Dear freshmen, it’s the season of cupid, candy and… course selection?

Ayaan Haque, Riya Suresh, and Ayesha Syed • February 20, 2026

As freshmen plan out the remainder of high school, they may struggle with which courses are right for them. The Sidekick staff writers Ayaan Haque, Ayesha Syed and Riya Suresh provide advice on course selection based on their experience as high school students.

“Dear Freshmen” is a series where a sophomore, junior and senior staff member each give personal anecdotes along with advice about a certain topic with the aim of helping the incoming sophomores and current freshmen.

It is that time of year again.

No, not the time of candy grams, rose chocolate and red roses. An even better time: course selection.

Freshmen are currently in the midst of this process, which includes blood (papercuts from the endless fliers), sweat (worrying about your choices) and tears (because let’s face it, Chemistry is hard enough without three other science classes on top of it).

As survivors of this oh-so-gruelling process, The Sidekick staff writers Ayaan Haque, Ayesha Syed and Riya Suresh have tips and truths for selecting your courses in the 2026-27 school year.

Syed: Exploring electives

Don’t be afraid to branch out with electives.

CHS has many different electives in the course guide, and despite what some might have told you, you don’t need only to take the electives stated in your graduation track.

High school, especially sophomore year, is for finding out what you like and potentially want to do for the rest of your life. The novel idea to take multiple electives just for fun seems to have been hidden by the expectation of having everything planned from freshman year to retirement.

Now, I’m not saying to not have a plan, but see what catches your interest, whether you know about the subject or not. If you find you don’t like it, simply do a schedule change in the beginning of the year window.

I decided to take The Sidekick on a whim last year. I had visited Coppell Student Media many times, but I wasn’t really interested in journalism until recently. After spending the past semester on staff, I can say I absolutely love it, and it wasn’t on my graduation track at all.

I’m not planning to pursue health professions. Next year I’m taking Medical Microbiology simply because I’m attracted to the class and I need a science credit.

What I’m getting to with these examples is this: keep in mind that classes are there for you to learn in. Utilize CHS electives and learn more about yourself in this process. High school isn’t just for those who already have it all together.

Suresh: Stepping stones to success

This is Coppell ISD, home of grade deflation, hyper-competitive academic culture and endless Advanced Placement classes. Despite what you may be thinking, I’m not here to tell you to take the most competitive classes. Or even the ones that just make you happy. I’m here to help you find pragmatic progress in the rigor of your course.

High school is a difficult process.

But if you have your mind set on being ranked and your heart set on academic success, make sure you build a four-year course plan based on practical steps in difficulty.

Don’t go from taking no APs freshman year to five APs sophomore year. And similarly, don’t take math over the summer to level up if your freshman year math felt incredibly challenging.

You don’t need to decide everything right now, but build a schedule that reflects your interests in classes that gradually increase in difficulty.

For example, I never liked biology or chemistry. I didn’t resonate enough with these classes to take the AP version, even though they are both ranked courses.

However, I did take AP Physics last year, and now I have been inspired to take physics all three years because I enjoy math-based science classes. Though it sounds simple, taking AP Physics I as a stepping stone helped science feel a lot less stressful to me as a junior.

Additionally, I did not have a huge jump in the amount of APs I took any year. I have made it so far without hating high school and you can too. Don’t put it all on your future self without having any idea how to cope with a rigorous workload.

Take AP versions of classes you were successful in, and to pad the rigorous courses, take classes in your endorsement that you find joy and expertise in.

Just remember, success at Coppell is about more than ambition — it’s about building a path you can finish. High school is a marathon. Map out your courses, pace your progress and conquer your goals.

Haque: Level downs and lurches

Story time: entering my sophomore year, I excitedly chose Robotics I and Engineering Design & Presentation as two of my four electives. For years prior I had known that I wanted to become an aeronautical engineer. Admittedly, this was mostly because I played a lot of space flight video games, but that’s beside the point.

Over the summer of sophomore year, my mind started to shift towards law. I always loved the legal system, as I explored it more, I knew I wanted to shape it.

Thus, make sure you keep a close eye on the schedule change windows, which often change between years.

I am glad I took Robotics and Engineering: they were valuable courses that taught me how our man-made world works. But if I had known the schedule change window, which is a few weeks at the start of the year, I could have taken a course like Business Law or joined The Sidekick a year early.

Also, many students have an irrational fear of leveling down. A lot of students are encouraged by peer pressure and their families to sign up for rigorous courses that, in the corner of their brain, they know they cannot handle. Next thing you know, they are sporting a calm failing grade in a rightfully difficult class.

Do not just treat level down windows as an afterthought: genuinely look at your difficult classes and think forward through your year. Remember responsibilities and obligations, especially from extracurricular activities, often ramp up in late fall and early spring.

Follow @CHSCampus on X.

About the Contributors

Ayaan Haque, Staff Writer

Ayaan Haque is a senior and a staff writer for The Sidekick. He joined The Sidekick to write investigative columns and report on hard-hitting news affecting his community. When he’s not writing, he loves to participate in Coppell Speech and Debate, Model UN, hanging out with friends, getting involved in local politics and ranting about why he hates strawberry ice cream. You can contact him through his email ([email protected]) or on Instagram (@haque.ayaan). But seriously. Never mention strawberry ice cream.

Riya Suresh, Staff Writer

Riya Suresh is a junior and a second-year staff writer for The Sidekick. Despite joining The Sidekick to be a writer, she loves exploring other positions such as photography and design. When she’s not doing homework or working on a story, Riya is always down to work out, try new foods, shop around at Southlake Town Square or watch horror movies. She also plays the New York Times games religiously, and she specifically enjoys Pips. Outside of The Sidekick, she is involved in other organizations: the girls powerlifting team and Collections4Champs, her nonprofit. You can contact her at [email protected] or on Instagram @riyasureshh_.

Ayesha Syed, Staff Writer

Ayesha Syed is a sophomore first year in The Sidekick.

She joined the program because she wanted to learn more about journalism and write stories about people and the community.

During her free time, you can find Ayesha listening to various music artists such as Laufey, Arctic Monkeys and the Crane Wives. She loves watching musicals and listening to their soundtracks. Her favorite musical is “Hadestown”.

You can contact Ayesha through email at [email protected] or on Instagram @ayesha.z.syed

Ani Ly, Staff Designer

Ani Ly is a junior and a second year designer for The Sidekick. Ani enjoys art and draws anytime she can. She wanted to join sidekick to be able to have more opportunities to try different forms of visual art and also to collaborate with others. Albums that she thinks everyone should listen to are: In Rainbows by Radiohead, Grace by Jeff Buckley, De-Loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta, Juturna by Circa Survive and Deathconsciousness by Have a Nice Life. Her favorite snack is caramel hard candy and she loves cheese. You can Email Ani Ly through [email protected]