No honor classes freshman year?

2prepMom
Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:09:35 +0000

I would suggest you arrange a meeting with your guidance counselor as soon as (or slightly before) school starts. Maybe include your parents if that would help you (especially if they are tigers). You need more info here, and 9th grade is a very poor time to be shut out of any existing honors classes.

1) Are there honors classes available to frosh? If so, why were you not placed in them?

2) You most definitely want to be in the most advanced academic track you can possibly manage, in your high school, from the very beginning. Otherwise advanced classes down the road become nearly impossible to get in to, and colleges place great emphasis on “taking the most challenging courses available to you”, especially in your area of interest. Do not accept “do well this year and try them next year”, because given what thread you have posted on here, the game may well be over next year if you do not take honors classes this year.

3) Maybe your B in math led you to be tracked out of honors. If so, get a math tutor and spend some time this summer reviewing and getting ready for your next HONORS math class.

4) Ask if you can be moved to ANY available honors classes. Insist. You will find the other students are more serious about academics, and the teachers are also usually better in the honors tracks. And the honors classes at a 9th grade level will not be much harder than the regular classes, and will be a lot more interesting

5) Plan out your entire 4 year high school academic path now (including summer activities), as you see your goals now, and check carefully with your high school’s course catalogue to see the prerequisites of any AP or IB classes your school offers, and how to meet them.

6) Do you have any other high school options?