<p>It’s good to spend every day enjoying life, but when you decide not to care about your future, you shouldn’t complain years later about the consequences of that attitude. “I was dumb then” just doesn’t change things. You were given control over what schooling you would receive, and chose the curriculum you are in right now.</p>
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<p>You’re implying that you shouldn’t be held responsible for the mistakes you made when you were younger. I’m judging you based on that. Every mistake we make, big and small, is our faults. Period. </p>
<p>I don’t understand why people’s schools would pick their curricula for them at all? Where I live the courses have prerequisites, but they don’t pick any of your classes for you and you can double up on stuff if you don’t have the necessary prerequisites.
I don’t think a fifth grader is responsible for their own actions/choices in the same way that someone a few years older would be. When I was in fifth grade I was in foster care and I wasn’t allowed to use the computer, and the only library I had access to was the one at school with children’s books, and I didn’t know what a college was, and we didn’t get letter grades because it was flipping elementary school…so how could I have known about college admissions and the importance of studying for standardized tests unless someone told me? I don’t think it’s fair or even remotely necessary to decide what high school classes someone should take based on a fifth grade test.</p>
<p>I would think tests like these are probably prefaced by some lecture from a teacher about the fact that it’s important and you should do your best on it. :/</p>
<p>You’re going to feel the same way in college and beyond with this attitude of “game over.” My high school didn’t even offer math beyond trig. In college one bad test can screw your grade. Teachers suck, I agree with that, but again, you’ll run into this in college. With the exception of lower SES, attending a ‘prestigious’ college isn’t really beneficial to quality of life after. What will matter is your work ethic and attitude. You’re looking at it the wrong way. Make your mistakes and learn from them. Don’t whine about how the system is unfair. In all likelihood, you wouldn’t get into a HYPS even if you had made different choices in 5th grade and gotten all As. The odds aren’t great for anyone.</p>
<p>^
In my state they’re free if you take them during the school year? Does your state do this?
If you found ones that would transfer, they’d certainly be less expensive than classes at at four-year college.
You could also self-study for AP tests.</p>
<p>Unfortunately my district doesn’t allow that at our school. Some discrepency with the credit policy or something or other…I’ve asked my GC about other options and she’s told me there are no others that she can think of…
It’s a bit too late for me to be doing so anyways at this point…all of the classes the next level up are AP. (I’m taking 6 AP classes next year)
I’ve also been told time and time again that self-studying AP is completely pointless.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that your academic life was chosen for you in the fifth grade, but as many people have already said, the system sucks and there isn’t much we can do about it now. But it’s obvious that you are trying, despite the early set backs. 6 AP courses is a rigorous schedule. You are trying to do the best you can in the situation that you’ve been placed in.</p>
Some discrepency with the credit policy or something or other…I’ve asked my GC about other options and she’s told me there are no others that she can think of…