@ak2018 Looking good! 
Iām really visual, so itās always helpful for me to know what people actually look like. Iād do the same but Iām too paranoid about people recognizing me lol
@neptuna Thanks.
Iām currently studying like a boss right now. I literally just retaught myself how to do Stoichiometry, now Iām going to try Limiting Reagents.
I am going to finish this quarter with all Aās hopefully. My weighted GPA for this year will be 4.56, and 4.00 unweighted.
My weighted GPA over high school will be 4.45 and 4.00 unweighted. Hopefully I can keep the Aās streak going into Junior year!
@neptuna SAME. I donāt really want people to know what I look likeā¦
@ak2018 wow you really are tall. Stoichiometry was my favorite unit in chem! Good luck!
Oh good luck to everyone on final exams/assessments and hope your GPAs remain strong. Unfortunately I tested very poorly for my HChem class this quarter and ruined my chances for the A butā¦ got over it LOL ishā¦ I need to do some work now
@bubblylaugh Thanks, I guess. LOL Iām only 6 foot. :)) Moles and Stoichiometry were my worst units, but I ended up with good test scores after I retook them. Nomenclature was my best!
Iām actually okay with people knowing what I look like. My Instagram isnāt put on private, and is free for the whole world to see. I guess Iām just that kind of person.
OMG. So I just took a practice SOL after studying Stoichiometry and Limiting Reagents for an hour and a half and I only missed 3 questions, technically 4, but my teacher never taught us that. I got a 560/600! Which is a 93% or 42/45, minus the one question we were taught how to do. 
<:-P I technically got a 548, but I still feel great. I feel so confident that Iāll pass advanced on this SOL. I just feel it. Or at least Iāll get a score in the high 400s.
@sewin2music @Abbiegalie OMG I didnāt know openstax existed until now!!! I was planning to self-study chemistry over the Summer and was about to spend money on a textbook. This is a blessing. ^:)^
Iām too afraid to say my gpa lol. Lets just say freshman year was rough, but I do well now lol.
I am more willing to pluck my leg hair out with tweezers right now than I am to do schoolwork. :((
@snowfairy137 That is me rn!! I have to do 100 questions for a math study guide :-q Iām only on # 30 :((
@Hamlon I just checked out that OpenStax website and it definitely looks like a good one.
@ak2018 how do u apply not using AA? Fo u just not put ur race down? Big props to u dude, thats really admirable.
Todays my last friday as a sophomore, highkey scared to be an upperclassmen next year lol. I really gotta start grindin in the summer tooā¦
@neonerudite Thanks. I donāt know of a way yet, without putting my race down. Iād be perfectly okay with putting my race down, but Iām not so sure I want to be automatically entered AA. If I do decided to put my race down, then it will definitely be of my own choosing.
Also, Happy Last Day of School! Iāll still be in school for another month. :((
Also, I have my Chemistry SOL in 30 minutes, WISH ME LUCK!
There was this one post on the HS Class of 2018 Parents thread about using AA that makes me kind of question my decision.
"I understand where youāre coming from. You want to be admitted on fair ground compared to your peers academically and socially (extracurriculars, volunteering, etc). However, there are so many factors that get pulled out and ātaggedā in admissions. I worked as an undergraduate for four years in the admissions office of an Ivy and learned a ton. One of the things that surprised me was the tags that were on the files of the applicants. I asked about them - they had tags for URMs, Athletes, First to College, Poverty, etc.
It made me realize that I most likely wasnāt admitted based on my grades or SAT scores. Most likely, I was admitted because my scores and grades were surprisingly high for a child from a single parent household who was the first to go to college in my family and was hovering around the poverty line. Plus I had a national-level athletic talent.
I know everyone is different, but I was proud that I could still āhangā with the kids who got in from prestigious prep schools and kids like my roommate whose parents paid for all four years up front so they could lock in the price the first year.
It can work both ways. The colleges are trying to build a community of learners who can each bring a unique or interesting perspective to the college. For you, growing up as a minority student in an upper middle class suburb could be that unique perspective.
If you donāt indicate your race, they could assume youāre just another white kid from an upper middle class town and, while they need that perspective as well, itās not really unique when considered overall.
Other kids are going to be highlighting what makes them interesting, different, and truly āthemā. If you feel your race is not a big part of who you are, you are of course able to leave that box unchecked. Someone else might let them know, however. A recommendation from a teacher or counselor, etc.
In the end, the colleges are admitting you as a whole person and race is just a piece of the puzzle. They would not admit you just because of your race - you have to show that you are capable of handling the work and becoming a contributing member of their community of learners. "
When you took the AP exam but the teacher still gives you a finalā¦
my chances of getting into IB are looking up Iām so excited but Iām not too excited to memorize all the polyatomic ions for AP chemā¦ :ā)
@ihavenoideawow Youāre so lucky! My school doesnāt offer IB, but I personally think itās a more comprehensive, interesting way to teach rather than picking and choosing with APās. Plus, there are the easy APās that are used for padding and stuff when really you should be working hard to excel in an area, not memorize facts for an MC test.
@neptuna The AP History teachers at our school do that as well. You still have to take the SOL even though you already took the AP exam.
I just took the Chemistry SOL today, and I kind of wanted to cry after I took it. There were 60 questions and about 10 of them were field questions, questions that wonāt count but are used to see how hard, or easy, the curriculum is. If majority of people get the field questions right, that means the questions next year will be slightly harder.
There were 13 questions I āFlagged For Reviewā, meaning I skipped those questions and went back to them later. I think, overall, I did pretty well, but I probably wonāt be getting a 500. Oh well! As long as I get between 450 and 500, Iām fine and Iāll be ready for AP Chemistry.
I have one more SOL on Monday, The Algebra II SOL, and Iām done with SOLs for the year.