January marks the beginning of the second half of the school year for Niles West students. While senior year may seem years away to some juniors, it is rapidly approaching, and counselors are working hard to craft the perfect schedules for students. How does one even choose what courses to take for their last year of high school? For those looking for guidance, here are some recommendations for juniors to really make their last year stand out and try something new.

Academics

While many students hope for an easy schedule their senior year, taking engaging and challenging courses will help curb the dreaded senioritis that will inevitably come.

For seniors that do not want to take AP English Literature course to fulfill their last year English requirement, there are plenty of interesting electives that can be taken in place of it. For students interested in discussing real world issues and morals, College Prep Literature and Moral Conflict is an engaging, discussion based course that comes with both an honors and regular option. Images of Literature is another great semester long course for those who prefer watching movies over reading.

As for science courses, the choices are plenty. There are of course the AP versions of science subjects that most students have already taken in previous years (biology, chemistry and physics), but for those who are looking for variation, Anatomy and Physiology is an interesting course that dives into the workings of the human body and is very applicable to every day life. Health Careers is another course that introduces possible careers in the medical field to students. It’s also a great course to take for those who are interested in joining HOSA.

There also comes more freedom as a senior when picking a social studies course/elective. Some new electives that will be offered next year include Asian-American Studies and Modern African and Latin American History: A Comparative Study, both of which focus in on specific ethnic groups and their history. Law is another possible elective that you could take that delves deeper into crime and the justice system. In past years, students have gone on field trips to court houses and prisons as a part of the curriculum.

Electives

Once you decide on your core subject classes, there will still be room to take fun electives. Electives help you explore potential interests and try new topics that you otherwise would never get the chance to learn about.

For those juniors who’s cooking capabilities are limited to cereal and toast, Chefs is a highly informative and entertaining elective that will teach you real life skills. You don’t want to go off to college without knowing how to cook at least a little, so take Chefs.

Early Childhood Education is another fun course to take that can help prep you for any career involving children. Have you seen students carrying around baby dolls and taking care of them? That’s because of this course. Choose this elective if you’re interested in working with kids, or even just to see how hard it is to take care of one.

Another very applicable course to your life after high school is Investing and Finance. Investing is a semester long course that provides students with helpful advice on the basics of investing and achieving financial goals/security. Various stock market simulations allow students to try their hand in investing and making money without the actual risk of going broke.

High school should be a time to try new courses and discover new passions without going broke spending thousands of dollars in college. Make sure to make your last year count by filling your schedule with invigorating courses.