Preparing to Attend a Top College

My daughter has the option of taking Greek or Chinese at her high school. Would it be better for her to do this instead of taking Spanish, French or German, as she wants to go to a very selective college? Also, what courses should she take to stand a chance of being admitted to a top school? - Planning Ahead
Answer: We asked Katherine Cohen of IvyWise, a college counseling service, for some help in answering your question. Her background includes being an admissions reader at a highly selective university, so she truly knows what these schools are looking for.
According to Katherine, students should be true to themselves and choose a language based upon their interests. Of course, if they are fascinated with Greek mythology, then taking Greek makes good sense. In fact, students should choose all electives based upon their passion and desire to learn about a subject. This makes a better statement to college admissions officers.
Selective colleges spell out in detail the courses they expect students to have taken. Typically, these schools want students to have completed four years each of English, one foreign language, science, social studies and mathematics. Admissions officers are aware that not all high schools will have these offerings. Also, some students have special interests in music, art, drama and other areas that they wish to and should explore.
Katherine also says that students applying to very selective schools should take the hardest courseload they can manage. She believes that it is better for them to challenge themselves and get B's in AP courses than A's in regular courses.