PLEASE HELP: Extremely angry at counselor

Pre-College Topics High School Cafe
1

<p>Hi everyone! </p>

<p>I have a problem right now and I’m extremely angry and frustrated over it. I know this is a relatively long story but please don’t go away! I really need some help!! </p>

<p>BACKGROUND INFORMATION: </p>

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<p>HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED:
Back in April, when it was course selection time at my school, I indicated that I wanted to take AP Biology, along with Chemistry 12 Honors and Physics 11 Pre-AP (all three sciences). A lot of my classmates (about maybe 11 of them) also put down all three sciences but two weeks later, we were all called back to the counselors’ offices and forced to change one of our science courses into a fine art or applied skill (at my school, there is a graduation requirement whereby a student must take a fine art or applied skill during their junior or senior year. The counselors like to have all students fulfill this graduation requirement during the junior year just in case a student does not have enough time periods to take a fine art or applied skill during the senior year). So, I changed AP Biology into Visual Art 11 because Chemistry and Physics are required for medical school in Canada.</p>

<p>All students who indicated three sciences were called back EXCEPT for two. As soon as I found out about this on May 31st, I went to my counselor and asked her if I could do the same and take AP Biology instead of Visual Art 11. Together, we laid out my junior and senior year timetables and she approved my switching courses to AP Biology because I have enough time periods to take Art during my senior year. She told me, however, to wait until course change week in August to do my course change because the office was incredibly busy at the time. </p>

<p>I listened to her (of course), summer flies by and I end up needing to go to Hong Kong since my grandma suffered from a stroke. On August 20th, my school emails me and tells me that August 29th is the course change date for juniors. BUT, my flight back to Canada landed at 11pm on August 29th. So, I could not be there to change my course. Immediately, I emailed my counselor and told her that I would not be able to change my course on the 29th, and asked her if she could communicate my course change for me. On the 21st, she replied and told me that 1) the student needs to be physically there when courses are changed, and 2) i could go in on August 30th instead. </p>

<p>I fly back home, and the next day I go to change my course, as instructed by my counselor. When I got there, she told me that AP Biology was full and that the only thing she could do for me was put me on the wait list. I asked her: “When did the class fill up?”
and she told me that it filled up on the 28th, when it was the day for senior’s to switch classes. I repeated the fact that I told her I was going to switch into AP Biology all the way back in May and she just told me she couldn’t do anything about it because the class is full now.</p>

<p>Now I am third on the wait list and my counselor told me that there is not even a 5% chance that 3 people will drop out of the class when school starts. </p>

<p>EVEN WORSE: My close friend told the same counselor on the last day of school (June 14th) that she wanted to switch to AP Biology and she got switched in. I went to the counselor over 2 weeks prior to my friend. </p>

<p>The reason why I am so eager to take AP Biology during my junior year is that it is the only AP open to juniors and also that i want my “rigorous course load”. Furthermore, if I do not take AP Biology this year, I will end up taking it in my senior year, but that will mean that I have 7 AP classes, which is overwhelming for one year. </p>

<p>ONE MORE THING: I know that I can always take AP Biology outside of school but my school doesn’t approve external courses.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>bump bump bump!</p>

3

<p>It probably was busy if they were trying to figure out everyone’s schedule, so I can understand why she told you to wait. And unfortunately, the class filled up on the 28th and even if you weren’t in Hong Kong, you still wouldn’t have gotten into the class because your day was the 29th. You tried to get it changed too early, so maybe you should have checked in with her a little more often or went when your friend went to get your schedule changed too. Her job of compiling the schedules while everyone’s complaining has to be hard. Y
So sorry. But there’s nothing you can do about it now besides go around to people in the classes’ house and force them to drop out. Writing a letter isn’t going to do anything- there’s just not enough room for you.
Take it next year. Or take it online- even if it won’t show up on your transcripts, you can still take the AP test. Or just don’t take it at all. Ending high school with 6 APs is still pretty good.</p>

<p>And sorry about your grandma.</p>

4

<p>I know that Canadian university admissions (if that’s what you’re doing) is probably more exclusively concerned with academics than U.S. colleges are, but is this really that important? I don’t see how extreme anger is justified, especially since you can take it next year. Seven APs doesn’t seem a lot different from six in one year.</p>

5

<p>You’ll just have to take it next year. School counselors around the nation, and apparently the world, are always filled with incompetent individuals who graduated from low tier schools who don’t understand the necessity of AP course work that we do. My counselor told me I couldn’t handle 5 AP courses (she graduated from a low private college) and it took me forever to convince her, and I was ranked 1/605 at that time. Unfortunately there’s nothing to do at this point, I have 6 APs next year, I know a couple kids at my school taking 7, it isn’t too terrible since you likely won’t be taking all AP tests once you know the college you are going to, and which AP credits are applicable.</p>

6

<p>Does Canada have chancery court? Bring a suit asking the court to order your admission. It makes the school look bad to not allow one of their top students to take rigorous classes.</p>

7

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I don’t know if you were being sarcastic or what… But if you’re serious then wow. You’re completely ignorant and rude. I feel sorry for your counselor for having to deal with people like you.
I hope you end up in a “low private school.” Who cares where the degree is from? The counselor still obtained a degree at all. It’s not all about HYPS</p>

8

<p>Have you tried contacting the teacher and seeing if they will allow you in the course? That was part of the procedure at my school for switching into a course. The teacher would then email the guidance about their acceptance of the new student. Just be really respectful about it, to both the teacher and your guidance counselor.</p>