@Nicki20 0 What state are you in? In CA there seems to be more emphasis placed on GPA for admission into our UC and state schools. As long as he is meeting the A-G requirements, communicating with us about his choices and rationale, and continuing to excel academically, I don’t see a need to overrule him. If he was not doing his homework or needed nagging and reminders to get it done; I would give him less educational autonomy. I’m hoping by making these decisions in HS and living with the consequences, he won’t be one of those kids that falls apart at college because he’s never made an independent decision on his own.
1749- I retread my post and apologize for my harshness. I’m from Illinois and GPA can be deceptive because obviously not all high schools are equal. Our high school district and most others did away with class rank. It was too easy to manipulate the system. The only real honor roll after four years ( actually 3.5) is acknowledgment for a 3.9 non weighted or 4.7 weighted GPA. Out of 500’kids 28 were acknowledged. In actuality I am sort of like you with the classes. Ironically we are having the same sort of discussion about foreign language though for ours is she doesn’t like the class and I’ve met the teachers both years and understand why.
I’m glad you said something Nicki20 because I realized that I had checked the UC Schools for their Foreign Language requirements and recommendations, but I hadn’t check the other schools on our list. It looks like most want 2, and some recommended 3. I think for a STEM Kid, an extra math elective taken in place of a 4th year of Language won’t be outside the norm.
We only have one Japanese teacher and she doesn’t keep up the grade book, which drives me made. I will be very happy when Japanese is behind us.
@VickiSoCal- that drives me crazy! My D17 with severe anxiety really struggled with communicating with her teachers and asking questions in class. She would avoid doing an entire homework asssignment if she struggled with understanding even one small part. I relied on teachers updating the grade book regularly to gauge how D was coping. I could usually get her off the anxiety hamster wheel if I could catch it early enough; but there always seemed to be that one teacher who would post grades a month later. (Glad those days are over!!)
At D’s school, the seniors get first choice of classes followed by juniors and so on down the line. This year, as a rising junior, is the first time D20 has gotten all of the classes she submitted. And, since she didn’t get ANY of her requested electives freshman year, her whole “map” had to figuratively be tossed out with the garbage.
we know the progression of core classes certainly, but he’s changed a few of his electives. eg: he enjoyed building stuff on the musical’s set crew, and now wants to take a stagecraft class rather than robotics. ** has 4 more days to nail down course selection for next year. still hem-hawing around about Foreign Language.
I just signed off on S’s course selection for next year. Small private school with no APs/IB.
English
Pre-Calc
Physics
German 4
US History 2 (they break USH up into two years; this is post WW2 to present)
Electives, each once or twice a week:
Rock band
Yoga
College prep
Service (S teaches younger kids to play drums)
S likes the track he’s on. He’ll take a dual enrollment course or two senior year, but in reality, I think he’d learn more at his excellent HS than at the local CC.
I cannot imagine she won’t get everything requested. All ap’s but we will move down if we have to if grades or mental health are an issue
AP Physics 1
AP Chem
AP Lang
AP USH
AP Calc AB
Cross Country/Swim
summer - Careers and College (online one semester)
Soph year was
Chem h
Lang Arts 2 h
Japanese 3
AP Comp Sci A
AP Euro
Cross country/swim
summer - one semester US Gov online
AP Calc was dropped and Japanese moved from honors to regular. We will never attempt more than 5 academic classes again!
Wow that’s a heavy courseload, @VickiSoCal.
She says AP Chem and AP Physics will be easier together than Japanese 3. For her, that is likely.
APUSH and AP LANG are iffy in my mind but the only other options are non-honors USH and non-honors Language Arts 3 which at our school means pretty low expectations given the general population at our high school.
Well, that’s a good point. My D18 is currently taking AP Calc, Physics, and Chem, and she says there is a lot of crossover and reinforcement. But the workload she had in APUSH was insane!
At our school the student selects their classes but the parent has to sign off on it. Then it gets reviewed with the guidance counselor and submitted. They usually get all the academics but occasionally the electives don’t fit in and they have to choose an alternate. Junior year-
AP Lang
APUSH 2
AP Physics
AP Calc AB
Spanish 4 honors
AP Micro
Art elective
She wants to try all this. I said as long as u can keep up and not be too stressed it’s ok. If not, something will drop down. The problem is honors is almost as much work as AP and the regular level is not challenging at all.
@VickiSoCal My DS is taking AP Chem and AP Physics1/2 this year and is doing fine. He’s finding second semester of AP Chem much harder than the first. Around here 11th graders take the most academically rigorous courses available so heavy courses loads junior year are the norm. APUSH in our school is tons of busy work and memorization, it almost pushed my oldest over the edge. My DS18 took it on-line at our local CC and is was much better and DS20 will do the same. Next year my DS20 is taking:
Pre AP Chinese 3
AP CAL BC
AP English 3
AP Stats
AP Comp Sci principles
Comp Sci Independent Study 1
AP Physics C
DE Am History (2 semesters at CC on-line)
We went ahead and hired a private college counselor last week. If you’d asked me last year if we would hire one, I would have said no way. But after this year’s disappointing college admissions results posted here on CC and at my D’s high school, the spouse and I changed our minds. Our D seems comfortable with the counselor and the counselor has a really good track record.
D’s high school classes still are heavily concentrated on her electives, which she balances with courses at our local junior college. She’s already finished her US History and language courses at the college, so her schedule is cleared for the extra electives next year. Her hardest courses at the high school next year will be AP Calc BC, AP English 11 Lang/Comp and AP Physics 1/2.
I am so over appointments and paying for stuff for her. She sees the derm every 3 months, the psychologist every other week (after school thankfully) seeing psychiatrist next week for possible ADHD meds. And she’s been battling a sinus infection which caused her to miss 2 days of school last week. Every missed class turns in to missing assignments which either never get made up or take weeks of checking the portal and reminding her to remind the teacher that she turned it in. And the Japanese tutor every week is another expense. Thankfully next year I am built in free Calculus, chem, physics tutoring.
No room in our lives or budget for a college counselor!
What is you DC doing this summer?
S20 just got wait-listed at his first choice ( a local college summer research program). Now we have to decide on whether to go to a pre-college program away or complete his EMT training. We didn’t realize the EMT training is that intensive before applied to the away program.There is a potential to do the research and EMT together since both are local. But there is no way to do away program and the EMT. I am inclined to have him do EMT and then maybe add in SAT/ACT prep. Any suggestions? The kid is that kind who like to hold on to all things. He needs to decide and let go some.
My d20 won’t know for sure what classes she has gotten into until July when their schedules come out but she has requested: AP Chem, AP Lang, APUSH, AP Capstone seminar, Spanish 3 Honors, Honors Calculus, and mandatory theology class (Catholic School). I know she is capable of doing the work and doing well in it but I’m concerned because she plays a spring sport and don’t know how in the world she will be able to prepare for all those AP exams and still participate in her sport.
This summer DS will be going to Sea Base Bahamas with his BS troop and a two week computer security camp at UTD. The rest of the summer he’ll work on his Eagle requirements and prep for the SAT.
@vineyardview, genuine question - no sarcasm intended - why do you feel you need a college counselor?
We did hire a math tutor for our humanities kid who is sailing with ease through AP Euro with the toughest teacher at school. Objectively speaking, we probably could do without a tutor, and D would have gotten an A-/B+ instead of solid A, but more importantly she would not have the confidence to take BC next year. These last few weeks the tutor is actually focusing more on prep for SAT subject test, so I don’t have to worry about it at all.
I also would love to find a good counselor/editor specifically for essays review - last year D applied for a selective summer program, and didn’t even get past first round. I realize many things could be at play like her age, etc, but it could also be her essays - D got lots of approval on them, but none was too critical and it makes me wonder…