<p>When I was in school (California high school system - Class of 1987): </p>
<p>High School:
the only science required for graduation was basic Earth science - 1 year.
you only needed 2 years of math - and there was nothing to say what kind of math it was. Algebra was the class most (non-elite) students took in their senior year, if they ever took it. Now my daughter will take it in the 8th grade!
we had no “weighted” classes, you couldn’t get higher than a 4.0
“college prep” meant that you took biology and chemistry, algebra II, pre-calculus, and they only had enough sections of those classes for the top 20% of students - you had to have a teacher recommendation to get into those classes. Now all of those classes are HS graduation requirements!
foreign languages were only for the “artistic” types and considered to be “electives.”
you could get PE credits for JV and varsity sports.</p>
<p>This wasn’t a “low level” high school. Among our graduates we had one accepted to Annapolis, three went to Cal Berkeley, five to Stanford, and many others went to good universities. But 85% of us simply had no intention of going to college. I did the “regular” track in high school, joined the Navy, and didn’t feel a need to go to college until I was in my 30s. </p>
<p>There I discovered that because of the standards of my day, they actually had adjusted entrance requirements for people like myself who graduated under those standards. My “old style” education left me woefully unprepared. I didn’t have the math skills even for some political science classes (mainly economics) and I struggled in an anthropology class that required simple mathematical formulas.</p>
<p>College:
only about 15% of high school grads went on to college back then, most went straight to work or to a vocational school. Now I think it’s around 60% go to college of some sort.</p>
<p>On thing I remember is I filled out paper applications, using a typewriter or by hand. Compare this to the online applications today. Most applied to fewer schools than they do now.</p>
<p>I went to high school back in the 70’s. I seem to recall that English was the only subject required all 4 years. Two years of math and science were standard and only the students who knew they were planning to attend college took foreign language. AP classes did not exist and honors were only offered in math and english. </p>
<p>I actually took 4 years each of math and science and also a foreign language (Spanish) because that was what my parents required. And I was in honors math which went up to pre calc.</p>
<p>I took the PSAT and the ACT (once), but never took the SAT’s because I knew that I was staying in the midwest for college. </p>
<p>It was a lot less pressure, but on the other hand, I never really felt challenged either.</p>
<p>I was in high school in the 70s but our “group” was called college track and we all took classes together - 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 4 years of English, 3 years of history. We all took the Iowa Basics in 8th grade and I think they used that to “sort us out.” We had a “great books” class that would be the equivalent of a zero hour class these days and ten of us were invited to take that class. No AP classes at all. In addition most of us took 4 years of a language, plus band or art or choir so pretty similar to what my kids are doing 3 decades later with the exception of their AP classes. I took the ACT and the SAT. We were in the midwest, but we all took both tests and it just kills me that I cannot for the life of me remember my scores! Applied to 4 colleges and was accepted at all 4. I don’t recall ever “worrying” that I would get rejected. One east coast and 3 in the midwest closer to home. Parents nixed the east coast because they thought it was too expensive although it was my number 1 choice of course. Applications were typed on a typewritter as was the essay. I graduated third in my class that was less than maybe 150 kids. #1 was a brilliant man who is now a college prof. #2 I think finished college but not sure. Interestingly I just “found” a bunch of report cards and I had Bs smattered through my report cards…no grade inflation back in the old days! Both my parents had advanced degrees which was rare back then and my grandparents were college educated which was even rarer so college was just the “next thing” I “had” to do. I don’t remember a ton of stress about high school or going to college. College, on the other hand, was stressful. I distinctly remember thinking every single person was “smarter” than me!</p>
<p>Graduated fr. h.s in '80. Everyone took Alg 1 in 9th gr. Trig. was the highest math offered. No such thing as AP’s. Most people who took the SAT only took it once.
Many of us were first generation college students so parents were very uninvolved.
Most I knew applied to one sch…two at most. It was rare for anyone to go out of state.</p>
<p>Many more men than women in colleges and the single gender schools hadn’t gone coed or were just beginning to. No need blind admissions. No computers to get information about schools, much less apply to online. No AP courses. Top students’ ACT/SAT scores weren’t as high, neither were gpa’s. I was young in the watershed years- '71 HS. Women’s Lib, Vietnam war… Age of adulthood was shifting- drinking/voting ages. No privacy rights for students. Only boys got to do sports.</p>
<p>like momofthreeboys, we were tracked, The catch, though, was that a lot was expected of you if you were on “the advanced” track. Not just academically, but in terms of “citizenship.” You were expected to be more mature and a leader, so there was a lot of appointing by faculty based on expectations. Exactly one AP, and that was only senior year and only for those tracked. It was definitely college-level, not an exam, but a college-level research paper taught by faculty of the associated college,</p>
<p>You applied for college up to that college’s registration, as long as there were spaces. (UC was on rolling admissions,) Application was 2 pages. Publics had merit (yes you read me correctly) scholarships. UC also recognized legacies.</p>
<p>College was not for the majority. We got excellent science in h.s, but location may have been part of the reason. Calc was not offered.</p>
<p>“Back in the day”…College search started w/a visit to the career center (in my sr. yr) in my hs to check out college catalogs. No one “chanced me” or guided me through the decision making process. I just went along with friends who were applying. Knowing what I know now, I would not have do it that way!!</p>
<p>Took SAT once - no prep, didn’t take PSAT (did it exist in early 80’s?) </p>
<p>I got into my school w/mediocre grades and decent SAT (not very impressive, actually.) My parents were not involved in this process (that’s the biggest difference between now and then), they just paid the fees. </p>
<p>I had never been on campus until after I applied. Today, S is looking into that school and now its very selective!</p>
<p>There were no AP or honor classes and everyone was in the same high school classes. Everyone started out with 0 credit hours. We took the ACT and SAT once and no one studied or really cared what the score was. </p>
<p>I only applied to two or three colleges and got accepted at all of them with none too impressive scores or grades. There was no such thing as ECs and I don’t recall writing essays but there was a one paragraph question about why you want to go to that college. The application process was fill out a couple pages (name, address, high school, and major) and attach a transcript. The GC was only for handing out a stamped copy of your transcript which you could mail yourself. </p>
<p>There was no stress. There was no driving all over the country visiting colleges. Like lilmom said the only parental involvement was writing the check. </p>
<p>Orientation consisted of the dorms opening one afternoon and you and your roommate looked through the catalog. The next day you registered for classes and it was unusual not to get everything you wanted. No one cared if you wanted to take 26 hours a semester. </p>
<p>Your advisor was the head of your dept. and there was nothing to “advise” about. You did what you wanted to do and took whatever classes you wanted to take. If in the end you had 24 hours in the dept. you got a degree.</p>
<p>It was cheaper to live on campus than at home and most everyone lived on campus all four years. After a roommate who was a druggie, one who cried for two weeks before dropping out, and one with severe mental problems, I found out it only cost $7 semester to not have a roommate. Tutition was $3 hr. The year after I graduated the big scandal was tution had skyrocketed to $4 hr.</p>