"Break from the grind. Clear your mind. Enjoy some me time." | A MIT Student's Advice on HS Courses

We had the privilege of interviewing Joseph Li,

• a dedicated tennis player

• a YouTuber with over 2k subscribers who share college and life advice

We asked for some experience about: High School Courses

Here are some important words he shares:

• "Sacrificing mental health, sleep, and time with friends is not worth increasing your chances of going to Harvard."

Q: Did you factor in what type of courses would help you in the colleges you applied to when choosing courses?

A: Definitely. I took 2 science courses every year of high school, and I took really as many APs as I could in STEM fields.

Q: Did you only take the courses offered at your school or did you also take online/summer courses?

A: I did not take any online or summer courses.

Q: If you had to choose between two classes that you both wanted, how did you decide?

A: I honestly went with the class that I felt would give me the lower workload. I was very bad at managing my time throughout high school, and with an already stacked school schedule and lots of time spent on the tennis court, I aimed to give myself a break when I could.

Q: How did you keep track of your work and assignments?

A: I used a Google Doc with a rudimentary calendar as my “to-do list.” I’m trying to switch over to using Google Calendar to keep track of everything in college.

Q: How do you prepare for tests?

A: My study routine usually consisted of reading through all my relevant notes, any powerpoints/notes posted on the class website, and watching YouTube videos on topics that I was stuck on.

Q: Which AP classes did you choose? Why?

A: I took way too many APs to list out on here, but I mainly focused on taking AP classes in STEM subjects, since those are the courses most relevant to me as a student.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew while you were in high school?

A: Sacrificing mental health, sleep, and time with friends is not worth increasing your chances of going to Harvard.

You can check out Joseph's LinkedIn here.