Camille is thinking about studying Environmental Science when she starts college in the fall.

By junior and senior year in AC, you have a lot of options – that's the best part. You have the freedom to choose what you want to learn. I picked every one of my classes this year. Since I didn't think I would do great in Spanish or lab science, I didn't take them senior year... and that was a good choice for me.

I've become particularly interested in environmental science – it might be my major in college. I definitely learned a lot in AP Environmental Science and connected it to the real world. The BP Oil spill made me think about how we need to find alternative energies and ways to use them.

Taking a lot of APs and playing a sport – I'm on Varsity Softball – made me organize and prioritize, but it was good and not too overwhelming. The workload for APs was fine. I realized that time management is really important, and developing my organizational skills really helped.

A lot of kids junior year just sign up for AP classes to make sure it looks good on their transcript, and a lot of kids are in IB because it looks good, too. But I think when kids consider which school they want, they should think more about what they're interested in. AC offers more balance; kids have a lot of work but it's not overwhelming.

Merhawi plans to study Economics in college and is thinking about becoming an investment analyst or pursuing work in global finance in developing nations.

Definitely, without a doubt, I'm glad I chose AC. There are so many classes to choose from and such a diverse group of students I get to know and learn from. In the small schools you work with the same group of students every year, but I like the fact that I get to meet new kids. AC students have so many different interests. It's cool, to experience what other kids like, because it rubs off.

AC gives you the ability to take a lot of AP classes from a big variety. My choices junior year were personal; I just picked what I enjoy – History – and AP Environmental Science because it gave me a different perspective and I saw things in a new way. But I enjoyed both and I really succeeded at the U.S. History AP test. It looks good and helped me present myself well to colleges.

When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble managing my time. It was really an issue. I used to postpone and do things at the last minute. In high school, because I was able to take AP classes, I learned to manage the course load and balance it with my outside activities – because I had to.

Watching the news with my dad, seeing what's happening with the economy and being able to take an Econ class helped develop my interest in Economics. I want to take the working principles of the U.S. economy and apply them to small countries.

Emma is interested in studying population growth when she attends college in the fall.

A lot of people are scared AC is too big. I came from a tiny school and in the beginning, I'll admit, I was terrified. I felt sick each morning and couldn't eat breakfast. But by the end of the first week, I felt so at home. It may seem really big, but in such a short time it feels small.

Academic Choice encourages kids who want to take initiative. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to take a lot of AP classes, so I chose AC because it's the only school where by junior year I could take five. I did that, passed the exams and became an AP Scholar of Distinction. By graduation, I'll have taken eight AP classes and I think I'll get to be a National AP Scholar. It's definitely a boost for colleges but, best of all, I will have done exactly what I wanted to do, which was to challenge myself in math and the humanities.

My AC teachers and class discussions helped me realize I care about doing something worthwhile – changing the world and helping people as a career. Now I'm really interested in population growth and encouraging contraceptive use.

I need time outside my brain, too – everyone does. Junior year, when I had four really difficult classes, I realized how soothing drawing was. Taking badminton for PE and drawing every day were really good for keeping my stress levels down.

Nathan plans to major in Journalism and Global Studies.

Ever since I was young I've liked to write – my mom has a scrapbook of all the stories I've written since kindergarten. AC has great English classes. I've liked every class and every teacher. Right now I'm taking Short Story and AP Lit, so I'm learning both the creative side of writing and the more formal, structural side.

Last year I had enough room in my schedule to take African American Journalism. It was really good for me to practice my craft, write articles and figure out if it's what I want to do. It's cool my schedule allowed me take so many writing classes – I couldn't have done it at any of the other schools.

This year my AP Lit teacher, Mr. Carton, really pushed me a lot, gave me great advice, and then pushed some more. Finally I got it. Basically, it's that high school is not meant to be something you always flourish in. You have to push hard, go down and feel the low. You're not always meant to be perfect in high school – it's a place to learn about yourself.

So my advice? Choose AC. It's a traditional high school path that prepares you for college. You get a lot of options – which is great – and time with teachers. You also get time to develop as a student and person. I can't see myself at any other school.

Abigail's dream job is to be an ESPN sports broadcaster or to work in advertising concentrating on sports or cars.

Thanks to AC, my writing has really improved each year because I've had great English teachers. I'm glad I took AP Language and Composition. It's the best class I took at Berkeley High. Although writing is a challenge for me because I have dyslexia, I still did really well. Ms. Tammer is an amazing teacher. She made us work hard and do a lot of stuff we didn't want to do but, in the end, there was so much progress – the most I've ever seen in a class. From beginning to end, that year made the biggest change I have ever seen in my abilities.

When I took photography, I really discovered the art of it – not just the digital aspect – but the fundamentals. I learned the terminology of professionals in the arts and now understand more about visual messages.

For me, there are too many required classes in the other schools. You are spending your credits on the classes they make you take. In AC, I got to choose my electives, like Photography, Sports Medicine and AP Statistics. All those should help me with what I want to do in my career.

Connor plans to attend college in the fall to become a software developer or computer scientist.

I was already involved with computers before high school. Because I was in AC and had an elective open, I took Computer Programming freshman year and then AP Computer Science as a sophomore. A group of us enjoyed it so much we created an even more advanced third-year course and asked our teacher, Mr. Bloomsburgh, to get it approved, which he did. The opportunity was there to learn programming, I took advantage of it and what resulted was the creation of the Jacket site.*

Then I got to work at Lawrence Berkeley Lab last summer. That was awesome. Once I got accepted, I asked, "Why me and not one of the other 500 students in the Bay Area?" They told me it was my writing skills! I thought, oh wow, Ms. Tammer's AP English class, that's what got me hired? Cool.

AC has given me the freedom to study what I want and choose where I want to excel. I've been able to explore what my career will be. AC enabled me to pursue my dreams.

*During the 2009-10 school year, Connor and another likeminded student created the Berkeley High Jacket website (BHSJacket.com). In 2010, The Columbia Scholastic Press Association gave the online publication the Gold Crown Award, the highest award given to a student publication by the Association.

Reyna is Student Director of AC Mentoring, a group of AC students who help AC freshmen adjust to high school. She is thinking about studying Statistics, Literature or Economics when she attends college in the fall.

I've never viewed the size of Academic Choice as a negative. I went to a small private middle school and I wanted a change. I like meeting new people, and knew AC would give me that opportunity. The size means that while there are always new people to meet, my classes are full of familiar faces as well. There's also a greater diversity of opinions, which makes it interesting.

Freshman year, I wanted to take both Spanish and Latin, and AC was the only school where this was possible. During my years in high school, I've been able to take tons of electives: Latin every year, Yearbook, Dance, Photography, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, and more.

One of the best things about AC is you get to choose the level of rigor you want. You don't have to take any AP classes, but you can fill your schedule with nothing but. Senior year, the only class that's required is Gov/Econ. I had free reign over what I wanted to take, which meant I got to take only classes that interested me.