school you should take to better prepare you for success. The fun classes can be the fillers at the end. For example, my daughter is a junior in high school and by the end of this school year, she will have taken all of her tough classes so for her senior year, her schedule will be consist of easier and more relevant classes for her career.

Your question assumes a binary answer of yes or no. High school should be both fun and hard. I am a believer in balance. Take the time to enjoy life experiences at all stages. If you spend your entire time studying to pass classes then you will miss out on memories built with friends. On the flip side if you spend too much time having fun then you may hurt your future prospects.

Do you have some classes in mind already that you want to take or a particular career path? Either way, there is more to life and career success than just education. Granted you will need to have some specific skills/knowledge to gain regardless of whatever job field you end up in, but having varied life experiences to draw against will serve you will to be successful as well.

Finally from me personally, I decided specifically not to take certain AP classes in high school. I ended up not needing them in college. It gave me the ability to work part-time and reduced the amount of stress I had.

Hello,

My quick answer is mix it up. Always challenge yourself in some way whether it’s AP classes or excelling as a drummer in the school band, or both. When moving on to college you will find they look at more than just the grades you achieved. Although A’s and B’s are important, so are the hobbies and giving back to the community through volunteerism. Being diverse and well rounded will take you far.

Good luck!

What a complex question to answer. It has been a long time since I was in high school (which was both fun and a nightmare for me), as a parent of kids finishing high school now I find it seems to be similar for them. When in high school, I remember thinking that I knew everything, no one understood ME, all this stuff is so important. About a week into college for me and I forgot all about high school, new friends, new experiences, and the whole world became a lot less about me as I experienced more and gained a new perspective. Now college is not always everyone's next step, but I find that everything post high school has mattered more to who I am today than high school did.

Hi Christian , So nice to virtually meet you! I think this is an excellent question and one that is timely for me as my son is in his senior year of H.S. We have attended many college tours and what we have learned is that colleges look for a mix. I suggest you have a balance of fun, challenging and easy courses. For example if you are taking AP Literature, you might not want to take another AP course that requires a lot of writing. Also, when taking AP courses if you aren't earning A's or B's then its best to take an honors class or standard class where you know you will perform well. You can partner your AP class with a cooking class or a gaming class if thats something of interest. Colleges for the most part want to see that you do well in any class that you take and more importantly colleges and universities understand that grades aren't always an accurate reflection of one's true abilities. Colleges and universities are looking at the whole student and want to ensure that you are a good cultural fit to their institution not just academically. Learning should be continuous and FUN but truth be told, learning isn't always fun but at the end of the day you would have gained some valuable knowledge, and hopefully some new skills. Best wishes!

Personally I would take the harder classes in high school especially in the areas that relate to the major you think you would choose in college. This will get you prepared for the higher workload in college and potentially you may be able to enter college with an advantage earlier on. There are requirements to graduate college that you may be able to get out of the way in high school. For example since I took several foreign language classes in high school I didn't need to take any more in college for my degree. If you are worried about taking fun classes the amount of choices in college will most likely outnumber the choices you have in high school.