Imagine a sophomore who is aspiring to become a dentist and what they believe to be a monumental moment in pursuing this goal has just arisen. Although this is exciting for the student, it brings many questions.

If I don’t take full IB will I get into a good college? If I take the elective classes that I want to take will my class rank be affected? If I’m not in the top 25 will the college I want to get into not accept me?

There are a myriad of options ranging from taking full IB to taking a career tech to taking a mixture of all different kinds of classes. 

162 sophomores took a survey about what classes they chose to take next year and what influenced those class choices. 

The majority of students surveyed (59.3%) said that they are going to take a career tech next year. Kat Groves signed up to take the culinary arts career tech at Hoover next school year. 

“On the other hand, I am so excited to learn and grow myself as a person not only in the kitchen but maybe this will help me figure out what path I want to take,” Groves said. 

Having the opportunity to take classes that focus on a specific interest can help students to decide what they might want to do when they leave the school. 

Although taking a career tech is a good option for some students, there are others that have found different paths at the school that they believe will work better for them. 

The survey showed that 20.4% of the students that took the survey chose to take one or more IB classes and 16.4% chose to take full IB. Madison Welch is one of the students who has chosen to take full IB next school year. 

“I chose to take full IB because I heard it wasn’t a regular classroom setting, I wanted to progress out of that to learn more,” Welch said. “I think you can develop better self-learning skills, they aren’t just handing out information.”

According to the survey taken the majority of students (71.6%) said that they based their class choices on future job skills they would need. Cami Mullen, a student going into the Teacher Pathways and Theater Arts career techs was one of these students. 

“I based this on future job skills,” Mullen said. “Being introduced to the thing you might do for the rest of your life is really important to me, so I did this for the skills and learning experience.”

For those students who have an idea of what they want to do after high school, the option of a career tech helps them to fine tune the skills they will most likely need. Avery Praxl is a student going into the Engineering career tech next school year.

“I chose this because I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my life, so I wanted some training,” Praxl said.

No matter if a student knows what they want their life after high school to look like or not there is an option at the school to help everyone further their education. 

Here are the results from the survey:

Which of the following classes did you choose to take?

  IB – 33 (20.4%)

  AP – 46 (28.4%)

  Career Tech – 96 (59.3%)

  CCP – 23 (14.2%)

  None – 26 (16%)

If you chose to take any IB classes, choose which of the following best applies to you:

  Full IB – 10 (16.4%)

  IB English – 11 (18%)

  IB Global Politics – 16 (26.2%)

  IB Psychology – 7 (11.5%)

  IB French – 4 (6.6%)

  IB Spanish – 8 (13.1%)

  IB Math – 17 (27.9%)

  IB Biology – 9 (14.8%)

  IB Physics – 2 (3.3%)

  IB Visual Art – 8 (13.1%)

  IB Music – 3 (4.9%)

  Other – 19 (31%)

If you chose to take any AP classes, choose which of the following best applies to you:

  AP English – 26 (35.1%)

  AP U.S. Government – 30 (40.5%)

  AP Physics – 3 (4.1%)

  AP Biology – 11 (14.9%)

  Other – 38 (51%)

If you chose to take a Career Tech, choose which of the following best applies to you:

  Advancement to Nursing – 9 (8.5%)

  Animation & Graphic Design – 5 (4.7%)

  Automotive Technologies – 7 (6.6%)

  Commercial Photography – 8 (7.5%)

  Construction Trades – 8 (7.5%)

  Cosmetology – 16 (15.1%)

  Engineering – 9 (8.5%)

  Fire Science & EMS – 3 (2.8%)

  High School of Business – 11 (10.4%)

  Horticulture – 5 (4.7%)

  Light & Sound – 4 (3.8%)

  Music Production – 9 (8.5%)

  Sports Med – 14 (13.2%)

  Theater Arts – 8 (7.5%)

  Teacher Pathways – 8 (7.5%)

  Video Production – 11 (10.4%)

If you chose to take CCP classes, choose which of the following best applies to you:

  CCP English – 29 (59.2%)

  Other – 25 (51%)

If you chose to take any of the following classes, choose which of the following best applies to you:

  Dance – 13 (17.6%)

  Strings – 5 (6.8%)

  Band – 17 (23%)

  Drama – 9 (12.2%)

  Newstaff – 7 (9.5%)

  Other – 35 (47%)

Which of the following influences your class choices? Check top 3

  Class Rank – 29 (17.9%)

  Weighted Class – 55 (34%)

  Class with Friends – 64 (39.5%)

  Parents – 54 (33.3%)

  Staff Recommendation – 45 (27.8%)

  Leadership Opportunities – 27 (16.7%)

  Future Job Skills – 116 (71.6%)

  Workload – 62 (38.3%)

  Teacher Preference – 28 (17.3%)

  Opportunities for Junior Option – 45 (27.8%)

Which of the following didn’t influence your class choices? Check top 3

  Class Rank – 72 (45%)

  Weighted Class – 46 (28.7%)

  Class with Friends – 60 (37.5%)

  Parents – 60 (37.5%)

  Staff Recommendation – 59 (36.9%)

  Leadership Opportunities – 59 (36.9%)

  Future Job Skills – 14 (8.8%)