Academics

It is difficult to overstate the importance of a superior education. Among the many factors determining the trajectory of a life, the intellectual and emotional sustenance afforded to the well educated is an advantage without comparison.

For most students, the path toward enrollment in a competitive college begins early. This path requires thoughtful planning and includes immersion in an academically challenging environment, the establishment of an excellent academic record, and the cultivation of interests of a cultural, social, or athletic nature. We suggest that you turn your attention to these matters as early as possible, ideally by your freshman or sophomore year of high school.

A comprehensive academic background provides a strong beginning. An ideal curricular program would include courses in English, history, mathematics, science, and foreign language, depending on your school’s offerings. The most selective schools are interested in both the strength of your academic record, favoring students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses, as well as the depth of your mastery of the subjects you have studied. Intellectual passion and curiosity are your strongest assets, for selective colleges and universities give serious consideration to such qualities as motivation, inquisitiveness, energy, leadership ability and whatever distinctive talents you bring to the equation.

Of considerable importance to colleges and universities is the distinction of your academic work. Therefore we encourage you to be serious about your studies: the grades you achieve in high school, the types of courses you pursue, and your overall academic performance, are elements of your record that will be evaluated carefully during the application process. Especially worthwhile is consultation with parents, advisors, and teachers regarding decisions of course selection.

As you investigate our various programs of study, it is valuable to bear in mind one essential fact. Whatever their specific offerings, member institutions of ABAFAOILSS share a spirit of "liberal arts and science.” Thus, while each offers a curriculum rich in all the disciplines—the humanities, the physical and social sciences, engineering, mathematics, foreign language, business, philosophy—each school regards as its fundamental purpose the development of the individual.” Our curriculums strive to improve one’s ability to write critically about varying subjects and provide you with scholarly settings that allow and welcome discourse from multiple perspectives. It is our hope that you gain from your education a clear, conscious view of your own beliefs and values, the eloquence to express them, and the courage to enact their fruition.