Course Choice Consensus

With 109 courses available to choose from, it is not easy to find another person who has taken the exact same courses as you. Although there is not complete freedom in course selection due to graduation requirements, there is room to personalize one’s high school experience, especially with Hopkins’s decision to replace AP courses with more in-depth electives. With freedom, however, comes responsibility: How to create the schedule for oneself? In an identified survey sent via school email, where 62 students across 7-12 grades voluntarily responded, their opinions on different subjects showed the importance of self-awareness during the course selection process.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, difficulty wasn’t concentrated in one subject. There is no clear “hardest” discipline. Within the sciences, Chemistry Accelerated stood out with 23% of respondents commenting on its difficulty, but comments differed depending on the person. Sophia Contreras ’28 said that “Chem Acc makes me question my existence every day,” and Mikoto Araki-Siegenfeld ’26 added on, saying, “I’ve never had a class that I studied so much for just to do so bad.” On the contrary, Edward Russell ’28 said, “Chemistry Accelerated is not as hard as people say it is.” The opposing opinions reflect how differently students experience challenges because they have different interests and strengths.  

Similarly, there was no consensus on the easiest subject. Science was especially all over the place, but students rated non-AP courses as easier than their College Board counterparts. Vivian Huang ’26 pointed to the fact that “AP classes have to follow a strict schedule and curriculum, which makes them more difficult.” Araki-Siegenfeld, however, said that there is still a big range within the AP classes: “AP Physics is really difficult, but AP Biology is more manageable.” 

Classes themselves are one aspect to consider, but the homework from each class is another key component. Many respondents noted that English readings take more time to complete. Livia Liu ’26 explained how “annotating is what really takes up time.” Yet, variations in how teachers structure a course affect the time needed to complete the homework, such as the distribution of in-class vs. take-home essays. “Some teachers don’t check annotations, which shortens the homework by a lot,” Liu pointed out. 

Of course, other respondents said English is their least challenging homework. Some see English as more manageable, while others enjoy literature. Aly Gaye ’31 said, “[English] reading is the least challenging and shortest [homework].” Moupriya Mukherjee ’26 focused on the relaxation she feels when reading, explaining that YAWP was her favorite class “because [I had] an excuse to write and read books for fun, which really helped me incorporate new techniques into my work. I [also] loved the in-class discussions and read-alouds.”

Individual classes are only part of the story. Some class combinations are particularly grueling. Students overwhelmingly warned against doubling up on STEM courses. Caryn Kim ’26 said that “although taking AP Physics 1 and Chemistry Accelerated at the same time was enjoyable for the most part, writing two lab reports around similar times and managing lab blocks was difficult.” She also recalls that “Taking HARPS and AP Chem at the same time was a bit easier because I could make HARPS chemistry-focused, but difficult because in one class, I was dealing with concepts and in the other, I was trying to apply those concepts in a creative way to projects.” Another especially arduous pairing was AP Physics 1 + Precalculus Accelerated, according to the survey. Combining Latin and French also proved difficult, as Paige Roberts ’30 noted how “you get them mixed up.” 

Conversely, other students enjoy a STEM focused schedule because they enjoy logical thinking and the problem-solving process. Ava Kwok ’26 stated, “I took three sciences in my first term [of senior year] and [am taking] two sciences now. And if you enjoy it, then why not do more of it?” Andie Hendley ’27 also agreed that “I don’t think it’s that bad taking two sciences.” 

Beyond difficulty, students also considered usefulness. For the classes that students felt were most helpful, math and English made an impression. Zion Hu ’30 appreciates how math is “applicable to real life” while English strengthens students’ critical thinking skills. Interestingly, no one language was “most practical,” highlighting the equal practicality of modern and classic languages. Bea Glover ’29 pointed out that “A lot of people say Latin isn’t practical, but I think it is because it can be found in many English words. For example, if you’re building vocabulary, you can guess the meaning [of the word] from its root without looking it up.” Still, Almanzo Abraham ’29 stated that “Latin doesn’t seem very useful” because it is a dead language. Other students rank based on geographic and cultural considerations. Kwok said, “If you stay in the United States, I think that Spanish is going to be way more practical than the other languages.” Some students decide on courses according to their future plans. “Psychology was the most useful for me because it solidified my major,” said Aurora Chevalier ’26.

So how do you create the perfect schedule? Araki-Siegenfeld advised, “You have to find the right balance for what you’re looking for.” Mateus Witzcak ’26 summarized the situation: “The same class can feel brutal to one student and a piece of cake to another. It all depends on your strengths and weaknesses.” Course selection is subjective and self-awareness matters more than reputation.