The Weight of Elective Classes at Exeter High School

At the end of my junior year, as I sat in front of my computer screen checking little boxes to indicate which courses I intended to take for my final year at Exeter High School, I found myself at a crossroads. On the one hand, I had a weighted GPA that placed me at the top of my class, a data point I knew colleges would be looking for. On the other hand, I had decided that I wanted to major in communication studies or journalism and knew that my coursework needed to reflect my interests. However, as I looked through the course catalog, I was disappointed to find that the only English electives offered at EHS were offered at the Academic level. So I was left with a difficult choice: my interests or my GPA. At the end of the day, I chose to follow my interests and I took Creative Writing which proved to be one of the most enjoyable classes of my high school experience. Yet still, when the semester closed and my GPA dropped ever so slightly despite earning an A+ in the class, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny twinge in my heart as I watched just a few ounces of my hard work slide down the drain.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too familiar to many high school students. And while many teachers will tell students not to focus on their grades, I am glad that I did because it opened up a wealth of opportunities for me beyond high school. However, students should not be forced to choose between their grades and their passions. 

Looking at the Exeter High School course catalog, the root of the problem quickly becomes apparent: the higher level elective courses are highly concentrated in certain departments and non-existent in others. For example, in the social studies department there are 23 elective courses offered, nine of which are at the AP or Honors level and seven of which are at the CP level. On the other hand, in the English department there are only six elective courses offered, all at the Academic level. Furthermore, between the visual arts, music and theater departments there are 28 elective courses offered, all of which are offered solely at the Academic level except for one: Honors Choir. Moreover, specialized programs like SST and ELOs are all weighted as Academic level courses.

The result of this imbalance is that students who are aiming for high weighted GPAs are forced to take classes that may not interest them or pertain to their desired field of study. These students are steered away from more creative pursuits and are herded into the STEM, social studies, and language classes instead.

There are many possible solutions to this problem; however, telling students not to care about their grades is not one of them. As long as colleges care about grades, students will too. Instead, we should focus on diversifying the level of electives found in each subject area. While some may hold the belief that the more “right-brain” classes are inherently less Academically rigorous than the more “left-brain” classes, this is simply untrue. In the College Board AP program alone there are three art-based courses—none of which are offered at EHS. If course level diversification cannot be achieved due to staff shortages or other logistical issues, then teachers and administration should consider allowing students to do extra course-work to earn a higher weighting level. This would allow students of all levels of Academic rigor to learn in the same class and receive different weightings depending on the amount of work they chose to do.

In my circle of friends alone, I know many talented students who have taken the courses they are passionate about only to be rejected from colleges due to their lower GPAs. On the other side of things, I know many students, myself included, who missed unique opportunities because it would have harmed their grades. 

Students should not be forced to choose; they should be able to study what they are interested in and have their grades reflect the level of work they are willing to put into their studies.