The number one mistake I see students make is that they don’t take the HS classes that will best prepare them for college. Most often, it’s because they just don’t want to do the work in classes that have a lot of reading or writing required and the surprising thing is that parents often support their reluctance. A number of them think their kids are going to college on athletic scholarship so the academics don’t matter much. Other parents think that the easier classes will assure a higher GPA. Some see themselves as STEM students, so the liberal arts “don’t matter”.
The end result is that kids are poorly prepared, both for admissions and for success in college, primarily because they haven’t developed their writing skills. Of course, this impacts everything, including SAT and ACT tests, admissions essays, the strength of their transcripts and writing confidence.