<p>Un grito from me!!! Happy Cindo de Mayo! (I’m watching Ballet Folklorico on TV right now).</p>
<p>Off to ds2’s play but will return for margarita, frozen, no salt, thanks.</p>
<p>Good luck, test takers.</p>
<p>No modified attendance policy for our kids on AP days. </p>
<p>But that’s no surprise. Our schools are strict. Can’t even attend team practice or arts rehearsal in the afternoon if you forget to get a note from the doc regarding an appt earlier in the day. A parent’s note isn’t good enough. Must be doctor’s note in order to practice/rehearse. And, of course, if you’re ineligible to practice/rehearse on Tuesday, for example, you cannot compete/perform on Wednesday. Needless to say, we have very few unmedical absences.</p>
<p>DougBetsy - D’s school has rules similar to your local schools, but the rules at her school seem to be enforced on a more individual basis. This means that depending on the authority figure your child is dealing with, things may be handled in different ways.</p>
<p>YDS - I saw Ballet Folklorico perform twice when I was in Mexico on my honeymoon - almost 22 years ago! </p>
<p>Good luck to your ds2 - but isn’t it early in the morning for a play?</p>
<p>Thanks, jackief and YDS. D believes she needs some luck for this particular test.</p>
<p>Good luck to the other test takers as well.</p>
<p>Still haven’t made it to the '09 thread, but I’ll try heading over there now.</p>
<p>On AP days, you get the whole day off. However since you are still responsible for all make-up work, some kids go to classes anyway.</p>
<p>The day before is a regular school day.</p>
<p>Good luck to the test takers! </p>
<p>And to those of us who provide the pit crew support to the test takers!</p>
<p>I talked to D’s college counselor yesterday about the schedule plan change for next year (where she currently isn’t planning to take history, nor science, because they decided not to let her take seven classes) since it was different than what he had signed off on.</p>
<p>He had the same concerns as me that her schedule is too lop-sided and that she should consider AP Physics C instead of Greek (she is in H Physics, a non-calc based mechanics class this year) The courses she had wanted to take but was denied were a trio of history electives on ancient/greco-roman/something else, I think she would add that back before the Physics, although she likes Physics also. I’m also not sure the school would allow her to take five APs as they typically like to limit kids to two. He also said she should run her plans by admissions officers and get their take. He says he has no pull with the curriculum committee who put the kabosh on her original schedule.</p>
<p>She says she is signed up for what she wants to take and that she is meeting the required course load at the colleges she is interested in. I would like her to talk to an adcom or talk to the other college counselor and get another opinion. At this point I am telling her she can make the final decision, but she needs to understand that she might be weakening her chances at some of these schools. Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>Proposed schedule sr year
AP Eng Lit
AP Latin Vergil
AP Calc AB
AP Stats
Chinese III
Greek II</p>
<p>cumulative courseload
English 4 yr
Math 5 yr (6 if you count Alg I in 8th grade)
Hist/Soc Studies 3 yr (4 if you count self study AP Psych score=4)
Science 3 yr (Bio/Chem/Phys)
Languages 9yr (5 Latin incl middle school, 3 Chinese, 1 Greek or two if you count studying Greek I over summer)
Choir 1 yr (plus one year audit)</p>
<p>current college list
top choices
Middlebury
Bates
Colgate</p>
<p>middle choices
Dartmouth
Bowdoin
Conn College</p>
<p>so-so interested or haven’t visited yet, but still on the list
Tufts
U Chicago
Williams
Hamilton</p>
<p>jackief, I really think she’ll be fine. She’s applying to schools who will likely be intrigued by her interest in languages - she’s covered all the bases and she has a ton of math. She’s even self-studied for an AP. To me she looks like just the sort of student colleges are looking for - motivated, with strong academic interests that she’s pursued to a level beyond what high school would ordinarily have provided. I think her pointiness will outweigh her well-roundedness.</p>
<p>thank you mathmom. She is pretty strong-willed (pig-headed?) and I doubt she will alter the course, but I want her to understand what might be potential handicaps. And she isn’t interested in majoring in classics, in which case I would whole-heartedly support her. But maybe that’s what they will assume if she writes undecided. She is currently thinking of psych (hence the self study AP Psych and the Stats next year) And her language classes are her top grades and easiest classes, so maybe she will have a streak of open mindedness in college and veer in that direction…</p>
<p>jackief–I think her strong background in languages is unique and would capture adcoms’ attention. BUT, I would have her email adcoms at the schools she is interested in and run it by them. If Middlebury, for example, comes back and says it’s a problem, then she can make an informed decision. While she’s at it, I would suggest she ask whether having another science or social studies is more important if they recommend dropping one language class. And mention the self-study psych.</p>
<p>astromom- yes that’s what the college counselor suggested. Maybe I can get her to write an email after APUSH is over. He also said she should address this sooner than later to have better chance to get a schedule change request in. Of course, it is not guaranteed that she gets all the classes on her original list, so all this could just be an academic exercise.</p>
<p>and you should have seen the glare when I suggested dropping AP Latin Vergil next year since she did AP Latin Lit this year and will likely get a good exam score, plus she has SAT II in Latin under her belt, looks can kill! Again, she loves this class and this teacher, the reason she wants to do Greek next year, plus the kids in these classes. This teacher is also her advisor and will do a LOR for schools which will take a language rec over Eng/Math.</p>
<p>Hi Jackief, While I have no idea how admissions would interpret your daughter’s schedule, I do know that a child invested in the choices he/she has made will end up shining, both in academic performance and in enthusiasm. It’s evident she’s chosen a rigorous program.</p>
<p>I see you have Conn Coll on your list, and am curious about your opinions on the school as it seems to be a great fit for my daughter. The main problem is that it’s not at all on the radar here, and I am a bit wary of committing to the unknown. We have visited, which only added to the school’s appeal for my D. Thoughts? TY.</p>
<p>jackief, let your D take the classes she wants. Over and over people keep saying that colleges do not want a well-rounded candidate, but a well rounded class. She is showing a passion for classic languages and pursuing that passion. I think it will look good and may even be part of a possible application essay.</p>
<p>If I was in admissions at a selective school (well, then I would first admit my D despite grades and scores ;)) I would definitely give your D a second look just because of that schedule.</p>
<p>thanks for the reassurances everyone! (others, please weigh in if you can) I love the perspective here. I do want her to get many opinions, this group is a great one, in addition to asking the colleges themselves and also the other counselor who has more experience in the job and with kids from our school. She told me there was a boy a few years ago who took 3 languages and went to Middlebury, maybe she can get some details about his HS schedule.</p>
<p>psychmom- we have a kid or two go to Conn College each year, plus a teacher at the school is an alum. Very good reputation. I could tell you the points I remember from the tour/info session but since you also visited it would be the same things you heard. I would like D to go down and spend the night with someone from our school, maybe if it was a finalist.</p>
<p>I think your DD is incredibly lucky to have found a teacher and a group of friends with whom she loves to learn. Presumably she’ll be asking this teacher for a recommendation, and it can only help to have had this teacher several times. If, at this point she knows she’s not interested in a science major, I see no problem with no science (full disclosure: My DD is not taking science senior year either in favor of two literature courses).</p>
<p>That said, my question would be why she’s taking two math courses. If she were going to drop anything, I’d vote for replacing one of the math courses in favor of a history class.</p>
<p>
[quote:/]
That said, my question would be why she’s taking two math courses. If she were going to drop anything, I’d vote for replacing one of the math courses in favor of a history class.
[quote]
</p>
<p>That caught my eye too. I do seem to recall you addressing that question way back when. Did she not want to drop the statistics class due to its relevance to psychology? That’s one I would think could be easily be postponed until college in order to squeeze a science or social studies in there.</p>
<p>qialah, I think she’d feel she was slacking off if she didn’t take Calc. And I agree that it is a good core class to have on your HS schedule, and I think a lot of colleges expect to see it. The Stats is because she is interested in psych, and although she could take it in college she would welcome the opportunity to place out of it if possible, allowing her room for more more more courses (notice a trend?)</p>
<p>jackief,
I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on any of this, but we have outstanding college counseling at an independent high school, and our kids are always being told NOT to drop two major course areas in one year. On the other hand, your D already has 3 science lab courses and if that’s all her top choice colleges are recommending, perhaps you should let her go with her love. As long as she’s gathered as much info as she can as to how colleges would view this type of schedule, then she will be forearmed and forewarned. ;)</p>
<p>I have a recommendation question. D has asked her Math teacher for a rec and she is happy to do it. The problem is the second rec. It should be a humanities teacher, but D hates her English teacher and is not sure her history teacher would write a good one either. Her choice is her French teacher. Do you think that would be OK, or should D talk to her History teacher anyway (grades in class good and it’s an AP class).</p>
<p>QM, French teacher would be fine!</p>