High School Senior Year: Five Great College Courses to Take Now
- Calculus
- Physics
- Statistics
- Computer Science
- Robotics
Many high school seniors today make the decision to advance to taking college courses before they have finished high school. This is usually a great decision, as this puts those students ahead in their coming academic journey through their college degrees. What are some of the most common and best choices when it comes to college courses one can get started on while still in high school? Here are five, top picks.
Related resource: Top 10 Online Universities for Senior Year
1. Calculus
Calculus is a great, college-level math course many students opt to take in high school. This mathematics discipline is specifically built around measuring and quantifying the concept of continuous change. How does one calculate the limits in products, quotients, and other problems? How is differentiation used in calculating velocity and acceleration? These are just a few of the concepts this area of advanced math covers.
2. Physics
In the most simplistic of terms, physics is essentially the study of how things work all around us in the world. Physics are the ground rules of how all things can be, act, change, and more. The Earth’s gravitational pull, the effects of mass and motion, oxygen’s presence throughout the air, weather phenomenon: these are all effects of the universe’s physics that make possible or impossible all things.
3. Statistics
Statistics is yet another, great, college-level math course that many high school seniors choose to tackle in advance. This particular area of math discipline utilizes the above-mentioned calculus know-how in conjunction with other math concepts in order to ultimately study and understand probability. The use of scatterplots, two-way tables, expected values, and other important concepts is taught here all in the name of understanding probabilities. The Khan Academy is a great, cost-free resource with which anyone can dive right into learning the basics of this math discipline.
4. Computer Science
As our world becomes increasingly “wired”, computer science knowledge only continues to grow in value. For high school students hoping to get a leg up on their college program, this is always a great course to enroll in. Some of the core concepts hit on in this course include artificial intelligence, computer and data security, computer architecture, software development method, and more. One is also likely to learn about some of the greats along the path of the development of computer science as a whole: Bill Gates, Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace, and numerous others.
5. Robotics
As one might guess right away from this discipline’s name, robotics is all about the study and design of robots. This is another excellent choice in college coursework to partake in, as this discipline and industry are in incredibly high demand and growing. Anyone interested in learning more about all things robotics is recommended to inquire with the International Federation of Robotics, the premier association representing the robotics industry across the globe today.
While some teens prefer to stick to just their high school studies through their senior year of high school, many others make the great choice to start knocking out college courses ahead of time. These five courses are among the most commonly tackled in this way by those motivated high school seniors. In conclusion, for more information or guidance on choosing the best college courses to take as a high school senior, your high school guidance counselor or local college’s guidance department are top, recommended choices to inquire with further.
