Advice for any parents of HS freshmen (or even 8th graders) out there - Page 13

Marian · 03-06-2009, 04:50 PM

Quote:

If the top kids are taking 11-15 AP classes in their hs careers, then my kid has to do it too to be considered one of the top kids at his school.

Alternatively, if you can afford it and don't consider it too much of a nuisance, your kid could apply primarily to colleges far away from Florida, where there isn't quite so much AP craziness.

My daughter, from the Washington, DC suburbs (also a bit AP crazy -- but usually to the tune of 6 to 8 APs rather than the 11 to 15 you're talking about), is attending a college in New York state, where kids seem to take a much smaller number of APs in high school. Few of her classmates entered with as many APs as she did.

Excessive AP collecting can actually be detrimental. In some subjects -- particularly math and foreign langauge -- you have to take multiple years of prerequisites before you can take an AP course. Frantic AP counters tend to avoid these subjects in favor of taking many AP science and social studies courses. Yet math and foreign language are just as important in a well-balanced high school program.

Several times on these boards, I have had to convince kids that yes, they should take precalculus or Spanish 3 and 4, even though those courses are not AP, rather than taking extra AP science or social studies courses instead.

geeps20 · 03-06-2009, 05:49 PM

AP classes are getting out of hand...who gets the $90? I'm wondering if this is all about the money being generated.

sunnsea · 03-09-2009, 06:16 PM

How would you the parents feel if going into HS, your kid wasn't interested in any sports, music, and such. I feel we (the parents) would miss out on the whole HS experience, if there wasn't a play to see, a game to carpool to, a competition to cheer them on. Not to mention how it would later look on college applications? Any advise?

mathinokc · 03-09-2009, 06:23 PM

There are lots of kids in most big schools that aren't involved in sports or music. Just because they don't play doesn't mean that a group can't go to the game.

I think the most important thing is finding a place to belong/a group to be part of. It can be speech/debate, drama, quiz bowl, Key Club, or Model UN.

There are opportunities to show interest and leadership outside of school. Music and sports aren't the only ways.

sunnsea · 03-09-2009, 10:49 PM

I know, I know. It's just seems like everyone's kid is on the team, in a band, or a play. I do hope mine will at least join some clubs.

Kelowna · 05-31-2009, 09:43 PM

Hey guys, it's been a long time

What are your incoming freshman planning for the summer???

Mine just got back from the ARML Nationals meet. He is taking Math SAT 2 next Saturday

He is also taking a college class in math this summer, going to two Boy Scout camps and a camp in movie making (his current passion).

Starting a totally new school next year (IB program). Will have to commute for a good hour each way. I find it very difficult to let go of the control - I have been driving him to school since he started Kindergarten

Quit fencing, which I am really upset about, but just could not handle fencing meets on the same day as ARML practices. He has no sport to talk about at this moment and seems quite happy. Is it normal? Should I encourage him to take a sport in HS?

momreads · 05-31-2009, 10:31 PM

Mathinokc, you are right about a kid finding his or her place. My youngest son is going into eighth grade (his high school includes eighth graders), and he is struggling with this. He loves cross country and track, so we want him to compete. He loves band, but the schedule does not work (too much preseason stuff during the summer), so he will quit for a year. He really wants to attend a med camp at a local hospital -- just to see what hospital personnel do. He wants to play soccer, too, so we told him to do it. He is an excellent student, but I can see how ticked he becomes when he is compared to an older brother who is all-everything. We tell him that he has to be the best he can be ... not what everyone else says. Even his older brother tells him to find his place ... and do not let anyone try to change you.

nunya · 05-31-2009, 10:33 PM

"AP classes are getting out of hand...who gets the $90? I'm wondering if this is all about the money being generated. "

Your school charges for AP classes? Or are you talking about the test fee? Ours charges about $40 for the test but nothing for the class. Most students in AP don't take the test for fear of failing. For double the dollars, they take DCs so they're guaranteed college credit at the end of the year. We have about a half dozen or so of each AP and DC. They begin APUSH as sophomores and then they take 5-6 AP and DC in both their two remaining years. With rank being everything, it's important to get all these classes they can. Slack off and you're out of the game.

FindAPlace · 05-31-2009, 10:45 PM

Our school charges $86 for each AP EXAM. I believe the vast majority of that goes to the College Board. Unlike most of the SAT which can be machine graded, APs are handled by huge groups of qualified teachers who sit and rooms and do the deed, based on standard rubrics. Somebody needs to pay for the manpower and process to do all that.

nunya · 05-31-2009, 10:48 PM

"I feel we (the parents) would miss out on the whole HS experience, if there wasn't a play to see, a game to carpool to, a competition to cheer them on. Not to mention how it would later look on college applications?"

Agreed. While AP classes are important for rank, it's also important to have fun classes each year. First for mental health and second for college applications.

Cheering them on in sports and attending their plays or concerts is a great way for parents to stay involved in their teens lives. Kids need to have some time to express themselves, have fun and make friends. Each year encourage them become involved with both a physically active class (athletics, dance, band, choir, theater) and one that is less physical (art, computer, yearbook, newspaper) to show that they are well rounded on their college apps.

FallGirl · 06-01-2009, 08:28 AM

One of D's friends was required by her parents to become involved in a school activity of her choice when beginning high school. I didn't do this as D was involved in a sport, dance studio and church youth group. I wish I had. Until she became involved at the school neither she nor H & I felt much "connection" with the school. I will require my S to choose a school activity when he starts h.s.

mdoc · 06-01-2009, 10:22 AM

^DS/freshman and I just met with the college guidance counselor(for sophomore year course scheduling advice). She told us that for her to check the "took the most rigorous classes" box on the GC rec forms at our hs my son has to take 5-7 AP classes during his junior year and another 5-7 AP's during his senior year!!! This is insane. ^

Wow, this really is insane! At D's high school, every AP class except for Statistics is a full year class. There are only 8 periods in the day, and phys ed has to be one of them. You're also supposed to take a lunch period, which leaves 6 class periods. Even though this HS offers 22 AP courses (28 AP tests), they don't let you take AP English or AP language until senior year, so if a student is taking 4 years of English and a language, that only leaves 4 possible AP slots junior year. And unless you took math at the high school in 8th grade (there's only about 8 kids out of 450 who did this), you can't take AP math until senior year, so we're down to 3 AP's as a junior, 4 if you skip lunch. Obviously all of those APs wouldn't be required for "most rigorous" at D's HS, and thank goodness for that. The expected amount of homework is at least 2 hours a night for an AP class at D's school, and there aren't enough hours in a day to go to school, sleep, and then do homework for 5-7 AP classes - and forget about ECs, a job, etc. I certainly hope your son's school is different from ours, otherwise all I can say to that requirement for "most rigorous" is "Yikes!"

samiamy · 06-01-2009, 10:34 AM

oops wrong thread post

geomom · 06-01-2009, 10:40 AM

The thing I don't understand is how AP classes can be so time consuming. DS is a graduating senior, and self-studied for 7 AP exams. He got 5's on all of them, and didn't spend more than 50 hours studying for any one of them. In contrast AP classes spend 150 hours in class, plus at least as much time on the homework, for 300 hours in all? How can doing it with a teacher takes 6 times the amount of time it takes to do it on your own?

qialah · 06-01-2009, 11:05 AM

Wow, geomom. That's pretty impressive. So did your son study for 7 APs in subjects he wasn't taking at school?

D's school offers a very limited number of AP classes because they're very ambivalent about "teaching to the test" but the majority of her AP Euro class time was discussion. That's probably not the most efficient way to assimilate lots of data, but it has other benefits.