STUDENT GUEST OF THE WEEK: Ethan is a burgeoning tech enthusiast who got accepted into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, Brown. This week he's answering your questions on how to best craft your application and narrow down your college search/decision process. ASK HIM ANYTHING!
Concerned about how to pay for college amid COVID-19 economic changes? Join us for a webinar on Thu, Apr. 9 at 5pm ET. REGISTER NOW and let us know what questions you have and want answered.
Most of the decisions are in by now. Connect with fellow students and share support for those who didn't get the best news.
Parents of the HS Class of 2017
Novimom
129 replies4 threads Junior Member
I saw the thread for class of 2016 which was started last year around this time and thought I might as well see if there are any bites....I know there's at least one other poster out there!
In any case, current issue for us is high school class scheduling - how many honors classes? how many EC? Summer plans?
34037 repliesIn any case, current issue for us is high school class scheduling - how many honors classes? how many EC? Summer plans?
Post edited by Novimom on
Replies to: Parents of the HS Class of 2017
Will try again today and see if I have better luck.
My first ever post!!
I have two daughters who are four years apart. D1 just finished her admission process. She will be going to Vassar College (EDII) this fall.
D2 is a no-math kid. Actually, everyone in the family is missing a little chunk of the brain that controls the math skills. So she is taking honors in English and Social Studies but not in Math and Science. She will also be taking Japanese and Orchestra.
She has been taking harp lessons for the past 7 years. Currently that's the only EC for her. Oh another thing everyone in the family is missing in the brain ..... the part that controls our sport skills. So no sport will appear on her EC list. She is a go-getter so I'm not worrying about her future ECs. She will find something on her own.
I'm glad we don't have to jump in another admission process right after D1. I will (hope) take it easy for the next three years and then panic!!!
If you have a child who is changing schools and has challenges adjusting to new situations it might be smart to lower the academic load a little bit.
As far as ECs go, I think it depends on the child. My 2017 is an athlete. He plans on playing football, wrestling and playing lacrosse. Again, he is at a school where the clubs are open to all 7-12 graders so he knows what the offerings are. For those going to a new school you never know what they will find that lights a spark in them. I never thought my son would wrestle but he started in 6th grade and he loved it.
This summer my son will be taking a course at Vanderbilt's VSA. He will also be trying out for a few elite lacrosse teams. If he makes them we will be busy. Other than that we have our normal club lacrosse and a few local wrestling camps planned.
Congratulations to your daughter, HiToWaMom - and also on your first post!
Proudpatriot - your son does sound like he will be busy, and quite accomplished!
As for my son (class of 2017) - he will be taking all honors (except where not offered), though no AP classes. They are not offered in 9th grade at our high school as far as I am aware! EC-wise, he will probably do something math/science oriented and maybe sailing? He will be sailing this spring but not completely sure what he will do next year. I think though similar to HiToWaMom, I trust my son to figure out a schedule that is challenging, interesting and works for him. Summer this year will be 3 weeks academic (computer programming), 2 weeks vacation, and the rest fun (sailing, tennis, etc.). These days, choices about summer camps are more and more up to my kids.
I agree that making choices about school/ EC is definitely unique to each child... I am already seeing that my two kids will not be blazing the same trail.
Seeing as how you have had other children go through this process - were they different in talent/ drive/ interests? I assume that there were such differences amongst your children - so then how did you approach parenting them differently? Did you ever have a child who was less motivated and if so, how did you try to encourage them to reach their full potential?
D1 and D2 are very different. D1 is a scholar type. Books and a cozy nook make her happy. She never plans get-together with her friends. She goes if she is invited and feels like it but she is basically happy at home with her books and her favorite TV shows.
D2 cannot stay still. She is always on the go, a little drama queen and complains about school and friends just like any teenage girls do.
D1 hates losing. This prevented her from participating in any kind of competitions or contests. She even hates board games.
D2 loves challenges. If she loses, she shrugs her shoulders and moves on. D2 might achieve more because of this traits.
D1 gets annoyed easily so I try to keep a respectful distance and not meddle too much with her affair.
D2 loves to communicate, interact and seek advice. Yes, definitely, I parent them in different style. It can be challenging sometimes.
How about you, Novimom? Is your son the only child? Sailing sounds great! My husband used to be an avid boater. He is now an avid boat magazine reader!!
I'm a single mom with one son, who will be starting 9th grade at our local public high school this fall, but I've been posting for a while, partially because I work in a school so I have questions from that perspective.
My son is the sweetest kid on the planet, he doesn't seem to have gotten the memo that teenagers are supposed to be grumpy or uncooperative. He's a solid student, but not a typical CC superstar, getting mostly B's with some A's in English and History and the arts sprinkled in. He'll play football in the fall, and wants to try crew in the spring. He's also been very involved in the production side of theater and TV while in middle school, and will hopefully continue that in HS, and maybe sing in a choir. He's got a couple of low key volunteer activities at our local Board of Elections, and the zoo, and now that he's 14 he's going to start working as a soccer ref with the rec league. His goal is to find another job, he'll be submitting an application to the library this week so we'll see how that goes, and he's applied to be a Jr. snowboard instructor this winter. He's a busy kid, so I'm very excited that he's moving to HS where more the activities are onsite and there's less driving for me!
His first choice schedule for the fall is:
Honors English 9
Honors Biology
Honors American History
Geometry
Arabic 1
Theater
Video Production
He's got a couple classes that aren't that popular, so we'll see if all of his first choices fit together.
Thanks for starting the thread Novimom and I look forward to getting to know you and your students.
My daughter is planning on taking all honors next year. She is a good student and will probably end up taking AP math and science courses. She is also an athlete and has a fairly demanding training schedule. We have not yet decided which meets she will compete in this summer so our travel plans are on hold. ECs will be anything that catches her fancy and that she has time for.
In any case, I have a younger son and part of what prompted my question is that we were doing course selections for him at the same time. He is taking lower level classes compared to his brother, which is fine... But I asked him if he wanted to move up in anything and he said he didn't want to work too hard.
This didn't sit well with me but I don't want to force him to work hard. I would rather figure out how to make him want more for himself. At least in certain areas that he enjoys and is good at. Especially because he has a competitive and perfectionist streak. I don't know how he got to the point where he just says that he doesn't want to take hard classes.
I guess I will need to try to find someway to make learning more fun for him. It's quite a contrast from his older brother.
In any case good to meet you all!
I work long hours, particularly in July and August, and while I'm OK with my son staying home alone for a few days or even a week, I'm hesitant to have him home every day for weeks at a time.
My son's first choice is to get a job, but around here that's hard at 14. We've also talked a volunteer job, summer camp, and summer school. I'm curious if other people have other more creative ideas.
I have been coming here for years for college help with my now 22 y/o DD who just this morning packed up a Uhaul to move to New Orleans to start a nursing job Monday morning. Time surely does fly.
I begin the journey again with twin DD who will start HS in August. Our school offers an IB program but we will be declining, although they will do the first 2 years PEP portion. They currently play on a travel soccer team, school soccer, track and play piano. Grade-wise they make all A's but we ARE in MS
I look forward to following along on the journey with you all.
I think those summer plans all seem like good ideas in general. And in terms of general categories, I honestly can't think of many more!
To be more specific, it might be good to have the summer plans relate to your son's interests? For example, if he loves animals, maybe try the animal shelter; if he's a good swimmer, maybe lifeguarding; sports, maybe a ref; etc.? If he's done a lot of residential or other camps before, many camps offer junior counselor jobs and I think 14 is old enough for those.
Wow, what a milestone for your family! Congratulations.
As for IB - what went into your decision about IB? Our school offers IB too... we don't have to make a decision yet and our guidance counselor told us it wasn't necessary when we asked if it made a difference with college applications.
Why would a student choose IB?
Can I close with two lessons I learned? If there is a grade you're not happy with in 8th grade, which carries on to HS, make the kid repeat the class no matter what. S14 has an atrocious grade in algebra I. He knew the material- just didn't do homework. Yes I yelled and punished- now his HS GPA as a whole is lower than any year in high school on its own, and several tenths lower than it would be had we made him repeat it. It's a real concern now and may impact his ultimate results. See if 8th grade classes in traditional HS subjects carry over. I feel horrible that I didn't realize the impact.
Also. Create a file where you list EC and volunteer activities for your D or S. include dates, hours worked etc. so much easier than trying to remember it all down the line.
Finally- if your alma mater has a legacy counseling service, take your child there if possible. Even if they aren't interested in the school, it's a way to wake them up to what schools look for. Show them accepted grade/ test scores early on if the are naming schools they may like. Don't let them go on in the dark, is my point.
That is some really good advice I'm sure we'll be glad to have when we're applying!
It's so helpful to get perspective from people who have been through this before.
Last summer, she took 8th grade math at summer school so she could take algebra in 8th grade. She is getting B in algebra now. I thought about making her repeat it in 9th grade but she ended up registering for geometry. After I read 89Wahoo's comment, I am freaking out. Should I have make her repeat algebra???
Also, if your child is planning on science track, be sure they have a good grasp of algebra. They will need it for physics.