<p>I feel doomed. I am a Freshman at a public non-competitive high school in Washington (the state). I had a 3.95 last semester with an A- in Honors English. My school has a total of 3 honors classes for all grades (Honors English 1, 2, and 3) and only 8 AP classes for all grades (AP World History, AP Calc, AP English, AP Biology, AP Physics, AP World History, and AP Government. As a Freshman, I am only ahead of my grade in math, where I take Geometry instead of Algebra 1. However, I know many people two years ahead of the game where they are taking Algebra 2 Trigonometry.I feel all my classes except for English 1 are not challenging me. Examples: Geometry, we are learning the perimeter of triangles which I learned in 6th grade. I am 20 pages ahead in the textbook and I just work as my teacher addresses the questions of my classmates. French and Health, my teachers are too damn nice and spend more time just sushing people rather than teaching. Things like these examples occur in every class except English, I feel like I am wasting my time and I am behind the rest of the world.
Also, I am very serious about swimming, I swim 9 practices a week. Monday through Sunday and an extra practice on Monday Wednesday and Friday. This takes up my morning and afternoon so I rarely have time to sit down and learn about things that I am interested in.
I feel that my school is limiting me academically as well as my swimming. What should I do? Do I have a chance at going to a good college? Will colleges even look at me with the school I attend? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>As long as you keep up a good academic record, of course “good colleges” (whatever your definition is) will consider you. If you stick with swimming all four years and become really good at it, that’s even better for you. You’re a freshman; try not to worry too much about how colleges will perceive you because your goals and interests might have changed by the time you apply.</p>
<p>Also, colleges look at student achievements within the context of the school. Your GC has to send in a school report that places your academic achievements within the context of the school environment. I’m not sure exactly what the school report contains, but things I’d imagine it to include things like graduation rate, number of AP classes, number of honors classes, etc. So don’t worry if you’ve only taken 3 APs by the end of senior year when someone else has taken 8. It all depends on your school and what you do to take advantage of the opportunities you’re given.</p>
<p>You can still get ahead if you want. See if your school has a dual enrollment program with a local community college and you could take certain classes there over the summer or during the school year and get high school credit for them.</p>
<p>If colleges see that you took the most rigorous schedule you could, then you are sitting good (and this does not mean getting ahead, it means taking difficult classes like AP if possible and honors for the rest).</p>
<p>Thanks for the input guys.</p>
<p>We have a program called running start that I can do where I can earn college and high school credits concurrently. I cannot start that until junior year though :(</p>
<p>At my school we take running start at a pretty good CC…Bellevue Community College…but we gotta wait until junior year.</p>
<p>We do Running start at Everett Community College. Do you know if it is any good?</p>
<p>I’m turning in for the night so I will not reply until tomorrow. Please post if you have any suggestions though-Thank you!</p>
<p>I took goemetry and algebra II at the same time freshman year, so I could get ahead of everyone (my school system is slow, apparently), and it wasn’t hard. If you can still do that, it would be good.</p>
<p>Also, you can take algebra 2 or precalc over the summer at community college. You could even self-study algebra 2 during this year, take precalc at the CC, and be ahead of everyone.</p>
<p>If you wanted to, you could perhaps open-enroll into another school/district, if they have any better swimming or academic programs.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation freshman and sophomore years in which all my classes were easy and I just worked ahead. Once I got done with the book, I just learned about whatever I wanted. I would read chapters of our biology book we weren’t looking at in class, memorize random things (capitals of countries, foreign language words, presidents, vocabulary), program my calculator, and help people with homework.</p>
<p>Just do whatever you want during school, and the teachers generally won’t care, as long as you get an A in their class and don’t disturb anyone. So if you want to learn, just find a book and learn.</p>
<p>Hi Valid, you might want to post this in the Parent Forum of this website. There are some very good people on that forum (experienced adults including teachers, homeschool-parents, parents of gifted kids, etc.) who can point you in the right direction. Good luck!</p>
<p>you sad little thing. I’m a sophomore, so I’ll try to help you out. I’d suggest reading during classes-whenever I’m REALLY bored in like any of those classes you mentioned, health, math (I’m not even accelerated…pretty sad, my old school basically screwed me over in terms of curricula, anyway…), and teachers don’t care. The good thing though is that you have a passion for swimming-I similarly practice like 1 1/2 hours for piano. The way not to get overwhelmed? Even when you are really like UGHHH not again, just think, this is free time. I don’t have to do this, but after a swim, I feel great/exhilarated, etc. You have to make sure that it is fun, not an obligation. If it is an obligation, I’d cut down on the practices if I were you. </p>
<p>Don’t limit yourself to your highschool, and don’t think CC is normal. IT IS NOT! Anyone telling you 750 is “mediocre”, etc! Cmon. You are not behind the times, most teenagers are just thinking about the weekend, not their future! Don’t worry so much, be happy!</p>
<p>Guys, I REALLY appreciate your input. All of you are awesome. Thank you so much for your advice. I love CC even more now!</p>
<p>You shall be beyond fine. I too am a freshman in an untterly uninspiring public high school in Tennessee. I haven’t kicked the bucket yet.</p>
<p>Just take the most challenging courses your school has to offer and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Whenever the school doesn’t work out for you, and the problem is too serious, you can always convince your parents to move to somewhere with a better school.</p>
<p>That’s what I did when I went to this ghetto school and started beating the hell out of the top seniors in all areas (taking the same classes as they do but getting the highest scores, earning the highest ACT score in the school while messing around as a freshman, etc.) Parents decided it was a problem, they searched hard for a good school, and at the end, I ended up moving interstate. It was definitely worth it.</p>
<p>However, that may be expensive and impractical at times. If that’s the case, just stick to it, try your best, and colleges will understand.</p>
<p>Definitely don’t worry. As a previous poster said, the fact that you’re even thinking this far ahead puts you ahead of the game relative to most others.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think anyone who’s not a junior yet should not come on CC, for their own sanity. CC is not at all representative of reality, and can make ANYONE feel completely inadequate. Spending more time here than absolutely necessary could have dire consequences. ;)</p>
<p>my school in WI has 4 APS and 1 honors class. </p>
<p>I fell your pain brother</p>