I will be able to help him make important determinations about course selection going forward. The immediate concern is whether or not Balamir should take AP classes or follow the IB curriculum. As I suggested during the meeting, I would encourage Balamir to pursue his academic interests through AP classes. This will allow him to be more flexible with his course schedule and the classes that he chooses, and have more time to focus on his extracurriculars. As I discussed, top colleges are looking for “pointy” students. Balamir’s best bet going forward will be to focus his energy and develop one or two of his greatest talents. In this case, he may be better off devoting his time to science, and, of course, to a capstone project related to STEM.