It’s that time of year again—the time when Honors and AP invitations come out, and current juniors meet with their guidance counselors to determine their schedules for next year. But with so many options, how is a student supposed to plan his or her perfect senior year? Here’s how.

STEP ONE: DON’T SLACK OFF (TOTALLY)

As much as we would like to pretend it doesn’t, senior year matters to colleges. The most important aspect of senior year which colleges take into account is the classes you will be taking.

STEP TWO: APPLY TO ALL AP AND HONORS CLASSES YOU’VE BEEN INVITED TO

It doesn’t matter if you know that you won’t take the class. If you’ve been invited, apply. That way, when you get to your guidance appointment, you’ll have dozens of options. For instance, say there is NO way you want to take AP Chemistry because you’re already taking AP Government. But when you get to your guidance appointment, Mr. Hensley tells you that AP English is going to conflict with AP Government. You need another AP class. So be prepared with backups before you encounter problems like these.

STEP THREE: DON’T OVERLOAD

Because of senior project and applying to colleges, senior year can be overwhelming.  So if there’s a class you absolutely hate, like science or foreign language, opt out of it. As long as you don’t plan on going to Harvard or Yale, not taking a seventh class won’t make a glaring dent in your resume.

STEP FOUR: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ELECTIVES

JC offers many electives which might not be available to you in college. You don’t want to miss out on opportunities to be creative or find something new that you really enjoy. Plus, looking at your schedule and seeing a fun elective later in your day is always a mood lifter. From personal experience, Acting 1 with Mrs. Brueggemann was one of the best classes I’ve taken here. Ceramics, TV Production, and Photography have also gotten rave reviews.

STEP FIVE: TALK TO UPPERCLASSMEN

Which teachers are awful? Which ones give a lot of work? Talk to students who have taken the classes you’re signing up for. It’s a great way to learn how difficult your schedule will actually be and will give you the chance to visualize your work load for next year. If a teacher is notoriously difficult and you already have a tough schedule, we won’t blame you if you decide not to take that class.

Charlotte Hagerman and Erin Hanratty can be reached for comment at [email protected] and [email protected]