Now that the first semester is over, love and flowers are blooming, but unfortunately, so is course selection. Opening on Feb. 23 and closing on Mar. 6, the schedule forecasting season is quickly approaching. While your primary concern for the next school year should be applying to the best program the world has ever seen – our school newspaper – you may have other inquiries that counselor Teresa Kaufman and junior Dhruvika Vadapu may be able to help you with.

Are you an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidate? Why or why not?

Vadapu: “I am not an IB Diploma Candidate. I do take a lot of IB classes, but the main reason I did not [pursue the IB Diploma] was that the full IB program prevented me from taking more IBs and different classes that I would not have been able to otherwise, like Engineering and Advanced Business Procedures. I also did not want to test in almost every class I took.”

What do you think is the most important thing for students to keep in mind when selecting courses?

Kaufman: “Students should make sure to look at course descriptions and do a little bit of planning before picking their classes. Picking classes that are challenging but manageable, and also fit into the requirements of potential universities or post-high school plans, is super important. Even though course selection isn’t until Feb. 23, the academic planning guide is available on the Tualatin High School website year-round and has all the course descriptions, graduation requirements, and answers you need.”

Vadapu: “I would—actually—think about what you want to do before choosing your IB classes. Students should ask their upperclassmen friends about what they should do because sometimes the course load is not worth it.”

While there is no “correct” schedule for students to take, if there are any difficulties deciding between certain pathways (e.g., Culinary, Marketing/Accounting, Construction, etc.), be sure to attend the Curriculum Fair on Feb. 27 to figure out what is correct for you.