High school—perhaps one of the most challenging periods that students all across the world endure as they venture to learn skills that can help them accomplish their goals, big or small. The future is uncertain and even if you do not have any inkling of what you want to pursue going forward, high school is a great way to explore passions and possibilities. Even if you are only just beginning your high school career, it is nice to have an idea of what classes can help set you up for success. If you have any interest in pursuing a future career in any STEM field—whether medical, engineering, and so forth—this article is for you. The options may seem overwhelming at times, so our team at Imagining is here to help! Here are our top classes (outside of the required curriculum) for all high-school students who wish to pursue their interest in STEM fields!
Calculus/AP Calculus BC/AP Calculus AB
Calculus can be a great first step for students when studying advanced math topics. If the words limit, derivative, and integral sound interesting, then calculus is the class for you! If your school doesn't offer AP classes, any general calculus course can help you dip your feet in the water. If you have an even stronger interest in math, consult with your teacher about taking AP Calculus BC. Calculus BC goes over similar topics as AB, but covers enough material to equate to a full college class.
If you are interested in any STEM career, statistics is a wonderful class to take in high school. While statistics is its own major, many STEM majors in college are required to take at least one or more statistics classes. This class helps students get an idea of how to handle and work with data, something that is essential in today’s modern world.
Being one of the most sought after careers today, engineering is taking the world by storm. There are many forms of engineering: civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical, biomedical, software, etc. If your high school offers an engineering course and you have an interest in the field, then take the chance and familiarize yourself with the general material.
Similar to engineering, computer science is another field for students who are interested in technology. Any introductory course can help students familiarize themselves with the field and perhaps even pursue it in college. If you like coding and your high school offers a class that covers Python, Java, or C++, take the opportunity to learn about these various forms of code.
AP Chemistry/AP Biology
If you have taken your required biology and chemistry classes in high school and enjoyed them, AP Chemistry and Biology are your next steps. Many STEM majors in college require chemistry and biology courses, so having the chance to familiarize yourself with these higher level classes can be of great use in college. If you wish to pursue medicine, then these classes will provide you great insight as to what the course load looks like as a student on the pre-med track.
Physics is one of the fundamental sciences for students who wish to pursue STEM careers. In physics, students learn real-life applications of math that explain various phenomena. Have you ever heard of a tensegrity stool? If you haven’t, then search for it and prepare to have your mind blown. This stool is one of the many examples of how physics can amaze its audience. If you have taken the required prerequisites, then AP physics is for you!
Sarikas, Christine. “How to Prepare for Pre-Med in High School.” Blog.prepscholar.com, 24