Decoding 'Rigor' in High School: Choices That Impact College Applications

Students watch their teacher speak in their freshman classroom

 What it means and why it matters.

Academic rigor is one of those buzz phrases you’ll read and hear a lot during college preparation research. It is regularly touted as the most important aspect to any college reviewing your application, yet pinning down what exactly constitutes academic rigor can be murky at best. 

To begin this discussion, let’s strip colleges down to a basic near-universal truth: they want students who enjoy learning, thrive in a classroom environment, and desire challenging courses. The best way to show up for colleges as a promising candidate is to demonstrate ways in which you fit this profile through your high school coursework.

There is a pecking order when it comes to what constitutes a rigorous course, which generally goes (from most to least rigorous) AP > Dual enrollment > Honors > Standard. The first two can flip flop, but that’s a discussion for another day. The key here is that if you want to demonstrate interest in a particular subject as it relates to your intended major, or you simply just love the subject, aim for the highest comfortable designation for that subject. 

This is typically the point that parents or students will ask me, “so what looks better, a B in a hard class or an A in an easy class?” The unfortunate answer, and they even said it on the last Yale Admissions podcast I listened to, is, “an A in a hard class.” Sorry. I know. But it’s true. I don’t recommend taking a class that’s going to be so hard that you know you’ll definitely get a B or worse. We are aiming for A’s. Always. But in avoiding challenging courses in order to secure straight A’s isn’t showing a love of academics and pursuit of knowledge. So when in doubt, try to challenge yourself. You can do hard things!

BUT! If the thought of taking the most challenging version of next year’s math course gives you extreme anxiety, guess what… Don’t take it! It’s truly not worth agonizing over your mental health to try to check a box. This may mean you’re out for schools like Yale (see their comment above), but it sounds like you’d be miserable at Yale anyway. There are a myriad of wonderful institutions that would love to have you on their campus just as you are.