IMO, fluent Spanish can be useful for lots of reasons. I have a large number of Hispanic clients who would be thrilled if we could talk in Spanish - instead I am often talking to their kids who translate for them. While IB may be a smidgen more well-regarded than doing a full set of APs, at many colleges it’s easier to get credit for the APs. I also think for science focussed kids there are more AP choices. Which program has better teachers? Where are his friends going? What does your kid want to do? Those are all more important IMO that some hypothetical about college acceptance.
@mathmom my kid is the easy making friends type. He can make friends anywhere and any age. So where his friends go is not something to consider. He has so many friends so I have to count by ethnicities or activities. Also, I can’t afford for him to go to “where his friends go”.
About Hispanic speaking, he is my interpreter for my business and travel. I can trust his work and love how great job he does. I am so thankful to the TWBI program. My kid helps me connecting Hispanic world.
What kind of translator or interpreter certificate will he get? If it is one that qualifies him to do professional or court translation or interpretation, that is a really, really big deal. It can help him find a well paying job right after finishing the program, and will allow him to help pay for his education. If he likes that kind of work, I say go for it.
@happymomof1 : I am looking for that path since it is related to what he wants to learn in college (law). Being an interpret/translator is just an add on, not what he wants as a career.
He knows Chinese too. We don’t put too much time & effort in this tough language for now. He can write/read/speak but not Biliteracy like Spanish. It is a side language, not in school. Can’t compare to Spanish but cost me legs & arms.
A huge factor mentioned in later posts- distance to school. The IB school seems to be a lot closer. Time spent travelling should be minimized.
The IB school seems to have better academic offerings and activities.
He can get any certifications in other ways than needing the immersion school. He intends to go beyond a basic college degree (eg law at this time).
I do not see where after having enough Spanish to help you out he needs the extra immersion at the expense of academic rigor. Spanish only helps with Spanish speakers, as mentioned by a poster long ago it will not give an edge for military purposes. There are so many other languages that English proficiency is most important- so people from all over can communicate with each other in this country.
Two big questions- does he have a strong preference and is he competitive for the rigors of the IB program. We don’t need the answers, but you and he need to discuss the pros and cons. Your son wants to be best prepared for a top tier college, rigorous coursework will prepare him best. Knowing a second language will not give him an edge.
@thumper1
Well said.
@ServiceAcademy
I don’t think your son has a good chance of gaining admission to an Ivy League school. Admissions people can tell the difference between students who have been packaged and students who are genuinely pursuing a passion. I read your other three threads and it sounds like your son doesn’t have much input; rather, it sounds like his parent is trying to package him for the Ivy League. There are thousands of students who have outstanding test scores, perfect grades, amazing AP or IB scores, and meaningful extracurricular activities who are denied admission every year. Your son would have a much better chance of admission if he were free to pursue his own interests.
I also want to clarify how law degrees work in the military. If a law degree is this student’s goal rather than military service, the academies are not the way to go. The general route to a law career in the military is for the student to pursue a law degree on their own and then apply to the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corps in one of the service branches and attend some sort of commissioning school. At Army, for instance:
https://www.goarmy.com/jag/about.html
Almost no one is able to go to law school directly from any academy. At Air Force, for example:
https://www.academyadmissions.com/about-the-academy/faq/life-after-the-academy-faq/#lawschool
The same process applies for Navy.
Military academies are not routes to law school.
and I might add that if the post above from @ChoatieMom means that there’s no longer interest in the academies, then the academies were “wrong reasons” to begin with.
I wish @ServiceAcademy would clarify why the Service Academies and Ivies are the top contenders when there are 3000 colleges in this country…many of them excellent higher education places of learning.
@thumper1 : We have many good local schools, we are not so worry about it. My kid is smart enough to deal with it without me. I just want to learn about Military Service Academy because I can have conversation with my kid on this planning. I didn’t pay attention about military service Academy until my kid wanted to be a part of it.
I have been in schools for many years, my friends are local professors, we got insider info here and there.
Your son will be one of thousands with similar stats, no matter how good, vying for places at elite schools. This year he needs to decide if he is enamored enough with Spanish to do the immersion. It will NOT get him into any schools. His decision for which HS to attend depends greatly on wanting to do the Spanish thing. Especially when compared to the enjoyment of learning through the IB system. Forget the college hunt for now. Don’t forget travel time.
@donnaleighg no worry. I can’t change my kid’s dream just because someone said it was wrong to begin with or whatever. So far, I just learn and reevaluate everything my kid had done. Maybe add in something better.
@wis75 I don’t know why the IB school rating is only 4/10 and the Spanish is 9/10 on greatschools and it is the same low on niche.
I think I should show my kid all the comments here. We need to find a better strategy to get into MSA.
This is the problem OP. This is what everyone is trying to tell you - there is no “better strategy” for getting into highly selective programs. Your child needs to choose the high school program that he is most comfortable going to for its own sake. The point of high school is to learn and grow as a person. If you are forcing something, there wont be the same level of success.
As was stated repeatedly, if your son is aiming for the academies, stay in scouts and excel in athletics. He can do that at any school.
As an aside, I would take the school rating with a grain of salt for a brand new school with no track record. As for the low rating for the IB school, call and ask for a school profile. The school should be able to give you the % of students going to college, average test scores, where students are going to college, etc… You can get those stats for your local public school as well.
Lastly, tell your son not to rob himself of his childhood especially for a “dream” where even people with perfect stats and national awards are rejected yearly. Enjoy the high school years, they go by in the blink of an eye. A hard working student will get into a great college and there are many pathways to becoming an officer. Nearly all schools offer ROTC programs.
I’d take school ratings with a grain of salt period. Our high school regularly appears in the bottom third of most school ratings. It’s an enormous school and it’s got a lot of English language learners and a lot of low income kids. It doesn’t always serve them as well as it should, but the rating system is also rigged to make you look like you are failing when a kid who doesn’t yet speak English fluently can’t pass the Regents English test. It’s a terrific school for high achieving students. It offers over 20 APs and graduates from our high school regularly go to all the most selective school in the country (including service academies from time to time.) You have to dig deeper.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: As with the OP’s other thread, I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by leaving this open. Closing.