Students at UC High will be participating in articulation starting in October, which entails visiting their counselors to choose their classes for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year.
“This is a chance for students and counselors to sit down and have a one-on-one meeting to look at what courses students have already completed and what they want to take next year,” said Head Counselor Kelsey Bradshaw. She also said that articulation helps to plan in advance and develop the budgets for the following year.
Many students agree that picking classes for the next year so early in advance is unneccessary. “I don’t think we should pick classes so early in the school year because it is harder to get a good understanding of what level classes I should place myself in for the upcoming year,” said Sophomore Lezlie Lopez.
Theater and Tech Theater Teacher Nia Hilton said choosing your classes is hard to do in October because it is dependent on your current classes, also it is too early in the year for most students to know if they want to continue with an elective they are taking or pathway.
Articulation is very important for students because these decisions will impact their futures. “It is your time to meet one on one with your counselors and get all your questions answered. It is the students’ time,” said Bradshaw.
Articulation also has an impact on one’s future even past high school. “Articulation is important for students because it can help them prepare for college depending on the level of classes they are deciding to take,” said Junior Melanie Flatt.
“Some challenges students may face during the transition from one year to the next could be the difficulty and change within routine especially if the student is planning on taking harder classes,” said Flatt.
“Advice I would give to students when picking classes is not to over challenge yourself. If you take all honors and AP classes, make sure you understand the amount of work load you can handle,” said Flatt, who currently takes AP and honors classes. “Make sure not to take on too much. Remember balance is key,” said Bradshaw.
Junior Mathias Baluyot said, “Picking my classes for the next school year can be stressful at some points, because I prefer to take all harder classes but I need the comfort in knowing what content these classes contain.”
“When picking your classes for the next year, I would recommend thinking about what extracurriculars you do and how much time you will have to do homework and study. Make sure you understand what is going on so you don’t fall behind in class,” said Baluyot who is a two-sport athlete and a member of different clubs here at UC High.
Bradshaw said the counselors try their hardest to make sure students are getting the classes best fit for them. “We want to build a main school schedule that meets the needs of our students and do our best to make our students’ requests possible,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw said, for a smoother transition into the next school year, something students should be focusing on is making up any D’s or F’s from previous years. “I would recommend asking your counselor questions about the classes you are planning to take next school year, because it can give you a better understanding of the class and can get you more comfortable with choosing classes,” said Baluyot.