Advice for Choate new students for 2023-24

[anselwr]

@417WHB

The official GPA at Choate is unweighted, and that is what is reported to colleges. But they do use weighted for some things too. If you can get an A in an honors class it is the way to go obviously, but it is better to have A in regular than B in honors. The best thing about Choate are the signature programs, mine did the JFK one but there are a bunch for different interests, they go really deep into the subject and do high level stuff, travel etc. There are not a ton of electives to take in 9th grade so by the time your son gets more choices he will know what he wants to dive into. There is always an option to take 6th class, not first term but eventually. Some kids always do that and while quite time consuming (especially if you play a varsity sport with a lot of games) it can be doable. The trimester scheduling makes things go very fast but also provides some flexibility since you can always have a one term class and go to something else next term. A [color=black]time management argumentative essay[/color] really helps me have effective time management. And yes you can absolutely go back up to honors if you go down in one science, or one history class. Trickier in math or language because it is a sequence but kids have done it, usually after doing extra work in the summer. I would advise to not focus on overloading with classes right away though, if you or your son is mostly concerned about college admissions the kids that do best are the ones that find time for something unique to stand out and enjoy what they do. Just from what I see this year anyway. That said nothing wrong with challenging yourself and if you/he feels he can handle it, no reason not to give it a shot.

Uhmm, I have something to point. While the official GPA at Choate may be unweighted and reported to colleges, weighted grades are considered for certain aspects. I mean, having an A in an honors class is advantageous, but it’s not necessarily better than a B in an honors class. The signature programs at Choate may be appealing, but their status as the “best” aspect is subjective. Moreover, even if electives are limited in 9th grade, students gain more choices as they progress. Taking a sixth class is an option, although time-consuming, and let’s not deny how important time is as we get older. So moving up to honors is possible in some subjects with extra work…