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Chantilly is teeming with unique courses. Try them! Whether you're trying to be a doctor or a teacher or an electrician or whatever, think about something you've always been interested in but maybe wouldn't be able to explore outside of school, or later in life. There's a ton of opportunity to explore it now for free. Take PE over the summer to free up an elective slot.

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I choose core courses and enhanced skills classes, especially the certification classes that will help me build up my resume.

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I pick what my language choses and theater and that's it. Do theater

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Course selection is YOUR choice, no one, including parents, teachers, friends, should pressure you into taking one particular course load our class. I would always be the first one to pick my classes, and only then did I take suggestions from others. So take what I’m going to say with a grain of salt.

As far as college readiness, do what feels right to you, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, but that has to be on your own accord. Having said that though, I would like to give you some advice as a student who was just admitted to UVA, focus on taking your core classes all 4 years. Ie Math, Science, English, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. If you want to get into a selective school, I do not suggest dropping any of these or doubling up (dropping math and science is typically the most risky). Further, unless you’re passionate about something, I do not suggest taking an elective AP class in your junior year (Psych, Econ, Stat) nor do I suggest taking supplemental non-core sciences like Anatomy nor Genetics, as they are not core classes UNLESS you are passionate about what those classes teach. But again, if this does not sound right to you, you can still go to an amazing college and still have an amazing experience, but for highly selective schools, cover your core all four years. Oh and don’t go from AP to Honors or AP to DE (I made that mistake this year), and if they are available, try taking AP’s in all of your core classes. Oh and as hard as it might seem, stick with your foreign language too, trust me, I speak from personal experience.

All in all though, focus on what you love,  but while doing this, if you want to go to a selective college which many do, keep the advice I’ve given in mind, I wish everyone good luck. :))

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I just took courses I thought would be beneficial for my knowledge (ex. taking AP Physics since Chem and Bio are already required, so might as well learn them all) or supported my interests. I took Orchestra for 4 years as well, so I think picking electives with additional classes in following years is a good way to not get confused with what to take. My advice is to only take as many APs and HNs as you can handle. There's no point in overloading yourself with hard coursework for a higher weighted GPA when you're struggling to keep up Bs. Ask people who've taken those APs you're interested in and see if you think you could handle it. I personally only took AP History one year then stopped the next because I realized I couldn't handle the amount of reading/writing, and this let me focus on my other classwork for my other classes. In my opinion, it's a lot of trial and error, so you just have to find the right amount of hard to easy classes to take. 

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I just took courses I thought would be beneficial for my knowledge (ex. taking AP Physics since Chem and Bio are already required, so might as well learn them all) or supported my interests. I took Orchestra for 4 years as well, so I think picking electives with additional classes in following years is a good way to not get confused with what to take. My advice is to only take as many APs and HNs as you can handle. There's no point in overloading yourself with hard coursework for a higher weighted GPA when you're struggling to keep up Bs. Ask people who've taken those APs you're interested in and see if you think you could handle it. I personally only took AP History one year then stopped the next because I realized I couldn't handle the amount of reading/writing, and this let me focus on my other classwork for my other classes. In my opinion, it's a lot of trial and error, so you just have to find the right amount of hard to easy classes to take. 

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Take advantage of the variety of electives that Chantilly offers as many provide free or inexpensive certifications oriented towards the program which would be helpful for the future.

Utilize the DE courses that are provided!

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1. Choose courses that are academically challenging but are also of interest to you. For example, I love science so taking AP Chem and Physics made sense. Despite occasional confusion, my interest in it made it easier to persevere.
2. Try new things! There are so many cool classes at Chantilly I wish I could have tried. Although some take 2 blocks, there are many for 1 block as well
3. Don't forget extracurriculars! Taking a lot of APs sounds cool at first until activities result in getting home late and still having hours worth of assignments.

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I chose courses based off of my career interests as well as subjects I wanted to take in general. I recommended underclassmen to look at the classes in the Chantilly Academy because they’re are many non-traditional school subjects that are great resources for career exploration and can’t be found at many other schools.

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Take the courses you're actually interested in

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Take the courses you're actually interested in

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Instead of loading myself up with APs when course selection time came around, I would consider carefully what courses I genuinely would thrive in. It was those that I prioritized taking at the AP level. It helps to know what major you're interested in pursuing, but not necessary. It is also important to consider what credits the schools you are interested in applying to will accept. I hope this helps!

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MAKE SURE YOU MEET GRADUATION REQUIRMENTS, OTHER WISE THEY WILL FORCE YOU TO GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL OR HAVE AN EXTRA CLASS PERIOD IN THE SCHOOL YEAR. also take advantage of the academy, its rlly cool, you learn useful skills and can even get certifications

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Don't procrastinate and be yourself. If you ever take on a leadership position (i.e. being a board member of a club), be ready for work and for opposition--don't let greedy people affect your goals.

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-AP human geography (easiest AP)

-DE english 12 (you get college credits and it’s easy plus you get a 1 point grade boost to ur GPA)

-DE entrepreneurship (easy, college credits, 1 point grade boost for GPA)

-You don’t have to take physics, so don’t take it because it’s hard

-DONT take AP statistics unless you’re good at math (hardest class ever)

-Geosystems and oceanography are easy science classes

-Balance your work load so you can have a life outside of school and HAVE FUN!!

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When your choosing what electives to take, make sure to choose electives that will not stress you out by giving you extra work. Since you would probably be busy enough working on your core classes, it'd be better if you chose electives that you actually enjoyed.

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When your choosing what electives to take, make sure to choose electives that will not stress you out by giving you extra work. Since you would probably be busy enough working on your core classes, it'd be better if you chose electives that you actually enjoyed.

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When I was a Freshman choosing classes, I never really had a true profession in mind when choosing classes. I mainly go by what classes I may be interested in that could potentially be the right job for me. Sometimes it doesn't work out, so its important to research more about other classes before hand. It does not have to be from what CHS has to offer but can be from other schools as an academy course. I don't think many people know about this as it is not written on the courses that you get to apply from the sheet of paper everyone has received for choosing classes. My advice would be to be very thorough when looking through each and every course on SIS's course request page where it lists every course from what CHS has to offer and what academy classes are available outside of our school. I think people could be interested with things that might not be from our school and might miss the chance to enroll in.

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An important thing I focused was to pick classes suited to my interests, not based on anyone else's recommendations

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When picking an elective class you should find something you like to do ousted of school. When it comes to core class take the classes that change you but aren't impossible.

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The first semester is hard because of applications and those grades get sent to colleges, but you have to keep reminding yourself that once you get through the first semester it will be much less stressful. You will be glad that you put in lots of effort the first semester so then you can relax more.

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I considered what I enjoy doing when picking my classes, because I knew I was not going to enjoy my classes unless I was somewhat interested in. With that being said, challenge yourself! Take classes a little out of your comfort zone.

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Don’t take a ton of APs just for the sake of taking more APs — take the ones in the field you are actually interested in or want to pursue in the future! Things start piling up, especially in your senior year, and balancing your coursework, activities and college app can be very overwhelming, and taking too many APs can do you more harm than good.

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If you think an ap/DE class might be too hard to handle, don’t take it just to impress your peers or college administrators.

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Choose classes that best suits you and will benefit you. Take advantage of DE, and AP courses. If you are interested in Academy Courses, look into it because it’s a great opportunity. The 4 years of high school sounds long but it is the shortest time in your life, enjoy every moment you get.

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i chose electives that interest me and relate to my career path, for example intro to nursing. for my core subjects i picked out classes that challenge me but wouldn’t be too much to handle.

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For navigating course selections, I would look up the Chantilly course catalog. Some factors that I had when choosing courses was based off of my interests and what I strive for in the future.

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make sure you also have classes that are relaxing and easier to take so you have a period to decompress

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I just picked the next step in each course track and took courses that matched the criteria for the advanced diploma.

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If you know you’re not good or don’t like a certain subject, do not take that class as an AP. You will be more inclined to not do the work simply because you don’t enjoy it.

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It’s important to not overwhelm yourself with classes if you’re also planning on doing lots of extracurriculars. I also chose classes that will help prepare me for my future major. Don’t take AP stat.

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I navigated course selection with the help of my counselor and my friends. Some factors I took into consideration with my classes were if I would enjoy being in that class and if that class would challenge me to be better. Some advice I have is to choose classes that you have an active interest in.

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Be as interesting as possible in your essay. Make sure to also be passionate about the topic of your essay.

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don’t go over your limits. take electives that you enjoy. senior year is supposed to be exciting. you don’t have to take all ap classes to be a good student. don’t forget to take breaks and do your best! enjoy your last year!

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I picked things that I was interested in and I liked instead of what my friends liked. I also tried to pick things that challenged me in the subjects I was good at so if you don’t like math or science don’t take an AP math or an AP science.

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Try to get all your required elective classes out of the way before senior year. This gives you more time to focus on fewer classes in senior year and gives you free periods.

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Make sure to ask questions. They will help more than you expect.

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Choose classes that you believe you are capable of passing and for electives choose based on what you like and what you want to do for your career.

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take classes that challenge you academically, but not too much at once. Especially as an underclassman, you should make sure that your grades are good and that you can have a life outside of school subconsciously.

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I navigated course selections by listening to older students, older siblings, and following up with my counselor.

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Choose classes that you enjoy taking and be sure to choose classes that are hard enough but not to the point where the work is overwhelming

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I considered how classes would benefit me in the future but I learned that it's better to be successful and relaxed rather than stressed out and only moderately successful. When picking your classes I would recommend looking at your classes and downgrading one you think will be very stressful.

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choose courses based on what you really like. Don't pick too many AP classes just because it looks good on a transcript because it'll really affect your mental health. try to challenge yourself to the max but don't go overboard.

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I thought about what I want to do for college/ after highschool and took courses that would help me better prepare for my life

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Don’t go for hard/AP classes if you know you can’t do it 

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Don’t go for hard/AP classes if you know you can’t do it 

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As a junior, I thought AP classes were the difference from getting into collage or not getting into collage. This is DEFINITELY not true, I myself have gotten accepted into all the “backup” collages (Still waiting on the rest) and honestly as long as you get all A’s and AB’s you will get into collage no matter “normal” your class is.

Simply put, don’t kill yourself. Normal classes can be rough too, so imange AP classes.

Just enjoy the ride.

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visit lots of colleges and choose the ones you want to apply to based on how much you like the community and vibe, not because of a name.

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I thought about what subjects I do well in and enjoy. I also thought about my extracurriculars and how much time I would have to dedicate to school outside of them.

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your first two years you should take a variety of classes to find out what interests you. Then junior year focus on one specific field.

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Pick courses that you are sure you can handle and do throughout the year. I recommend looking at that course's syllabus or description and/or asking the potential teachers on what the courses you are interested in is comprised of as well as what it pertains to so you can find out whether the course is right for you. Once you have gotten through looking through all your courses, you can then decide which works best together. Since you have to balance each course, it is best to find out which of them fit your strengths and what you are capable of before throwing yourself in a possible shark tank.

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Course selection becomes fairly simple when you know the general field that you want to go to. For example, I knew I wanted to go into engineering so I took classes like Stem Design and Engineering Systems in order to learn more about the topic and get hands-on experience. Advice for underclassmen would be to try as many multiple year courses in order to get the depth of the topic, such as going from Stem Design --> Robotic Systems II

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I already knew what I wanted to do in college, so it was easy for me to choose classes, but if you have multiple interests, look up YouTube videos on the topics you’re considering, see if the topic has enough you’d be into. Also look up Quizlet sets from the course you’re thinking about, this will help tell you how hard the class is, but also show smaller parts of the content.

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Take as many AP courses as possible.

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hey underclassmen! my piece of advice for selecting coursework is to make sure that you are taking classes that you think you will enjoy as electives. especially as freshmen and sophomores, you can take classes that you just want to explore to find your interests and the juniors and seniors should focus on going in depth in classes you find interesting. for example, sophomores can take an academy class such as exploring health science and language of medicine and if it is a class that is interesting, then the next deeper level can be taken the following year like med assistant. hope this helped! good luck!!

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Choose something that’s interesting to you and will demonstrate your interest in whatever major you’re telling colleges

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Take classes that you find interesting and try something new. Balance between the credits that are required and the credits that will keep you engaged.

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I asked my teachers and friends who were older than me to see which courses would be challenging for me and which would be super easy for me. I thought about what I was interested in and what could benefit my future to choose my electives. For advice, please don’t choose courses and electives that your friends are doing. Do what you want to do. Don’t overwhelm or underwhelm yourself.

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I always made sure I had at least one relaxing/fun class in which I didn’t need to stress about. Since I took all honors and APs, I definitely needed a light class to rely on. Some suggestions are Film study-you literally watch movies and answer five questions about them. Oceanography-as long as you pay attention, this class will be a breeze. And if you’re able to, an academy class that you’re interested in. I’ve heard Cosmetology, Vet Science, and Dentistry are all worthwhile opportunities.

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Finding and taking the electives I want versus the ones my parents wanted was the best thing I did this year

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You should relax in your last year of high school. It’s okay to want to challenge yourself but don’t stress yourself out last year of high school. Definitely take classes you are interested in. Not classes to just be with your friends, because you may regret it when you start.

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When I was choosing my classes for the years, I thought about…
1. What classes were going to be “enough” for me
2. Which classes are beneficial for my major I’m interested in

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Do whatever you want to do, who cares what anyone else says lmao

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When Picking your classes pick things that you know you're going to enjoy. Don't pick classes just because your friends are in them. Pick classes that you know you're going to be successful in and things that will help you in the future. 

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When Picking your classes pick things that you know you're going to enjoy. Don't pick classes just because your friends are in them. Pick classes that you know you're going to be successful in and things that will help you in the future. 

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I prioritized graduation requirements early so I could have a fun senior year

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For me navigating course selection wasn’t bad because I generally knew what classes I wanted to take. My suggestion is to take a class that is something you are passionate and that you might want to do in college for further in life.

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Try taking one course through online campus. A lot easier than in person.

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Use this time to try out whatever you want, you might find something you love. Don't take classes just for an easy A or to box yourself into a certain career, there'll be plenty of time for that in college. High school is supposed to be where you learn to experiment with new things, so don't be afraid to try.

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I picked classes that I thought were interesting to me and that I would enjoy. I don’t recommend taking honors or AP classes unless the class will be useful for your intended major. For electives, use these to take classes that you will really enjoy or use the periods for extra work time. Also make sure that you fulfill the diploma requirements as you pick your classes, so it would be a good idea to talk to your counselor about what qualifications you still need.

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Try not to take an AP class just because you think it will look good on college apps and take classes you know that you will succeed in. Also, don't take a class just because your friends take it; choose a class you're actually interested in. 

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Try not to take an AP class just because you think it will look good on college apps and take classes you know that you will succeed in. Also, don't take a class just because your friends take it; choose a class you're actually interested in. 

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Plan your next year of classes around what you are passionate about/what you want to study. It looks good on your transcript and to colleges

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Take AP classes to challenge yourself

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They way I chose electives was by not only choosing something I’d be interested in, but choosing something that gives me the potential to progress in it after high school. Most of the medical academy courses offer this type of learning but any course with practical work is useful for progression.

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Don’t just take harder classes because they will have a plus 1.0 gpa boost. Instead, take courses that best fit your study habits and abilities. Also ask counselor for other courses as they are plenty of online courses.

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i recommend you choose something that you think will benefit what you want to do in college so that it will give you opportunities

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The class really tackles whatever we were learning in a fun and entertaining matter, making learning more enjoyable and more of a passion rather than a chore

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Always ask people who have already taken classes you're interested in to make sure you don't end up over or under-loading your schedule

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take the classes you are most interested in, and try to figure out what you wanna be soon so you don't have to pay too much once you go to college since you already know most of the subject

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I did the electives I wanted to do earlier in high school but if I did the required ones like Econ earlier I would’ve had more free periods this year

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I didn’t think about what I was most passionate about, but rather what I envisioned myself doing for a career in the future. Passion and talent are not deciding factors.

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don’t overwhelm yourself just because you think it’s the class you’re “supposed to take”