Course selection is a very important part of a student’s high school career. This importance can seem very daunting to some students, and can cause stress from the seemingly high amount of responsibility. Other students find course selection to be not so bad, and possible with all of the resources available at Old Saybrook high school. A handful of students don’t feel fully prepared yet, but some others have been ready for a long time.
One group of freshmen found course selection to be a daunting task, and were feeling the responsibilities. One anonymous Freshman expressing their feelings about the resource availability said, “I don’t know how to talk to my guidance counselor, and I feel like they’re just going to be so busy with everyone else.” This freshman felt they were not fully told how and where to talk to their counselor. Other freshmen expressed feelings of being overwhelmed with all the different decisions and paths they could take. Freshman Sofia Guccione said, “I’d say that for the most part I do have a basic idea of what types of classes I want to take for next year, but there are many different paths and courses being offered and considering I’m still not 100 percent sure what I want to pursue out of high school, it’s a little stressful thinking of what courses would best suit my needs.” Guccione suggests that while the amount of classes offered seems amazing, she is unclear of which ones are actually best for her, and is struggling to find out what each class entails, and what classes she needs to take.
Other students in the freshman class are feeling ready for the upcoming course selection. Many felt the recent assembly held during flex for all grades about course selection was very beneficial to them. Freshman Jonah Furness felt the assembly was helpful. He said, “It gave me a better understanding of all the credits and that credits are actually a lot more diverse than they seem. I’m actually thinking about doing a few of those new electives that they have.” The assembly, for Furness, helped open up options he had for his personal career path, and aided in distinguishing all of the credits and credentials he needed in order to graduate. Similarly, freshman Cody Pennington said, “After having that meeting, I did feel definitely confident, and I wasn’t very confused, and it also helped me prepare further with any classes that seemed interesting and that could help me plan.” Freshman Bryce Comboni described his approach, stating, “I made a google sheet and then looked through the class options and picked 10 classes that looked good.” To better prepare, Comboni, “went through those 10, figuring out what is weighted and what classes I would need to take for graduation.”
The seniors at OSHS have been through years of hard work and choosing classes that fit their needs for graduation. Senior Greyson Richards, “Try to balance your schedule and do not take all of your hardest classes at once.” Another piece of advice Richards gives to students selecting courses is “take at least one class that genuinely interests you to help you stay motivated.” Richards believes that by balancing your schedule with necessities and fun, it can keep high school engaging and productive.
On a concluding note, senior Charlie Dee suggests, “Get involved even if it’s just a club.”
