Going into senior year I was surprisingly excited for the majority of my classes. With the power to choose almost my entire schedule, I was sure to take advantage of this freedom and tailor my year to my desires and interests.

Of course I wanted to load up on studies and fully utilize my senior privileges, but I still need to look like a pretty racehorse for the colleges I apply to. As a senior, I was privileged enough to be able to choose what english, science and social studies courses I took, as well as any other courses I could fit into my schedule. With the abundance of options, I was able to fit in advanced drama, journalism, and sociology; all courses I’ve been interested in since I found out about them.

Sadly, this luxury was not granted to me until this year. I hadn’t fully grasped the restrictions Algonquin places on its students regarding schedule choices until they were finally lifted.

While I believe students deserve more independence when determining what they want to learn, I am aware that many of these constraints are placed across many students outside of Algonquin because of state laws and college requirements. However, there are still ways the administration could allow students more freedom when choosing their schedules.

Yes, there will be resistance and difficulty working with the complex schedules of over a thousand students, but I beg for your perseverance. It is paramount for students to be given ample opportunity to find their passion, and without more elective space they won’t have the chance.

I ask if there is a possibility of dropping certain course requirements, such as computer essentials, so freshmen can explore more of their unique interests during their first year.

Furthermore, I request that instead of freshman, sophomore and junior english, students are able to take english electives of their choosing, as long as they have at least one reading and one writing course, allowing all grades the same freedom seniors have.

Finally and most boldly, is there is any chance of including an eighth period during the school day? I can’t say whether or not this is possible, but I beg you to take a look and consider it.

In addition to administrative action, I implore the students of Algonquin to seize the opportunities they have when selecting electives next year. We are fortunate enough to be offered a diverse variety of additional courses, but with bittersweet irony we are unable to take a vast majority of them. So take advantage and sign up for the classes that peak your interest.

If you want to express your creativity look to the arts, music theory and anything between. If you want to imagine and create something, look to the technology classes like wood technology, robotics technology and video production. If you like to read and write, delve into the plethora of english classes such as journalism, creative writing and silenced voices. I could go on forever about the range of classes provided, but I believe I’ve belabored my point six feet under by now.

Try to find your passion with fearless persistence because by the time you’re a senior, you’re gonna wish you knew what you wanted to major in.