Does anyone have a high school student NOT in honors or AP courses?

[Kirby]

AP courses are pushed big time here, all the way down to 7th grade where they are called pre-AP. So much emphasis is put on taking the AP courses that some parents bragg about all the AP courses that their children are taking and look down on those children that don't as if they are less intelligent.

My son is a junior this year, an A student and dyslexic. He has a reading comprehension problem so the "average" classes can be a challenge for him. We have decided not to push him into taking an AP class unless he wants to. It's not worth it. I would rather have him enjoy high school than resent it.

James is goal oriented and pushes to make his good grades. He has great study habits and I believe will do well in college once he gets settled in. His grades keep him up in the top 25 - 30% of his class. I know that he won't have any problem getting into college. He will graduate in the recommended program but with all the different courses he is taking the only thing keeping him from graduating distinquished is a third year of spanish which he didn't sign up for this year.

He doesn't want to go to a big college so we are looking at the smaller ones and the extensions of the larger universities. Our neighbors son graduated 11th in his class of over 600 and couldn't get into the UT Business College but he got into OU's business school. A friend of mine spoke to a boy down at Texas A&M. The boy being an Eagle Scout was the main reason he got in there. I think that it all depends on what they are looking for.

Another option for students is to go to a community college for a year or two, keep up their grades and then transfer. My nephew got into the University of Texas Business College (which is hard to get into) that way. He was already going to another college for his basics and UT told him to go that route.

I wouldn't sweat it or put your child into an AP class unless you know that they can handle it. There's lots of homework. The kids next door hardly have any free time, even on the weekends because of them. Anyone here can sign up for an AP class and they are committed to completing one semester whether or not they pass. It can be very discouraging for some students. I feel that some are let into the courses that shouldn't even be there. There should be some sort of screening process.

Besides, not all colleges accept AP course college credits.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

They also look at things like extra curriculars as well.

 

[DISNEYFANRI]

My DD is also a senior this year and this is her firt year taking AP classes. She has alwats been a good student - honor roll - 3.7 GPA - however - she is not "joiner" - has no extra curricular activities - stidies hard - gets good grades adn works at her part-time job - I only hope as we go through the college admissions process she is not penalized for be "only" a good student.

 

[danacara]

I've always felt that, except for very specific employment areas, the name on the diploma doesn't matter a whole lot.

In 99% of cases I absolutely agree - but there are a few names that act like Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. Anyplace in the top 20 - if it is at all possible - GO. The job opportunities and the money are amazing.

The other thing, about being a "joiner" - here comes an unpopular Danacara opinion (strapping on crash helmet, inserting mouthguard!!!) - ESPECIALLY if you have an average kid - force them to do it. Joining is not an option. I was required to play sports and do extracurriculars, in my house, it wasn't "are you going to do this," it was "which ones are you going to do." I didn't know my butt from my head at the beginning of high school and my mother was just like - "here's the plan, man, we figured out how to get you a scholarship to prep school and now you're going to give them a return for their money. Whatever you pick, I'll back you up, but start picking things." So I did.

My advice: while they live under your roof, require them to join clubs and play a sport. If they aren't athletic, figure out which sport doesn't cut. If nothing else, they'll surprise themselves and lose their fear of the unknown.

It will ABSOLUTELY help them get into college.

 

[auntpolly]

I looked through this thread and didn't see this point - sorry if I missed it. I really believe it has to do somewhat with your high school. DD went to a very competitive and demanding HS, and didn't take many APs - nor was her class rank very high, but admissions dapartments obviously took her school into consideration. (It was a good thing, too, because she worked very hard - but was in competition with some really bright kids.)

Her SAT scores were good, though. She ended up at one of the top liberal arts schools.

 

[Barb D]

Thanks--that's encouraging. She plays the viola and has since the 4th grade so she's quite accomplished in that area. And yes, I thought their co-op program was interesting; especially for her to be able to get some hands-on work-related experience yet still be in college.

dana: I will be picking your brain about scholarships and financial aid soon. (hope you won't mind )

Gee, your daughter and my daughter have a lot in common! DS starts high school next year, with all GT and honors classes. DD is in sixth grade now, and while (I think!) extremely bright she hasn't qualified for GT classes in the middle school. She also plays the viola well (although she's not a prodigy by any stretch), and she sings beautifully. I'm really curious to see how things will progress for her academically.

 

[Kirby]

My concern for her is that we're in a small school in a small town with very few extra-curricular activities that are not related to sports, which are not her bag.

Is there any kind of volunteer or community service work she can do? I've heard that some colleges like to see that written in on their apps.

 

[Cruise04]

I found last night that part of the competitiveness is because a lot of states budgets have dropped so significantly that a lot of good state schools have had to cap their enrollments. Which makes the process much harder to get in because there are less spots. As well as more schools have kids going through more than 4 years, when there is no housing available because those kids haven't moved on yet, that can hurt as well and help with the capping on enrollment.

I do know colleges and universities are becoming more interested in those kids that can show they've done a hard load also because a good portion of those students end up having to work while going to school in some form. If it shows they have the initiative to accomplish hard tasks and keep at it, it does show they have the initiative to struggle and make it through tough courses and a work schedule if needed. Also they look very hard at the essay (this apparently has become more and more important) as well as extracurricular activities, and not just sports.

Frankly, if she shows she has been able to make the grades with the classes she has and has been involved in other things on top of it, she should be able to get into some of those schools.

 

[Kallison]

I have a friend whose daughter took all the AP and honors classes. They are not weighted in our school district, and it is reflected as such on their college transcripts. Her DD did not get into her first choice of school after working her butt off because her GPS was a 3.5. She would have easily had a 4.0 with regular classes. She recommends they just do the best they can at their level. My son passes on honors courses, he gets all A's and B's and is in 8th grade. He has made Honor and Jazz Bands and is in a few clubs. I'm not stressing about it.

 

[Lanshark]

.....

 

[TimeforMe]

Class rank figures heavily into their decision making process, so if you go to a really competitive high school, it's harder to get in.

Yep. That's another thing that bugs me a little. However, I would think they'd have to take that into consideration, no? I mean, of course she's going to rank lower among so many above average kids than if say, she went to a school in the inner city.

 

[TimeforMe]

Also they look very hard at the essay (this apparently has become more and more important) as well as extracurricular activities, and not just sports.

QUOTE]
I think the essay part of it only holds true for small and/or private colleges. Thankfully, she has extracurricular and community activities.

 

[Keggy]

I was heavily involved in extracurriculars and sports but my grades were a little above average. I went to a great school - state school - but great - Bowling Green State University. There is a lot that goes into in. Financial aid, scholarships, etc.

My brother was a straight A student (all AP classes), he got a full scholarship to Case Western Reserve, for his undergrad and grad.

I wouldn't have been happy at Case, he wouldn't have been happy at BG. There is a school for everyone.

Your daughter should start talking with her guidance counselor now - they should know the most about the opporunities available and can help them get into the school of their choosing.

Kelly

 

[danacara]

A lot of the top-performing high schools no longer rank, I'm sure there are anecdotes about that from some of the posters on this board. Don't worry about the relative contribution of grades vs. SAT vs. essay vs. extracurriculars. Just make sure to pull as hard as you can at all four. And remember, it's a crapshoot. One of my college roommates was rejected at Duke, another one was waitlisted at Carnegie Mellon. (not kidding). And I just got into a b-school yesterday that I am grossly underqualified for. So what is meant to be, will be!

D

 

[caitycaity]

ita that college admissions is a crapshoot. i got into several highly competitive colleges, but didn't get into my first choice school which was supposedly not as competitive.

however, with that being said, it is a very competitive process. my alma mater's competitiveness has increased dramatically even since i graduated and certainly since i enrolled (1996). i know there are a lot of people i went to school with that would probably not get in if they applied these days. in the case of my alma mater, a large part of that increase in competitiveness is due to a huge increase in the number of applicants.

 

[missypie]

I went to a large state school in Illinois (20,000)...I think you could get in with something like a 13 ACT. But I was admitted in the program to teach Deaf kids and they took only 20 freshman every year.

So when you hear stories about someone not getting into this or that school which is supposedly easy to get into, you have to ask what PROGRAM they were trying to get into.

Our neighbor has a daughter who is absolutely BRILLIANT. She "didn't get into" Rice Univ. because she was trying to get in as a piano performance major...I think they take about 6 a year. She definitely could have gotten in based on academics, however. But if people who are less brilliant than her just hear that she "didn't get in", they would be discouraged when they shouldn't be.

 

[missypie]

I agree that high schools are just hurting their students by being so competitive. In our district, the kids bring home NUMBER grades from 1st grade on. So you get a 99 or a 91, not an "A." In my high school (back n the dark ages), you got a plain A, B, C, D or F. If you had all As, you had a 4.0, whether they were 99s or 91s. Whoever had a 4.0 at graduation was a valedictorian...our class of 823 had 16 valedictorians!

I think our high school should go to that system....what would that do to the "top 10%" rule? About 30% of the school would have a 4.0!

 

[WWTBAMFAN]

The top ten percent rule in Texas is horrible. Since the rule arose due to the Hopewood decision which has been overturned, hopefully the Texas legislature will drop this rule or put a cap in the number on the number of students that the University of Texas and Texas A&M have to admit under the rule. UT last year had over 70% of the class admitted under the top ten percent rule.

 

[krissy3483]

First off, I just wanted to say that I live right down the road from Vassar and actually go to Marist, so it really is a small world. That said, as so many other people have pointed out, colleges really do look for well-rounded students. Even if your daughter has a part-time job instead of extra-curricular activities, she is doing something and that's important. There are plenty of kids every year who take all kinds of honors and AP classes and score very well on the SATs, yet they do not get accepted to the big name schools for two reasons: first, because of their own lack of activities, and second, because colleges don't just take the kids with the highest grades. They really do accept all kinds of students. I think the best thing you can encourage your daughter to do is to apply wherever she feels she wants to go. If they say no, you can always transfer later on.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Interesting reading. As a mom of a 6th grader who will make a high school choice next year....... Do you think it is better to try for the more exclusive prep school or a private school that has less of a reputation for being "hard". DS can probably be accepted to both, but the prep school will be more challanging for him and more expensive for us! I am guessing that his GPA will be better at the easier school (although you never know) but the other school will "look" more impressive on a College App.

It's a crazy world when we are worried about college acceptance in 6th grade!