<p>It is hard to answer how many AP’s are a good number when as STEM mentions at their school there aren’t honors levels-so we may be trying to compare apples to oranges here.</p>
<p>I think the best schedule is one that challenges the student while allowing time for them to pursue other activities if they desire. There are many students who want the maximum rigor and if that is what they are looking for that is fine-each case is different.</p>
<p>I do not think there is a one size fits all answer and I do not know what the magic formula is to be desirable to a college. The only thing I am more confident in after experiencing it already is it all seems to work out in the end.</p>
<p>My daughter is going to be working on her schedule soon-I hope. The process is several weeks late and I am starting to wonder if that means there are going to be cuts in what is offered. However, once she can get the materials she can come up with a schedule and then sit down and we can talk about it-she is very responsible and proactive and so this is how we will do this. She will need to explain her choices and why-then I will do what homework I need to and we will decide together-if she makes a good case for what she wants to take and it is reasonable and won’t have long-term negative results I am OK with it. I already know I will not insist she take the AP English-while I would like her to I am Ok with the Honors level course offered and the teacher and it will be enough-could she do the AP and would it be better for her-yes she could do the work but it will be so overwhelming for her perhaps it will hurt her in other areas where she has more interest-no easy answer and certainly no blanket one for anyone else.</p>
<p>The hardest part is trying to come up with a schedule that is rigorous, yet not too rigorous so as to cause anxiety. Often it is not the difficulty of the class, but the amount of reading that creates stress. The worst is when your kid gets home from a sport at 7 pm and is faced with hours and hours of homework. My daughter learned quickly that she can go ahead in her work the weekend before a game so that her stress level is reduced on a late night. Junior year will be interesting…</p>
<p>And sometimes it’s all about timing. This spring D will probably have AP exams, finals, SAT2’s, auditions for regional orchestra, dance show, dance competition, and recital all within three weeks. She’s dreading it already.</p>
<p>Yes forgot about those SAT 2’s!!! Mine takes them in June along with the Regents exams. Thankfully the Regents exams are not difficult. Looking forward to the summer, although she is already booked solid.</p>
<p>Yes all good points. My concern with the AP English is the amount of reading they do-she hates to read! So do I let that one go knowing she won’t be as strong in English when she graduates but may be further along in other subjects she is far more interested-for her that would be Math and History? Yes it is tough to find the right balance-and then there are the standard tests to think about in addition-how great we can bounce ideas off of each other! :)</p>
<p>If what she is reading is perceived by her as useful she is OK with it!</p>
<p>I have no idea if she will have any other AP options as our school is new to offering them-only the last couple of years-but she will be able to take all Honors level and/or dual enrollment-that is what the school used to offer instead of the AP.</p>
<p>The problem with our school is that AP has taken over for the honors track from junior year on (and for social sciences completely). So for someone like my daughter’s best friend who is not a mathy/sciency type person once she gets to junior year she doesn’t have an honors option in science or math—it’s either AP or nonhonors. And at their school, upper-level nonhonors courses can be affected by discipline issues.</p>
<p>For those not taking APUSH- my elder d took the SAT subject test and scored high enough to exempt the US History requirement at college. Was not a deliberate plan, she didn’t realize until she met with her college adviser. Nice surprise for her.</p>
<p>Softball girl has no high school sport just now. Swim team is finished. We are loving the lull before travel ball starts to pick up. The rain in GA has cancelled the past few weekend tournaments. It is so nice to have a breathing space. D2 is curled up on the couch watching Fantastic 4 with daddy. Long time since she did that on Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>Exactly the same as it is here EllieMom. A teacher just told me a couple nights ago that he has kids working but not upset getting C’s is AP World History because they know the regular alternative is so bad (behavior issues with kids and teachers). D13 didn’t take AP World because we thought she had enough to do with two other AP’s and EC’s and I swear her teacher was psycho.</p>
<p>3girls3cats, thank you for the encouragement. </p>
<p>D’s US history class is falling behind because of snow days. There are 42 chapters in the AP US history textbook. At this point they finished 26. everyone is getting stressed out.</p>
<p>@Sally22, your d took SAT II history without taking APUSH? That’s great. Did she take honors history? I didn’t know one can exempt course requirement with SATs.</p>
<p>Ooh, forgot to sign my D up for SAT2’s - this is a good reminder! She is definitely going to take history, can’t decide if she should take math. She’s in pre-Calc now, so this is the time but she is adamant that she won’t be pursuing anything with math in college, so not sure it’s really worth it. She’ll end up taking English SAT2, so maybe she’ll just skip the math. Is that dumb?</p>
<p>@herandhisMom Yes- I think she did- though it was classified " gifted" She didn’t like the teacher that taught the AP class. We are in a public HS and fall into the group where students take AP classes to be surrounded by like peers and have the" better" teachers.</p>
<p>I think I mentioned earlier that our school district is having serious issues. We expect tomorrow that the Governor will remove the majority of the school board. What a mess!
We decided to sign D2 up for the SAT in May. If things go really badly within the district , we will have the option that she can take some classes at community college. the SAT score requirement is very achievable. I have no worries that she will score high enough. I hate to wish her last few years at high school away, but I will be glad when we are done with this school system.</p>
<p>@suzy, The deadline for signing up for SATII in May is 4/5. so we still have some time. D.is trying to decide which SAT IIs to take this year. In theory she could take APUSH and chemistry. She is not confident about Chem. (she is taking AP chem test.)</p>
<p>Thanks herandhisMom! Maybe your D’s Chem teacher could help her decide on the Chem test? Enlisting the advice of my D’s APUSH teacher convinced her she should take the SAT2 in June as opposed to May, even though it’s the Saturday right after school is out. :)</p>
<p>Sally22, I hate to hear about those school district issues. Can’t believe the Governor is involved! The ones who always suffer because of this is the kids and it stinks.</p>
<p>I would like D to take an SAT 2 this spring but she’s not really eligible to take anything yet. :-(</p>
<p>Unfortunately for her, this school does not allow students to accelerate in math so she took and retook geometry (8th and 9th grade again ugh), and is now only in Algebra 2/Trig Honors. She is in honors Chem but I understand that the Chem SAT 2 is difficult and that it’s best approached after AP Chem.</p>
<p>I may have her look into taking the AP World History exam on her own if such a thing is possible. Is it necessary to register with the school to take this exam?</p>
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