耶鲁大学的高中选课建议

“我是必须上四年的社会研究课程，还是可以开始第二外语学习，而这正是我真正想做的?”

他说:“我明年想在我们社区的报纸上写文章，但是这就意味着我没有时间上大学预修化学课。这会影响我的入学机会吗?”

许多高中二年级和三年级的学生(以及他们的父母)想知道应该选什么课程来提高他们进入耶鲁和其他竞争激烈的大学的机会。尽管每种情况都是不同的，但这里有一些建议可以帮助指导您做出这些决定。

全面的招生方法

高中成绩单几乎总是学生申请时最重要的文件。但很难想象，在成绩单上出现(或不出现)某一门课程会决定申请人的成绩。招生委员会不会根据申请人的推荐信、考试成绩、活动或高中成绩单的个别内容来做出决定。它认为每个申请都是该学生的全面情况。

当招生委员会看你的成绩单时，它不会关注你是否上过任何特定的课程。看到你用困难的课程来挑战自己，并且做得很好，你会更感兴趣。

轨迹和趋势

趋势是很重要的。请记住，招生委员会主要关心的是你将成为什么样的耶鲁学生。因此，在你的高中生活中，我们看到高水平(或不断提高的程度)的严格和成功是非常重要的。这包括你的大四。如果你想让你的申请成为最具竞争力的，你必须参加一个具有挑战性的高级课程，并在其中继续出类拔萃。大四不是轻松学习的时候。不要染上“毕业倦怠症”!“招生委员会会在录取前检查申请人的大四课程和表现。

请记住，我们正在寻找的学生将充分利用耶鲁和他们的才能。了解你在高中的学习情况可以让我们了解你在耶鲁的学习情况。如果你在大学四年级甚至更久的时间里一直努力让自己出类拔萃，我们认为这是一个好迹象，表明你在耶鲁也会这么做。这就是我们欢迎的学生类型。

环境

你们学校开设AP课程吗?国际学士学位课程?都有?既不?我们知道你们没有设计你们学校的课程，我们只希望你们在高中提供这些课程的情况下才能利用这些课程。不同的学校有不同的要求，这可能会限制你能上什么课程。再说一次，我们只希望你能在你所能获得的机会中出类拔萃。

平衡

耶鲁没有任何特定的入学要求(例如，耶鲁没有外语入学要求)。但我们确实在寻找那些上过一套平衡的严格课程的学生。一般来说，你应该尝试每年学习英语、科学、数学、社会科学和外语。

我们鼓励你追求你的智力兴趣，只要它不以牺牲你的项目的整体严谨性或你对大学的准备为代价。当你在选择不同的课程时，要对自己诚实。你选择一门特定的课程是因为你真的对它和它所带来的挑战感到兴奋，还是因为你也想避开一门不同的学术科目?

你也应该记住，许多其他的名牌大学对入学学生都有最低的课程要求。最好是对每一所学校进行个别研究。

问自己以下问题

当你为即将到来的一年权衡你的课程选择时，以下是一些需要考虑的事情:

我是否参加了一个平衡良好的学术项目，为我上大学打下了良好的基础?

我准备好学习大学水平的数学、写作和科学课程了吗?

我觉得我所上的课程有挑战性吗?

我的课程是否属于学校里比较严格的课程?

我是在寻求挑战还是在逃避挑战?

总的来说，我的四年高中课程是我们学校最具挑战性的课程之一吗?

明智的做法是，首先向你的老师和高中辅导员咨询哪些课程最适合你。毫无疑问，你将不得不做出一些艰难的决定，选择哪些课程，如何平衡学业和课外活动。我们希望这些建议能在您做出这些决定时有所帮助。

以下是原文：

“Do I have to take a fourth year of social studies or can I start a second foreign language instead, which is what I really want to do?”“I’d like to write for our community newspaper next year, but that means I won’t have time for an AP Chemistry class. Will that hurt my chances of getting in?”

Many high school sophomores and juniors (and their parents) want to know what courses to take to improve their chances for admission to Yale and other highly competitive colleges. With the caveat that every situation is different, here is some advice to help guide you as you make these decisions.

A Holistic Approach to Admissions

The high school transcript is almost always the most important document in a student’s application. But it is hard to conceive of a situation in which the appearance (or absence) of any one particular class on a transcript would determine the applicant’s outcome. The admissions committee does not make its decisions based on a piecemeal review of an applicant’s recommendations, test scores, activities, or individual elements of a high school transcript. It considers each application as a comprehensive picture of that student.

When the admissions committee looks at your transcript, it will not focus on whether you have taken any specific course. It will be far more interested to see that you have challenged yourself with difficult coursework, and have done well.

Trajectories & Trends

Trends are important. Remember, the admissions committee is primarily concerned with what kind of Yale student you will be. So it is very important that we see a high level (or an improving degree) of rigor and success throughout your high school years. This includes your senior year. If you wish to make your application among the most competitive, you must take a challenging senior program and continue to excel in it. Senior year is not the time to take a light course load. Do not catch “senioritis!” The admissions committee will check an applicant’s senior year program and performance before offering admission.

Remember that we are looking for students who will make the most of Yale and the most of their talents. Knowing how you have engaged in high school gives us an idea of how you might engage at Yale. If you push yourself to excel all the way through your senior year and beyond, we take that to be a good sign that you will do the same at Yale. And that is the type of student we welcome.

Context, Context, Context

Does your school offer AP courses? An International Baccalaureate program? Both? Neither? We know you did not design your school’s curriculum, and we only expect you to take advantage of such courses if your high school provides them. Different schools have different requirements that may restrict what courses you can take. Again, we only expect that you will excel in the opportunities to which you have access.

Balance

Yale does not have any specific entrance requirements (for example, there is no foreign language requirement for admission to Yale). But we do look for students who have taken a balanced set of the rigorous classes available to them. Generally speaking, you should try to take courses each year in English, science, math, the social sciences, and foreign language.

We encourage you to pursue your intellectual interests, so long as it is not at the expense of your program’s overall rigor or your preparedness for college. Be honest with yourself when you are deciding between different courses. Are you choosing a particular course because you are truly excited about it and the challenge it presents, or are you also motivated by a desire to avoid a different academic subject?

You should also bear in mind that many other selective colleges do have minimum course requirements for entering students. It is best to research each school individually.

Ask Yourself These Questions

When weighing your course selection for the upcoming year, here are a few things to consider:

Am I taking a well-balanced academic program that will provide me with a good foundation for college?

Am I prepared to take college-level math, writing, and science courses?

Do I feel challenged by the courses that I am taking?

Are my courses among the more rigorous ones available to me at my school?

Am I seeking challenge or avoiding it?

Overall, is my four-year high school program among the most challenging programs available at my school?

It is wise to first consult your teachers and high school counselor on what courses are most appropriate for you at your high school. You will doubtless have to make some difficult decisions about which courses to take and how to balance your schoolwork and your extracurricular pursuits. We hope that this advice helps inform you as you make those decisions.