First semester is coming to an end, and with it, my first impressions for my junior year classes have been made, which means as Opinions Editor here at Sword & Shield, it’s my job to tell you about them. Whether you’re an underclassmen looking for recommendations on classes to take next year as course selection nears, or a fellow junior or senior looking to see another take on classes you didn’t, here are each of my first semester classes reviewed in order. Ignore the arbitrary rating if you wish; it is entirely based on vibes. 

1st Hour – AP Language: 4/5

It’s deceptively easy at first: you only have to read one book first semester, and for each of the three summative essays you write, you’re given about a month of work time, so if writing long form pieces is in your wheelhouse, this will be for you. Where it gets hard is the fact that each of those essays requires a fair amount of thought and effort to score high on, so if you don’t like writing, this really may not be for you. However, if you’re a fan of writing, you want to pursue something in Language Arts, or if you’re looking to challenge yourself and to diversify your AP credits, AP Language is a solid choice! (Note: Try not to have it first hour like I did— writing paragraphs is much harder when you’re barely awake).

2nd Hour — Intro To Sports Medicine: 4/5

One of the few Physical Education courses to not require extensive physical activity, which is the reason I ended up taking it as someone who injures himself just by moving slightly wrong— but don’t be dissuaded into thinking it’s just sitting in classrooms, taking notes all day, because Intro To Sports Med is actually a lot of fun! If you have any interest in medicine, athletics, or the human body in general, Intro To Sports Medicine serves as an engaging introduction to a variety of topics through lots of low exertion yet hands on activities. The one downside is that you may have to touch your classmate’s feet during the taping procedures, so try to sign up with someone you know.

3rd Hour — Statistics: 3/5

If Math isn’t your strong suit or STEM isn’t your desired career path, there are much worse classes to take than Statistics. If you’re moderately confident in your math skills, you’ll probably find it to be a breeze, but as long as you do the homework and notes, you’ll do just fine, and you’ll probably learn some math with some tangible real world application. There’s not much to say otherwise— it’s Stats, the class you take if you don’t want to take Pre-Calc or AP Calc AB.

4th Hour — AP Microeconomics: 4/5

Talk about a class with tangible real world application; few classes can take that title as much as AP Micro, which basically teaches you the basics of supply and demand, market structures, and essentially all you need to know about how this capitalist world we live in functions. It’s valuable both for future finance/business majors and for those who want a basic idea of how businesses and the economy works, and as far as AP classes go, it’s very light on workload. Even if you don’t take the AP test, take it! It’ll be worth your time.

5th Hour — Biology: 3/5

Just as the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, Biology is the powerhouse of your science education— well, sorta. What I really mean is that it’s a graduation requirement, which means at some point, you’ll have to take it or its AP equivalent. I’m no STEM guy, but as a junior, non-AP Bio has felt like a breeze (a word of advice to Freshman: don’t do what I did, take Biology sophomore year! Chemistry may seem appealing, but getting Bio out of the way will let you do better, cooler science courses your next two years). As a class, Biology is fun! The content is interesting, the atmosphere is laid back for the most part, and the workload is lax if you pay attention. 

6th Hour — Advanced Video Production: 5/5

If you have any interest in making videos or learning how to shoot and edit footage— take Video 1. But if you’ve already taken that, you’re interested in video and you know the basics, Advanced Video Production is one of the best classes you could take. Whether you’re taking it year round like I am or only a semester, Advanced Video provides a diverse and exciting education on the art of videography, with varied projects like making Spartan News segments, participating in news channel competitions like Fox47’s MSG2Teens, or making more personal projects with very loose guidelines. You have an enormous amount of freedom in Advanced Video, as well as the opportunity to utilize the school’s equipment and work with other students to make your projects come to life. It’s a fantastic class for anyone remotely interested in making video.

7th Hour — AP US History: 4/5

Like Biology, taking a US History credit is a graduation requirement, and though you’ll likely get that out of the way Freshman year with a non-AP alternative, this is definitely worth taking anyway! As a history class, it’s informative and in depth on topics you probably already know about but don’t know the full story of, and as an AP class, it’s a step back in difficulty from AP World History, which you should probably take sophomore year. Enjoyment of the class will vary based on your tolerance for history as a subject— I’m middling on it, but Ms. Janssen makes it engaging and worth learning nonetheless, but even beside that, as far as filling up credits it’s absolutely worth taking.