Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS

My LALA, My Life
Need to take college prep classes?
Hicell Lopez-Oxte
English 12
Mr. Steed
April 28, 2016

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Beginning high school, students do not know what type of classes they need to take. They
do not see that college prep classes are needed for your basic needs. Even if they are not
attending college, they need to have the basics of: math, science, English, and history, so that
they are able to find and have a decent job to support themselves. Most students having the
basics can get better job opportunities. Regardless of their specific plans, however, all students
need to be proficient in the range of fundamental skills and knowledge in math, English language
arts, science, and history/social science if they are to go forward with postsecondary learning that
prepares them for good jobs, healthy families, and contributing citizenship, (Brown 2014).
Moreover, having college preparation classes gives more of a boost for choosing what career
choice is wanted. Getting a solid education is an important foundation for any career. Workers
in many occupations use problem-solving, communication, research, and other skills that they
first learned in high school, (Torpey 2015). Also the skills mastered well in high school will
give a greater benefit for a future role. By doing well in classes and taking part in careertraining or college-preparation programs, you demonstrate that youre ready to put these skills
into action, (Torpey 2015). On a different point, sometimes students do not need college prep
classes. Many will choose a different path that leads them away from college, but sometimes
college is not for everyone.
"At early levels, all academics are mostly common, but choices should be allowed at later
points in the continuum. High school students in particular need curricular options that fit their
interests, skills, and plans for the future," (Brown 2014) Even though everyone learns the same
material while going into high school, everyone gets different benefits for themselves. If there is
someone that is more into math and knows his or her material, they are more towards a career in
a cashier, banking, accounting, etc. Basically, any job that deals with money. All students are

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bound to not like the same subject, but there are other students who favor a subject more than
others. Starting of the bat, the skills are going to be learned as soon as they enter into high school
to begin the career path. College is still a long way off, but the 9th grade is the beginning of that
journey. Use this year to develop good study habits and improve yourself as a student. Start
thinking about your future and where you want to go in life, (Education Corner).
The growth in career-themed high schools, career-technical schools, and early-college
partnerships, all often connected to community colleges and local businesses, is setting students
on stable paths to solid jobs," ( Brown 2014).In high school students take every single day in
attending classes to better themselves. Students go to school to learn; therefore these learnings
help a student determine what they later want to do in life. Students say that parents force them,
that they have to be there, or it's a law. These things may be true but students are getting a free
education that can lead them into better-paying jobs than those who don't have the opportunities.
Just knowing the basics can lead you a long way. A better paying job than others who don't know,
more knowledge that can lead to better pay. College-bound high school graduates may not
know it, but BLS data show that wages are usually higher, and unemployment rates lower, for
people who continue their education after high school, ( Torpey 2015). Many advantages come
from knowing college preparation classes. These help job wise, family wise, and economically.
Learning does help in life. Learning makes someone go far in life. Learning is the advantage that
someone can have over others who can not take it or choose to not take it. But learning
sometimes is not always for everyone.
Sometimes students just don't think that college is for them; and sometimes they are right.
Students may just want to have a normal job that doesn't pay as much but keeps them in between
economically. "Self-motivation, prioritizing, and time-management are all necessary skills for

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leading a successful and productive life, but it's rough to enter college without any prior use of
these skills," ( Hubpages). If students are not motivated to continue in studies, then the probably
won't be motivated to move any further. Students need to want to learn; in order for it to benefit
them. Self-motivation is something that a person has to do for themselves. That person is the one
that will make that decision. No one else but them. Education is what keeps you preoccupied
most of the time. Only a quarter of high school students who take a full set of collegepreparatory courses four years of English and three each of mathematics, science and social
studies are well prepared for college, according to a study of last years high school graduates
released yesterday by ACT, the Iowa testing organization, (Arenson 2007). Sometimes that may
be a reason why students do not attend college. Als they do not have the time to go to school,just
to not get any benefit out of it, so instead they do something else to support yourself and others.
Sometimes someone just does not want to bother with learning and just focus on getting the
necessary money needed to survive.
"Most people need some preparation before theyre ready for the workforce, and planning
should begin long before its time to start a career," (Torpey 2015). Preparing oneself for the
world to come is something that needs to be known, but sometimes at school, the material
needed isnt provided. Many students for that reason don't want to attend college prep classes. It
is not something that helps out there in the real world. College prep classes and even attending
college don't actually help out in the real world.The system has produced a lot of people who
hate their work. My number-one question to a teenager is what do they want to do? The answer I
usually get is, "I don't know something that makes a lot of money," This is where we are,
(Price). Students often do not see the point of attending school. Why should they learn
meaningless classes that won't help them in real life? Others see the point and attend for their

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own benefit. If someone wants to go they go and if they do not want to go then they do not go. It
is all up to yourself. Everything is ones own voluntary choice, it's your own will. If you decide
to go you go, but knowing more at hand is better than not knowing the basics. Learning the
college prep classes gives you a better understanding of what is out there and what choices you
have. Knowing is better than not knowing what can be done later on. College prep classes
actually do help in understanding better and enhance what is given over time. From that
information you receive yourself have to manipulate it into your life.

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Work Cited
Arenson, Karen W. "Study Finds College-Prep Courses in High School Leave Many Students
Lagging." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 May 2007. Web. 20 May 2016.

Brown, Cynthia G. "All Students Need Common Foundational Skills - Education Next."RSS.
N.p., 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"College Isn't for Everyone - No, Really," by Matt Price." "College Isn't for Everyone No, Really," by Matt Price. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

"College Preparation in 9th Grade." College Preparation in 9th Grade. Education Corner,
n.d. Web. 20 May 2016.

Torpey, Elka. "Career Planning for High Schoolers : Career Outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 25
Apr. 2016.

"5 Reason Why College ISN'T for Everyone." HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.