<p>My daughter is also taking APUSH this year and didn’t have any summer homework. She spent all weekend going over the first two chapters of the book. It’s definitely a little more involved than APHUG was last year!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>…and that’s why CC exists! ;)</p>
<p>If she can handle the schedule and still feel happy and not stressed, I don’t see any reason to pull back. Just make sure she isn’t painting herself into a corner to where she’s going to have to have a monster schedule next year or senior year if she does end up wanting to pull back. </p>
<p>Colleges with holistic admissions processes try to look at applicants within the context of the high school they attend and what opportunities they’ve had. Going above and beyond looks good, I’m sure, but I don’t think you should feel l like she has to take summer classes and double up on sciences to have a chance.</p>
<p>Since you asked, our HS follows the state guidelines for graduation requirements. There is a general degree (which I don’t think our HS offers), then a Core 40, which includes 4 years of English, 3 years of math, science, and social studies, and other specific and nonspecific electives. They also offer a Core 40 with Honors, which is 4 years of English and math, 3 years of social studies, foreign language, and science, 1 year of fine arts, electives, and a certain GPA and either AP or SAT/ACT score.</p>
<p>My D is at a math/science magnet where they have nothing designated AP (all courses are said to be taught at a college level) and have no class rank. She will take no AP or SAT II exams this year. That being said, she’s got an ambitious schedule, much of it required. I don’t think it will help you much to know precisely what she’s taking, but she’s got 7 courses both semesters. Theoretically, she could add an 8th second semester, but that seems to be a mistake. She’s not taking orchestra in school, so she’s committed to spending the weekend with her violin. The only thing she hasn’t figured out is when to sleep.</p>
<p>At our CA HS, highly academic kids typically take the following:</p>
<p>9th: English, math, science, PE, and two electives (choose among social studies, art-or-music-or-drama, foreign language). </p>
<p>10th: English, math, science, PE, and non-US history, and one elective (often continuing a foreign language they began in 9th)</p>
<p>11th: English, math, science, US History, and two electives (often one of which is the 3rd year of the foreign language they began in 9th)</p>
<p>12th: English, Econ/Govt, and up to four electives (usually math, science, and two others)</p>
<p>It is basically impossible to complete a full four years of the big five subject areas (English, math, science, history, language) if you want to also do art-or-drama-or-music. You end up having to complete some of the classes outside – either in summer school (but honors classes aren’t offered in summer), at the community college, or other private arrangement (e.g., online AP class through a private HS, and then petition our HS for credit).</p>
<p>We had our first tears of the school year and we aren’t even done with the first week!</p>
<p>She is exhausted from all the soccer-it really is ridiculous but she wants to do it-and her course load is a little too ambitious for my liking. However, there is no way I am getting involved yet since she is very strong willed and capable and if I pull the plug this early I will never hear the end of it. She got all the classes she wanted but the one teacher I really wanted-the English teacher-she did not get. She does not want to try and switch out of that class since she likes the kids in the class.
My son had the teacher she has now and she is not very good-the other teacher is excellent and will make sure she doesn’t get out of that class without having a solid foundation in grammar-yes sad as it is we are in 10th grade looking for that still-our system loves the creative part of writing without being as concerned with the strong foundation. She tells me she will do better in a class where she is comfortable and will be more likely to participate-to which I told her that’s great but that isn’t going to overcome the teacher. She said her brother did fine even though he had her. While that is true what I didn’t want to get into with her in her state of mind was her brother is a voracious reader and writer and didn’t need the kind of help she does-she hates to read.</p>
<p>I am really struggling with this since if she switches out she may lose some other really good teachers-and also if she does switch and this teacher doesn’t work out for her I will never hear the end of it either.</p>
<p>UGH!</p>
<p>At our local HS, kids typically take health and a consumer ed (required) course on-line in the summer or in summer school. That leaves only 2 or 3 useless required courses outside of the core academics. For reasons I don’t understand, they have a program where kids (seniors) get course credit for being the student assistant in the classroom. I just don’t understand the value of that. It feels like there isn’t enough time as is to take all of the interesting and necessary classes!</p>
<p>Pepper - Sorry D didn’t get the good English teacher. At this point, since you’re on the fence and she wants to stay in the class she’s in, I’d probably just go with that. When does soccer end? My middle S wrestled, and it was exhausting and took tons of time, but he said more than once that it helped him immeasurably with being able to tolerate the frustrations of the classroom. </p>
<p>IJustDrive - do the seniors have to take the student assistant course? It’s offered at our HS but totally voluntary. My S did it senior year. He really couldn’t find many classes he wanted to take, so he ended up with the 5 core classes, math tutor, an independent math study period, and an assistant in a credit recovery class for kids doing online courses to replace failed classes. It actually ended up being a wonderful experience. He helped a lot of students, and he said that at graduation he saw a handful of students receive their diplomas who had explicitly told him they would not have graduated without his help - one of them with tears in his eyes.</p>
<p>Congrats to all the Sophs & their parents! Havent posted in a while because life has been hectic, but Ive been trying to keep up with this thread + Im obsessed w/Parents of HS 2013 thread & all the great info there. DS started school in mid-Aug and has kept busy with classes, homework, soccer, cello, etc. He hasnt been getting enough sleep between homework and soccer, so my greatest concern is that hell get sick! He is definitely enjoying the extra day off for Labor Day.</p>
<p>There were a few questions up-thread re:SAT IIs (EllieMom was one of the posters, I believe). We also decided against DS taking SAT II Bio after having only 9th grade H Bio. If he takes SAT II Bio, it will be after AP Bio assuming he takes that class. In general, Ive found good advice on the SAT IIs via the SAT Subject Test threads. A poster on the SAT II Bio thread suggested that the student ask the H Bio teacher if the class would be adequate prep for SAT II. However, I believe someone on this thread suggested that the student try looking at a retired SAT II Bio test to gauge whether the student was well-prepared after H Bio, which was probably the best advice of all! </p>
<p>@ EllieMom, my DS is taking H Comm Arts, AP Euro, H Alg II, Soph Chem (highest-level science for 10th), Span 3.5, plus Debate/Health and orchestra. He will have 4 yrs English/Sci/Math/Spanish/Debate by Sr year, along with 3 years History (history not offered in 9th because of PE). If your DD has a 4-year PE requirement, along with Band, she does have some juggling to do. If shes content with her schedule and you & her GC believe its reasonable then thats fine. For my DS, we are seeing the volume of work associated with just one AP and I cant imagine how some students manage so many APs + all the activities of HS & Life. Having just 1 AP this year will help DS (and DH/me) assess how many APs are realistic for Jr year. You might also try posting your question on the school forums for your DDs respective colleges of choice. From what Ive gleaned on CC, its best for the student to take a high-level course load, but within reason, and focus on key areas of interest both in classes & ECs. So if your DD ultimately has to take a lighter course load at some point, perhaps to allow for leadership positions in Band or other ECs, it might be OK. But DS is our oldest, so Im no expert!</p>
<p>Earlier this summer, I posted about cello shopping. DS has his cello, but hes still trying out bows and his case is on-order, taking forever to arrive. Its a good thing I work PT because writing that final check for the bow & case will be painful. At least its for a good cause!</p>
<p>10th grade starts tomorrow. Seems D15 got a mix of good teachers, an old school tough teacher, and a nice but lousy teacher whose tests don’t reflect what he teaches. The tough teacher is for the first honors class she’s ever taken - US history - and the lousy teacher is for biology, not one of her stronger subjects. She’s going to have to learn how to study more effectively this year!</p>
<p>IMHO it’s probably best to take the more challenging course loads Soph and Junior years and give the poor kids a break Sr year because they also have to work on college apps, 27 essays for those apps and then scholarship paperwork in the Spring. It’s a busy year!</p>
<p>Now that we are going thru this process with D13, I’m developing a better plan for S15. We’ll try to prepare better for ACT testing and get it completed by the end of Jr year. Maybe the Dec, Feb and April tests if we need that many to get the score he wants.</p>
<p>School begins tomorrow for D. She will be completing her summer reading today - no rush in completing the assignment!
Field hockey has kept her busy since pre-season began on 8/16. Field hockey has two seniots already committed to collgege: Penn (a legacy) & Catholic University. FH Season opener is Saturday at home.</p>
<p>During her end of season softball tournament in Cary, NC, she visited both UNC Chapel Hill & Duke. Wake Forest was on the visit list but we idn’t haveenough time to drive over.</p>
<p>D has begun to research colleges. She is 15 and what she is looking at in a school is very typical for that age. But she began this process on her own; with no prompting from her parents; which is a very nice step in the correct direction.</p>
<p>I was searching for this kind of thread last night and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t find one! I’m glad I did!</p>
<p>I started wondering about where D was compared to others in her grade when I signed her up for a free PSAT practice test + prep session run by Kaplan at our local public library. I saw the sign-up sheet and there weren’t many students signed up yet: 3 9th graders, 2 10th and 3 11th graders. She’s not eager to do it but a friend who has been working with kids on college admissions for years is encouraging her to try it, especially since her school has the 10th graders taking the PSAT in October.</p>
<p>She’s at a Catholic all-girls HS with a college-prep emphasis. 200+ girls in each grade; she’s in Honors classes for English, Social Studies (World History 2 this year, which is the NY State curriculum standard) and Chemistry. She’s also taking Latin, Advanced Algebra and Trig (took 10th Grade Geometry last year) as well as music, health etc. All the students in the school are required to take 5 core courses for all 4 years; they have to stick with 1 foreign language for 3 years and can continue with it the 4th year or switch to another language then.</p>
<p>She took the SAT II Bio in June together with all the other freshmen, got a 680 and is retaking it in October, again on our friend’s advice.</p>
<p>ECs are Speech and Debate, orchestra and chamber orchestra (clarinet) and SIgn Language Club.</p>
<p>She spent 2 weeks this summer at a theater performance club at a local HS (her choice, she’d performed in 2 musicals in Middle school, but decided after the camp that she wasn’t really into theater any more) and a week as a volunteer at a summer camp for disabled kids. She also has 4 books/plays for summer reading and a test on them this Friday when she goes back–she’s almost done with them. </p>
<p>We were in the Cornell area last month and took the college tour. D liked the school but wasn’t that enthusiastic about the idea of college tours in general. She’s an excellent student and I know she’s started to think about college but I’m wondering whether I’m pushing her too early? </p>
<p>We’ve talked about some college issues–she’s asked how far away from home she should go (I said within a day’s drive which still gives us lots of options since we’re in NYC suburbs) and how much we can afford–we have some savings for her but we’re solidly in the donut hole and if she has the grades & scores for Cornell it will have to be for one of the contract colleges which give a $16000 discount to NY state students. She’s also asked how I’d feel if she didn’t get into a good school which makes me think she feels pressured.</p>
<p>How much of the process should I leave up to her is what I’m trying to figure out at this point?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s a hard question, isn’t it?!</p>
<p>It’s difficult for our rising sophomores to get excited about college when it’s so far away. HS and ECs and in-the-moment friendships seem to consume all their energies. They’re still in early stages of self-discovery, exploring different interests and figuring out their talents. Teens need time for a certain amount of navel-gazing, too.</p>
<p>crepes – it sounds like your D is doing all the right things (academics, ECs, staring to think about standardized tests and visiting colleges), maybe even ahead of schedule. I’d offer her lots of opportunities for exploration (e.g., leave the Fiske Guide, CLTL, etc., lying around the house; stop by and tour colleges when you’re in the neighborhood of an interesting one; expose her to young people who are at college or recently graduated; encourage career exploration). Also, definitely make sure she’s aware of financial constraints. But otherwise I think it’s wise not push too much just yet.</p>
<p>Welcome crepes! You’ll find lots of knowledgeable people here on this thread. I’m trying to let my D lead the way as far as when she wants to start thinking about college in earnest. She’s on a good path as far as school goes, so I haven’t really had to push anything so far. We’ve seen one college, but it wasn’t a formal visit. It’s a beautiful campus and I do think it got her excited to start thinking more about it. Would she maybe like to see some informally?</p>
<p>Hi crepes! Your daughter sounds like a great, involved, motivated student. I agree that it’s a hard balancing act to figure out how much to get involved in the process and how much to leave to her. It seems to me that as long as she’s engaged, happy, and doing well, you don’t have much to do at this point. This is a very good thing! A college visit later this year makes sense if it’s a positive notion for her. I would keep a casual check on things to make sure that it stays positive and does not start to become a source of anxiety. My D is definitely an anxious kid who worries too much about everything and I’m trying to insulate her from college worries for as long as possible.</p>
<p>S fell in love with the first college we visited as he tagged along on his big sis’s college touring. He still claims that’s where he’ll go. </p>
<p>He’s a social kid so it will all be about the fun stuff for him. I had to remind him that you have classes and studying at college too…but luckily he’s one of those kids that will be happy anywhere.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Love it! Well put.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! 3girls3cats, your post reminded me that D had anxiety issues when she was little and I realize that they may be coming into play again now that a major decision is looming. She’s not the social or carefree type so maybe I should think a bit about the insulating angle at this point. She’s also relatively young, won’t be turning 15 until late December.</p>
<p>As for college visits I may hold off until she seems more interested. We’ve done just 1 formal tour but she’s seen quite a few schools informally–I teach at a community college and she’s been there many times ever since she was a baby at the day care center on campus. Then over the past 4-5 years she’s seen the Columbia campus during a book fair, been in a dorm room at NYU when my husband attended a seminar there, she’s been to 3 museums at Yale, and walked around Harvard Yard when we visited Boston. We’ve also been to events at Fordham and Hofstra, and in July we spent a long weekend at a family conference at the University of Scranton campus, lived in a sophomore suite, ate all our meals in the cafeteria and had to find our way to events in several buildings.</p>
<p>I agree with the need for navel-gazing time and downtime. But I’ve been thinking of reminding her to limit her time with games like The Sims especially now that school is starting.</p>
<p>Having just gone through the whole college thing with my older S, now a freshman, I am a little more educated with D. When she made her schedule, we both considered how colleges would view her choices and took that into account.</p>
<p>However, she has 2-3 ECs that are important to her for her own reasons, and I have encouraged her to stay with them as long as she enjoys them. She’s mentioned joining a club or two as a college thing and I told her that unless she really is interested in the club, doing it for college app appearances only is a bad idea. </p>
<p>I guess keeping college in mind when selecting classes makes sense, and perhaps when thinking about summer activities, but beyond that, fully engaging in these last 3 years of high school is really what life should be about.</p>
<p>On visiting colleges…we live in a college town and D spent part of her summer doing a pre-college program at another college. I won’t plan any formal visits at all, though perhaps informal ones if we are nearby.</p>
<p>D is already interested in a lot of reach schools so what I think will be important as we start this process, next year, will be showing her schools that will be safeties or matches for her, academically and financially, so she can see that she can be happy and fulfilled at those schools too. She will NOT be developing a list of colleges to apply to that include only sub-10% admission schools. We know she likes those already.</p>
<p>The student teaching/assistant course is completely optional, but it’s pushed very, very heavily. I think it’s misguided in a lot of ways. Its seen as the kids as an easy A instead of learning something, and because kids will do it, it takes pressure of of the school from having to teach more advanced courses. I think it actively hurts kids transcripts because it replaces something that would be more valuable (like the kid who assists with an advanced math class as a senior instead of actually taking a more advanced math class. What’s the point?)</p>