When searching for colleges, one thing listed as important was "rigor of secondary school record" What's that?

Question

I was searching colleges online, I came across a school that is very high on my priority list (Texas at Austin). One of the things it mensioned as "Very Important" was 'Rigor of Secondary School'. My dad and I were guessing, he didnt know what it was. My best guess was that it had something to do with the prestige of the high school I go to now. Does anyone know, 100% sure what that term means?

Answer 1

"Rigor" applies to the level of difficulty of your courses. If you have a college prep schedule, including four years of english, math, science, preferably some honors or AP courses, and a couple years in a foreign language, you have a much more rigorous course load than if you take the bare minimum of academic courses and then take courses like pottery, auto tech, or jewlry. Basically, the college wants to see that you care enough about your education to put some effort into it, rather than trying to float through high school by taking the easiest courses you can.

Answer 2

I will tell you a story that will open your eyes. First of all, I skipped two grades in Catholic school, which, is, almost, unheard of. I skipped 6th and 9th. When I was in college, I was faced with a series of obstacles that you can not begin to imagine...I lost not only both of my parents, but also a dear friend, 89 years old, who I took care of, and her 21 room, mid-Victorian house. Plus, I also lost a job, actually two jobs along the way. Somehow, I persevered, and graduated from college with High Honors. My GPA was an astounding 3.725. I was inducted into the History Honor Society, the Psychology Honor Society, the National Honor Society for General Academic Excellence, the Graduate Education Honor Society, and, the most thrilling, and most unexpected, induction into 'Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges.' I come from a generation where college kids were known for partying (I guess they still are), and the movies and tv shows had young college co-eds living it up on the beach with their significant others and surfboards. I, on the other hand, had a lot on my plate. a 20-something, going to school, full time in the evening, working full time during the day, and taking care of my elderly friend, while, at the same time, trying to cope with the loss of my parents. If you want any sympathy from me, I'm sorry, but you are not going to get it. I went though hell during that time, emotionally, financially, you name it, but, somehow, it also was the happiest time of my life.

Answer 3

Consider the possibility that it means 'difficulty' of earlier curriculae. (Or should it be curriculums?) such as Junior College studies or even High School subjects.
If previous studies were less demanding (Lower Tasmanian Basket-weaving, Tea Ceremonies Of Ancient Hogania,etc.) it would effect the chances of acceptance in an engineering or Physiology program.

Answer 4

It has to do with the difficulty of classes that you take. Honors, AP, Ib, etc are more rigorous than regular classes. 4 years of foreign language and band/orchestra is more rigorous than art, home ec, etc.

Answer 5

It means how hard the classes you took in high school were. (Not how hard you thought they were but how hard the college thinks they were.)
Meaning, you are better off taking the challenging classes and scoring lower than taking the easy classes and getting really high grades.