Should You Take Those Recommended Courses?

When you’re applying for a university program, you will see a list of prerequisites. These are courses that you’ll need to have completed in order to apply for this specific program. Without those prerequisites, it’s likely that your application will automatically be rejected by the admissions department.

Under those prerequisites, you might see another list of “recommended courses.” What are recommended courses, and should you take them?

What Are Recommended Courses?

Recommended courses are exactly what they sound like. They are courses that the admissions department recommends that you take before applying for the program.

Unlike prerequisites, recommended courses are not mandatory. So, if you haven’t taken the list of recommended courses, you won’t be disqualified as an applicant automatically. As long as you meet the program’s mandatory prerequisites and grade minimums, your application just might get approved.

Why Are Recommended Courses Important?

While recommended courses aren’t mandatory, you should still consider taking them. The program’s admissions department is suggesting that you take these courses for a reason. The department experts believe that these courses will give you a better foundation of knowledge before you enter the university program. This knowledge could make it easier to acclimate to your first year in the program, giving you a higher chance of success and a lower level of stress.

Your first year of university will already come with stressors. You may be moving far away from home, removing yourself from your familiar support system. You will have to tackle responsibilities like cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping all on your own. And, of course, you will have to juggle your coursework. All of these stressors can be overwhelming and lead to symptoms of burnout.

You can save yourself some stress by taking these recommended courses ahead of time. With these courses under your belt, you’ll be more prepared for your coursework in your very first term.

How Can You Take Recommended Courses?

If you have enough time to sign up and complete your recommended courses in high school, you should consider adding them to your class schedule. This should help you prepare for your university applications in the future.

If you can’t add them to your class schedule (maybe it’s too late to sign up for the classes, or your class schedule doesn’t have enough room), don’t panic. There’s still a solution out there.

What’s the solution? You can sign up for those recommended courses through a virtual high school. An accredited virtual high school will offer a range of high school courses like MHF4U through its online platform. You can sign up for these courses at any time, even if you’re in the middle of your final high school year.

Another benefit of virtual high school is that it’s designed to mesh with your schedule. The platform will be accessible 24/7. You can tackle your lessons whenever you have free time, whether it’s late at night, on the weekend or during a holiday. You will have between 4 weeks and 12 months to finish a single course. So, you’ll have plenty of time to finish the recommended course before you start your first year of university.

Don’t ignore those listed recommendations. If you really want to prepare for that university program, you should take those recommended courses as soon as possible. Then, you’ll be really ready for your first year.