UPPER SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY | 2022-2023
How to Plan Your Courses In this section, you will find course requirements listed by grade level, followed by full descriptions of courses by discipline. There are also answers to frequently asked questions to help guide you in your decision-making. At the end of this section, there is a fouryear planning sheet. This planner allows you to look ahead at what courses you may want to take in the future and to plan prerequisites now, including having an understanding of the grades necessary to be able to move to an Honors level. When planning ahead, have multiple course options in mind as electives change from year to year. FAQS ABOUT COURSE SELECTION ANSWERED BY AIS COLLEGE COUNSELORS How can I be sure that the courses I select at AIS will lead toward a successful college outcome? 1. AIS’s minimum requirements meet and/or usually exceed college entrance requirements in terms of both depth (number of years studied) and breadth (number of areas covered), and, other than art courses, are all NCAA approved [no art courses at any school are approved by the NCAA; our recruited athletes have not found this to be a problem in the past]. 2. AIS’s system of departmental recommendations and individual course prerequisites have been designed and reviewed extensively to ensure students’ success in AIS coursework. Careful attention is paid every year to checking each student’s progress in order to determine the next step in coursework and, then, double-checked at the end of the academic year by individual teachers, department chairs, and the Upper School Director. The college counselors are brought into any discussion where there is any concern.
What are colleges looking for? The best path to getting into college is to let things develop as organically as possible in the student’s growth, without trying to second-guess what the colleges want, especially given AIS’s comprehensive offerings, both academic and co-curricular. Every college looks for different things which can change on a yearly basis, so to try to emulate a perceived ideal is not useful. Colleges want interesting people who have taken advantage of opportunities that matter to them personally (admissions committees are leery of situations which they believe to have been orchestrated or forced). How do I balance between rigor and breadth? Usually the student knows the answer to this question intuitively, in terms of what is manageable in her life and priorities. The best path toward present and future success, including college prospects, is for the student to challenge herself, while balancing all aspects of her life – academics, activities, fun, and sleep. What do I do if I want to accelerate or upgrade from the program I have been recommended for? 1. Acceleration in either level (moving from grade-level to Honors) or breadth (adding an additional course or Independent Science Research) should be carefully discussed with all appropriate parties (advisor, teacher, department chair) to determine the feasibility of such a move. Awareness of the student’s past work and how other students have managed AIS’s curriculum help determine the probability of success. For example, in nearly every case for the past ten years when students have jumped a level against AIS’s advice, especially in math, the student has struggled in that next year and sometimes beyond, with negative impact on selfesteem, grades, and college prospects. 2. What if regular external tutoring has been necessary for a student to cope with an existing course? In this case, the need or reliance on regular tutoring would indicate that the student is overstretched in that course, and, thus, acceleration in that subject is risky in terms of time needed and grades earned. 3
