Carleton and most other selective schools will want their applicants to have taken the most rigorous academic curriculum that is available to them in their schools and to have done well in that course work. Yes, this does include your senior year—that is definitely not the time to coast! The best candidates for admissions have selected rigorous courses in all of the solid academic areas—English, foreign language, social studies, science and math—and not just those areas in which they excel.