How important are rigorous classes for high profile MT schools?

UMiamiMTDad
Fri, 26 Apr 2019 23:37:41 +0000

@speezagmom @toowonderful We had the unfortunate problem that the guidance counselors at our high school were so overwhelmed that they were not able to adequately guide students in class selection. Our school had close to 1500 students with just two counselors (California has the second highest student-to-counselor ratio in the US). For his junior year, our S decided that he should take Math 3 STEM instead of the less rigorous Math 3 because “it would look better on the transcript.” He did not confer with us because we would have tried to steer him to regular Math 3 since he was a) not going to pursue a STEM major and b) had no intention to take pre-Calc the next year. I told him an A or B or Math 3 will look better than a C in Math 3 STEM. But teenagers know more than their parents, of course.

The one AP class we all wish he could have taken was AP US History, because he loves history. But only one section was offered and it was the same period as his Dramatic Arts class. There are definitely a few things we wish he had done differently with class selection in high school, but in the end I am convinced our kids end up where they were meant to be.

@BFAorBust Our high school did participate in the Middle College program at our community college, but our S wanted to stay at high school with his friends, and more importantly continue to participate in their plays and musicals. Of course, he could have done that at the college as well, but he’s very social and wanted to stay with his friends. It is a great option to consider, though, for anyone who has that option available.