502: What Colleges Want (Part 2): A Deep Dive into GPA, Course Selection, and Making the Most of the Academic Opportunities Available to You

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

On today’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) and Nitzya Cuevas-Macias (Director of College Programs at Downtown College Prep) cover:

• How do students decide which classes to take—and what questions should they ask when deciding?
• Key recommendations for selecting English, math, science, social studies, language, and elective courses
• The most frequently asked questions we get asked about courses and grades

Nitzya Cuevas-Macias was a first-gen college student at UC Berkeley where she studied History and Legal Studies, and earned her Master’s in Mexican American Studies from San José State. She’s been working in education for 16 years where the majority of her time has been in college access and success, in the CBO, non-profit world, k-12 public and charter, and community college. Currently, she is the Director of College Programs at Downtown College Prep, a free public charter in San José, CA and serves as a board member of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling.

We hope you enjoy!

Play-by-Play:

• 2:21 - Introductions
• 6:02 - What are key things to keep in mind when planning your high school experience?
• 10:21 - Subject area recommendations
  • 11:40 - English
  • 16:04 - Math
  • 21:34 - Science
  • 28:02 - Social Studies
  • 31:11 - Languages
  • 33:06 - Visual/Performing Arts
  • 36:17 - Electives
• 36:39 - Rapid-fire FAQs about grades
  • 37:43 How do colleges evaluate my course grades and transcript?
  • 38:22 - Is it important to only get Straight-As to have a chance?
  • 40:29 - How do colleges evaluate my GPA?
  • 42:05 - How can students balance a high GPA with challenging courses?
  • 44:28 - Should students increase their rigor every year?
  • 45:23 - Is it a good idea to take additional summer or online courses?
  • 49:43 - How important is class rank?
  • 51:19 - Should I pick Honors, AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment?
  • 54:17 - Are AP and IB scores important if my school doesn’t offer AP courses?
  • 57:28 - How do I know what classes to take if I don't know what I want to study or where I want to go to college?
• 59:59 - Wrap up / closing thoughts

Resources:

• Coursera
• UC Scout
• Episode 403: AP, IB, Honors, Oh My!: How Admissions Officers View Your High School Courses, Rigor, and School Context - Susan Tree
• Episode 213: Self-Directed Learning (Why You Can Quit HS & Be Okay)
• What are AP classes?
• IB vs AP
• Easiest AP Classes
• Hardest AP Classes