Students should expand their horizons with classes

With the end of the school year approaching, WHS students have begun selecting their classes for next year.

Students must decide whether to take classes with which they are comfortable and familiar, or whether to expand their horizons and create a diverse schedule.

WHS Guidance Dept. member Tyler Egli observes that while WHS offers a wide range of elective classes, many students, instead of trying new subjects, choose to take the classes that their friends are taking. While wanting to take classes with peers is understandable, Egli advises students to explore unfamiliar subjects, a practice which offers many benefits.

“I strongly encourage students to partake in a diverse schedule while in high school. We know from research that students change their major in college at a high percentage rate, which only adds additional cost to the college process,” Egli said.

Chelsey Porter, WHS English Dept. member, adds, “I changed majors three times [in college] because I didn’t dabble in high school. This is the critical age when you [find] …subjects you never realized you were good at.”

In addition to saving time and money in college, taking a myriad of subjects also creates the well-rounded personality that college admission departments seek in students.

Tracy Karr, Associate Director of Admissions at the College of Wooster, believes a diverse schedule is a crucial preparatory step for admission and education at college.

“We like students to think out the box and be creative… [instead of] sticking to the core requirements…We want someone who can jump into writing-intensive classes, who can engage in class discussions…Having a diverse skill set…gives students the skills needed to do research later, whether that be a paper, a lab or a performance,” Karr said.

Finally, taking diverse classes allows students to discover passions and rule out other subjects for future study. Egli notes, “Students in high school should be exploring a wide range of classes in order to discover and gain knowledge on [many] subjects…Even if one discovers that they… [dislike a subject], that is still powerful knowledge to obtain.”

This powerful knowledge often exists in new and unfamiliar classes, just waiting for enterprising students to discover it.