In just 16 short days, the deadline for enrollment will be upon the students of Manhattan High. The date is especially ominous for freshmen, who are enrolling this year with significantly more options than ever before.

“Freshmen will have more choices this year then they’ve had in any other year when they’ve enrolled,” Dustin Duntz, Manhattan High school counselor, said. “You can pick what science class you want to do, you can pick if you want to take a social studies class, you have options for PE and so you’re just going to have a lot more choices.” Duntz will be coordinating freshmen enrollment this year.

Among the choices are advanced and Advaned Placement classes that most freshmen have not yet had the chance to explore. The most common higher-level classes to take are AP European History, Advanced Algebra 2 if students are already advanced in math, Accelerated English 10, some more language classes for students currently taking Spanish 2 and certain science classes, such as AP Environmental Science. According to Duntz, the advisable number of advanced classes to take depends on the student.

“Some people can handle all seven classes being real challenging but most people need a break in the day, something fun, something easier,” Duntz said.

When choosing classes for sophomore year, students should take classes that work up to the goal of graduating and proceeding to whatever post-secondary plan they’re intending to follow. According to Duntz, the classes freshmen are choosing now don’t necessarily spell out for certain what colleges students attend or what careers options they have in the future, but they might have some impact.

“[Classes chosen by freshmen for their sophomore year] definitely can [affect future options but] there is some time so if you don’t know what you want to do now there’s still time in the next two years after this,” Duntz said. “If you don’t take the right things this year… it’s good to know that there is time to make those decisions later, but. there are things like foreign language … if you don’t take a foreign language next year that… could limit the colleges that you could go to outside of the state of Kansas.”

While it’s not essential that students have an idea of what careers they’re interested in, it certainly makes choosing the best classes for them much easier.

“Just knowing what I want to do has really helped me find the classes I want to take,” freshman Sam DeLong said.

The most important thing to remember when taking classes is to open as many doors as possible, while also not overworking yourself.

“Just take a well rounded [choice of classes], challenge yourself in some classes and also have some fun things on there that you would enjoy doing,” Duntz said. “And explore options that you don’t think are for you but that you might [like].”