At my D’s HS you need a 90 and above in a given class in order to take the AP class in that subject the next year. Is that typical at most schools? For example, you need a 90+ in Eng during Soph yr in order to take AP Lang and Comp junior yr.
AP Human geography is considered a ‘gateway to ap’ course. Taking and passing the exam at the end isn’t the point - the main point is to prepare students to do more rigorous work than is generally expected in 9th grade and equip them with tools that will make AP classes easier, while facilitating more advanced social science content in later years. The likely course progression is AP World history or European history in 10th grade but it is NOT necessary to take AP human geography to take either history class. The caveat is that the high school may have unnecessary, strict course progression that requires you to take course x in order to take course y. That is rarely the case with social science but since op 's daughter is a humanities kid, it’s more important to check and make sure even if it’s not likely.
If AP Human Geography is offered to 12th graders or prodigies, it is still considered an AP lite class. The CB standardizes the curriculum. No allowances are made because 9th graders take the course. @MYOS1634 's point above is good, in that it is a good gateway class, but it is certainly not a necessary one for further history classes.
As with all AP classes I would also ask about history at your school. A class in which kids are getting good grades but not doing on the test should be viewed with skepticism.
@ucbalumnus is correct. If she does precalc in senior year, she is good. The usual progression is algebra, geometry, alg2/trig, precalc. There is no need to make her double up or do summer courses.
I am a little concerned that her whole HS path is mapped out for her by you, before she even has a say in it. Kids change so much. A good friend just told me yesterday that her 11th grade son is not the science kid she thought he was. Instead, he likes English and history. You do need some input from her as to what classes she wants to take down the road, not just what you think she should take.
You stated she had an anxiety attack. Maybe she needs to ease into high school and take less intense courses. You might want to explain to her that if she wants to go to elite colleges, getting in will require a LOT more work and pressure than less elite colleges. And IMO, it is unusual for a ninth grader to already know they want to go to elite colleges. How does she even know at this point what is elite and what isn’t? Every kid has probably heard of Harvard, but I am guessing most of them haven’t heard of Wesleyan University. Be careful, because I sense that much of your desire is perhaps subconsciously being ascribed to your daughter.
Re computers and phones in rooms, my 10th grade son got into a bit of trouble with grades because of computer distraction. He now has his computer turned off, unless he is using it to work.
A kid having an anxiety attack in middle school is a serious concern. If she is at a cutthroat high school, there is no reason why she also needs to arm herself with a sword. If she has supportive parents who assure her that she will get into college regardless of classes the other kids are taking, it will take pressure off her high school years. I live in NY state also, and the state requires the passing of certain classes at a regents level which is easily achieved for the vast majority of students, but there are of course exceptions. I don’t know if OP is pressuring her kid or not, but I see a few reasons to urge caution here, and I don’t think it is necessarily her high school that is the main concern.
@bridgygo Your original question about math and science I think has been answered quite thoroughly in this thread, bottom line most elite colleges expect you to take the most challenging academic program available at your school. Your child will be primarily compared to his/her cohort at her high school. This means if she is going to Stuy/BxSci/Btech that she will be expected to take Calculus and many AP classes given those schools’ comprehensive high-level curriculum. Consequently, if you D does not take the most advanced classes she will need to be exceptional in other activities/sports/accomplishments to make up for the academic deficit. Remember there are going to be 50-100 kids at Stuy/BxSci and probably ~200 kids in their senior year at Btech that will have 4.0GPA and 1500+SAT/35+ACT at each of those schools. And all of those kids will apply to the most competitive and elite schools. This is why I mentioned earlier that a strategy most parents in NYC public schools miss is that with so much attention on the SHSAT and getting into the top 3 high schools they miss the fact that if their kid could have been a top 1-5% kind of student at the non testing other “1st tier” NYC highschools like Lab, Baruch, ElRo,Lab, Clinton, Bard etc… So the honest answer is if your child wants an Ivy/Nescac type of school coming from Stuy/BxSci/Btech then she is going to have to take Calculus and also be in the top AP classes and get straight "A"s and score 1400+ SAT/33+ ACT to have a competitive shot…
It’s not like the kids at Lab and Baruch are getting into the top colleges in droves. I think coming from Stuy, for example can open up many doors. So maybe, the OP’s daughter can’t get into Harvard without 3 AP math classes. Maybe there are better schools for her D like Grinnell or Kenyon or Davidson that would love to have a Stuy student. The majority of the highest performing Stuy kids are wanting Ivies, MIT, Hopkins, etc. Many end up at SUNYs or CUNYs because of their finances and families who want them near by. Stuy probably is over 70% Asian, and they are not dying to get into small liberal arts colleges. If the OP and her D think outside of the box and are strategic, their situation is far from hopeless. OP, it can make one a little panicky reading here on CC. Don’t worry. Your D got into Stuy. As long as she is liking it she will be fine. If it is too much, she can transfer. We know a few kids who left after the first year and are doing fine. Nothing is set in stone.
@MurphyBrown , not to derail this thread, but a student only has to pass one Regents math exam with 65 or better. Hence, why I said the vast majority of kids are able to do that.
Re parenting, the OP is new to this forum, and has come here looking for advice. There is no attempt on my part to parent another person’s kid. I have advised the OP to try not to put too much pressure on her child. I am not an expert of any type, but I have spent a lot of time on this forum in the last two+ years and have seen many posts from unhappy, stressed out students whose parents put a ton of pressure on them. I could be totally off-base. Should I stay silent and say nothing? Maybe, but I won’t, because it might be beneficial to the OP to hear a different perspective. OP is free to ignore whatever I say.
I myself benefitted enormously from a CC senior poster, (might have been the always-wise @MYOS1634 ) who said plainly that my questions about my kid’s SAT score were probably more a reflection of my anxiety than my kid’s. I took that advice to heart and backed off, and she did not retake her tests. People utilize the advice they get from this forum in different ways. I saw some truth in the advice I was given and it ulitmately benefitted my kid.
Wow thank you everyone for all of your posts. I’m replying to all. I hope everyone sees my response. I feel really supported and am happy to consider my own anxiety and how that impacts my daughter. I’ve seen parents not realize what part they were playing!
I don’t know exactly how my daughter became so deeply interested in top schools. I didn’t care at all about that sort of thing. I’m more hippy artist than achiever. She trusts me and believes me when I tell her she does not need Harvard. She saw Wesleyan and Williams (she’s a legacy) on trips. She’s seen Brown and others. These schools are part of her landscape because of both parents careers. So there’s that. But she listens to me and I’m definitely going to make sure she’s calm about this subject. She has no idea about the Calculus issue. I’ll talk to the school and see how it turns out. I don’t like the idea that she could be held back.
She has anxiety. She went into the test that day (it was a whole day at the school) really excited and happy. She said she was tired - it was the end of a big day and she had a swimming test - and the math was really hard. Stuff she wasn’t used to seeing. Kids finished and she was still working so she raised her hand and asked for accommodations. She has never gotten accommodations. She doesn’t have an IEP. She’s a very good self advocate and so good helping others (but that’s beside the point.) So maybe anxiety attack is a little strong. She came out happy. But it was definitely anxiety. They were really nice to her. And it seemed fine. Now I’m worried though and she has no idea.
If I was on top of things, I would have prepped her in math starting - who knows when - first grade? Middle school? I did nothing and now she’s behind. I feel guilty. So I’m more a slow mom than a mom who pushes! Having said that, it’s true NYC is very competitive and you feel like you’re racing to get into the next school. More gentle schools like LAB aren’t what you might think if you’re not here. My daughter chose the schools she applied to based on opportunities they offer and where the other nice kids from her school were going.
I’m sure I have something to do with her anxiety. She wants the best but she also wants me to be happy. She’s an achiever. She’s competive. She thinks it’s funny that I was the opposite when I was her age. But I think my attention and love actually does add to the anxiety. She has a lot going for her.
I passed on AP human geo because the other class sounded more interesting to her. Now I’m reconsidering. The school says it’s an EASY AP. they teach a harder version to juniors. This will be the first year they offer this version (the word they use) to freshman. I don’t want to overload her.
If the other class your daughter chose and AP human geography lead to the same 10th grade class, as they should, there’s no need to take AP human geography.
Calculus will not be crucial if she has advanced classes in other subjects that highlight her field of interest (two foreign languages at a high level, such as AP Spanish literature and AP French, rather than only one of those, plus a philosophy class would be a way to do it.) After all, half to 2/3 students admitted to top schools never had it - and as her field seems to be writing, Columbia and Kenyon are likely her targets - developing her writing skills, participating in writing competitions or camps… Will be more useful to her than using upba summer to double up in math and take calculus.
I still don’t know why you think she is behind in math. Listen to @MYOS1634 because he is never wrong:-) Seriously. Your D does not need Calc to get into great colleges. Kids at our school got into Harvard, Brown, MIT, ND, Cornell, etc… I know for a fact Harvard guy and some of the others didn’t take calc. My D got into Kenyon, Bates and Uni of Rochester, (quite STEM oriented, and offered huge merit aid to boot) with no calc. If your child isn’t likely to go into engineering, she doesn’t need calc.
I do, however, believe it was money well spent for our D to have a few hours of SAT math tutoring. Not only did she get a great score on the SAT and SAT 2, but it helped her breeze through Trig that year. Your daughter isn’t ready for that yet though. I really think you are worrying about a non-issue. Let her get to high school, and you can both figure out stuff as you go along. At the end of the day, you can plan to the Nth degree, but holistic college admissions are still going to be unpredictable.
I am relieved to know that kids get into schools without calculus. My D spends her summers in camps for music and writing. I would not want to spend any of the summer on math. Although she has asked for science camp too next year as she’s very excited about biology now.
How do you take a second advanced language? My daughter had wanted Latin. Maybe she could do that as a second language. But I don’t know how that works. At what point do kids add a second language?
My daughter loves philosophy and has spent a lot of time reading. She quotes philosophers. She been deeply interested since she was very young, so that’s a class she’ll want to take. I can see now there will be a path for her in high school.
After applying to NYC kindergarten, middle school and high school we know that admissions are always unpredictable. Seeing what happened to her friends really taught her how things work. Kids with lower grades were chosen over kids with 100’s for some schools. It’s all crazy.
As far as I am aware, most kids begin second languages in tenth grade. But it is far more important to get to an advanced level with one language. The most selective colleges usually want three years of FL in one language, minimum. Any extra classes she takes in FL are classes she can’t take in some other area of interest. It’s better to take things she is really interested in, if possible. If she is into FL, by all means she should take it, but not at the expense of three years of a main FL, and not at the expense of something else she is more interested in. I don’t think taking multiple FL is a boost, unless it’s clear that is an area of interest.
Some of the students who learn more than one language other than English to an advanced level have a head start in one of them (heritage speakers, or elementary school bilingual immersion programs), so that they are able to complete the highest level early, leaving more schedule space to take another language other than English if they so choose.
Okay thanks. I think her interests will lie in the all the amazing English classes the school offers. She asked for Latin but didn’t get it.
Some students start a foreign language in middle school then accelerate through Concordia Language Village or Middlebury or through community college or through an intensive language program such as Penn State 's or Ole Miss . Usually it means they 'jump ahead’one level after freshman year, reach level 3 or 4 sophomore year when they take another language level 1, take the second language over the summer to reach level 3 just or year, have AP junior year alongside their level 3, and the last language level 4 or AP senior year. That indicates unusual linguistic ability. Those students are also typically very good at English. This may be made easier by taking two romance languages.
That’s incredible. I had no idea kids did this. There is so much more going on than when I was in school.
Can a kid learn enough precalculus from a tutor without having had the class at all? You can’t learn a year of precalculus from a tutor. It seems it’s a real disadvantage to not have precalculus until Senior year.
Good to know. I’ll think of it that way. It’s a small portion of the test and she does learn fast. She’s always picked math up very quickly. She started to notice that and care about math at the end of 8th grade so hopefully she’ll be fine.