As we settled into a rhythm at the outset of another school year, we may have felt odd pondering course selection. Last March, we reflected on our goals and ambitions, spoke with faculty, planned with friends, made hard decisions, and locked in our classes for the 2026–27 school year. Then, we forgot about course selection for a while, and school life resumed as it had before. By summer, we may have looked ahead with distant optimism, school lying on the far horizon.
But now, as we once again reignite our academic minds, the decisions of a long-since-past March loom large. We walk into class for the first time and begin our learning. For some, though, as classes and their expectations become clearer, our course decisions feel less reassuring. Is this class too easy for me? What’s the point of even taking this course? Is it smart to spend 80% of my time on one class? Each of these questions is valid.
When we made our course decisions six months ago, we were likely different people academically, mentally, and spiritually. Therefore, Milton cannot realistically assume that the classes we chose months ago will satisfy us. Milton should rethink its start-of-year schedule in an effort to ease course selection by implementing a two-week class rotation. This change would allow students to pick two classes to experience—one per week over the two weeks—with the eventual aim of helping students get the firsthand experience they need for a successful academic year.
Instead of signing up for a single class, students would apply for a first-choice course, but would also have the option to sign up for a second course to try. For example, students could select an honors and a regular class, two classes from different departments, or could choose to opt out of the program entirely and select one class.
For students in honors or accelerated sections, participating in the class rotation would help them gauge the rigor, pace, and workload for their classes, which can be difficult to assess solely through course catalogs or preliminary discussions with teachers. Logistically, the school would assign students one course for the first week of school and their alternative course for the second. After the first week of school, participating students receive a packet of materials from their second class to help catch them up on that class’s previous topics.
After the two weeks, students would fill out a form and decide their class, and would have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with their teachers beforehand. At this stage, students have experienced courses, evaluated course rigor, and seen homework assignments.
Ideally, students have then achieved a much better understanding of their course landscape. After students submit their course request, the registrar puts together schedules. This schedule-making process poses the greatest challenge to the class-rotation plan, given the short turnaround between class selection and the start of classes. One solution would be to create a special school schedule for when the registrars are creating the student schedules, during which different grades engage in a myriad of opportunities: seniors could have time to work on college applications, freshmen could attend an extended orientation or bonding trip, and sophomores and juniors could have tailored experiences to help with non-traditional academic opportunities like finance, or a program like a community-engagement week.
Another solution would be to have the course-rotation program take place at the end of the previous school year. This would ensure ample time for schedules to be set up, though it may be challenging to transition from a full year of classes into a completely new slate of classes on short notice.
No matter the solution, students need a more hands-on course selection process. Until then, students will risk disappointment, confusion, and stress from the lengthy disconnect between course signup and the start of school.