It’s that time of year again. You’re sitting in class praying that Mrs. Blair will come on the P.A. system and call your section of the alphabet for next year’s scheduling. It may seem like a nice way to get out of class, but it is planning for your senior year and it should be taken seriously.

Think about your motivation level now and then subtract 30. That’s how you’ll feel by November of your senior year. Your schedule will be packed with school, extra-curricular activities, homework, college applications, and work.

With all of that on your plate you won’t have the motivation to go home and read a chapter for AP Biology, then write a rough draft of an AP Lang essay, then do 20 derivatives for calculus, all while having your mom nag you about applying for scholarships.

Your counselors will push you to take the advanced classes to bump up your transcripts, and you should take their advice. Just make sure that your final plans are balanced. Taking four AP classes one semester and maybe one second semester will kill you! You’ll get overloaded and stressed and if you’re like me you will struggle. The prized 4.0 might be tainted with a B or two.

And if you do plan on packing on the AP’s then have your heavier schedule be for first semester. Wait a minute- isn’t it better to take the class closer to exam time? Yes, but as a senior, second semester will be hard enough as it is. Once the college acceptance letters start coming in, your motivation level will drop another 20 points.

For some strange reason once as senior is admitted to their university of choice, everything shuts down. We’ve all heard of ‘senioritis’, but it doesn’t truly hit until that acceptance letter is in your hand. Your mind shuts down and daily routines become impossible because all you can think about is college. You’ve done your time in high school and are ready for the next step.

If you take your hard AP’s first semester, than you may be more willing to do the work, and then second semester can be reserved for study time.

So, before trying to jam pack your schedule with classes that will overwhelm you, take a second to seriously consider what you’re planning. Carefully assess your work load and reevaluate. Remember to talk to your parents and counselors to get their opinion, but ultimately you know how well you work and how much is too much.