Was high school easier in the 90's/early 2000's compared to today?

[greeneyedchick]

Socially, much harder with cameras capturing every embarassing thing you ever said or did. Not to mention the risk that you "liked" a post or made a joke on social media that will cause you to loose your job 20 years from now.

I'm 50/50 on the academics. When I was in school, we weren't allowed to take more than 1 AP class a year because they're a lot of work. Now the kids are expected to take 4-5 AP courses at a time. But my kids seem to have less homework than I did and doing research for their papers, it's a lot faster with the internet. They can also "read" audiobooks and textbooks. My oldest avoided the whole AP thing and opted for duel enrollment and CLEP tests. Saved 2 years of college that way. She felt that the college classes were easier and less work than the high school ones. She encourages everyone to skip the AP and go right to taking community college classes and CLEP tests in high school. And did you know that your child can take the AP test even if they don't take the class? If you have a motiviated self-learner, they can avoid the large amount of school work associated with the AP, study for the test and get the credit. But I digress...

I do think there is a lot more pressure for everyone to take the top classes and get straight As for the tiny chance of getting into an Ivy League. My parents put that pressure on me and it was awful. I swore I wouldn't do it to my kids. They should enjoy school and then get a degree from somewhere that doesn't cost more than my first house to attend. Now that I thnk about it more, I think it's much harder to be a kid these days.

 

[Skippy918]

I don’t know if it’s harder now or just different. My son has so many more options that I did especially when it comes to electives. His high school also offers more AP classes and dual credit. My high school didn’t have dual credit at all although I don’t think it existed back then.
kids can choose from a wide variety of offerings and no one is tracked like back in the 60s when you had vocational vs college prep. You can now take automotive classes along with your AP classes.

 

[kdonnel]

My kids covered way more material in high school than I remember covering.

 

[mjkacmom]

Socially, much harder with cameras capturing every embarassing thing you ever said or did. Not to mention the risk that you "liked" a post or made a joke on social media that will cause you to loose your job 20 years from now.

I'm 50/50 on the academics. When I was in school, we weren't allowed to take more than 1 AP class a year because they're a lot of work. Now the kids are expected to take 4-5 AP courses at a time. But my kids seem to have less homework than I did and doing research for their papers, it's a lot faster with the internet. They can also "read" audiobooks and textbooks. My oldest avoided the whole AP thing and opted for duel enrollment and CLEP tests. Saved 2 years of college that way. She felt that the college classes were easier and less work than the high school ones. She encourages everyone to skip the AP and go right to taking community college classes and CLEP tests in high school. And did you know that your child can take the AP test even if they don't take the class? If you have a motiviated self-learner, they can avoid the large amount of school work associated with the AP, study for the test and get the credit. But I digress...

I do think there is a lot more pressure for everyone to take the top classes and get straight As for the tiny chance of getting into an Ivy League. My parents put that pressure on me and it was awful. I swore I wouldn't do it to my kids. They should enjoy school and then get a degree from somewhere that doesn't cost more than my first house to attend. Now that I thnk about it more, I think it's much harder to be a kid these days.

Well with instate publics costing $30,000 a year with room and board, it’s definitely harder. My kids were encouraged to get the best grades possible with rigorous courses so they could get merit, reach schools were off the table for this reason. They also had to have very employable majors with good incomes. It’s so different now.

 

[sam_gordon]

Now the kids are expected to take 4-5 AP courses at a time.

"Expected"? By who? DD took 8 AP courses over four years (part of a special program they started... TOTALLY not worth it).

 

[mjkacmom]

"Expected"? By who? DD took 8 AP courses over four years (part of a special program they started... TOTALLY not worth it).

By the colleges? My daughter who took 9 graduated a whole year early, saving about $40,000, so worth it.

 

[sam_gordon]

By the colleges? My daughter who took 9 graduated a whole year early, saving about $40,000, so worth it.

Depends on the college I guess. And AP classes are only going to get you college credit if you pass the test. Out of three kids, all have taken some AP classes, I think around 10-12 total, only one has gotten a passing grade on a test. The two older ones got into their first choice colleges, so yea, it wasn't worth it for us. The third one (who happens to be the one who passed the AP test) is just now starting to look at colleges.

AND, my understanding is not every college "recognizes" AP classes/tests. So even if you get a passing grade, it may not count at the college of your choice.

AND, I have heard from a college employee that at least some kids who were able to "skip" a year because of AP/Dual Credit courses actually suffered because they couldn't handle the maturity level. Obviously that will depend on the child.

 

[tvguy]

Depends on the college I guess. And AP classes are only going to get you college credit if you pass the test.

Yes, while students absolutely will benefit from taking AP classes and passing the test, there is no guarantee your child's College will accept those AP classes for credit. My son got no credit for his AP classes at his University, because, as they put it, "we want our students to take our versions of those classes". But my son said those classes were much easier because of his AP classes in High School.

 

[mjkacmom]

Depends on the college I guess. And AP classes are only going to get you college credit if you pass the test. Out of three kids, all have taken some AP classes, I think around 10-12 total, only one has gotten a passing grade on a test. The two older ones got into their first choice colleges, so yea, it wasn't worth it for us. The third one (who happens to be the one who passed the AP test) is just now starting to look at colleges.

AND, my understanding is not every college "recognizes" AP classes/tests. So even if you get a passing grade, it may not count at the college of your choice.

AND, I have heard from a college employee that at least some kids who were able to "skip" a year because of AP/Dual Credit courses actually suffered because they couldn't handle the maturity level. Obviously that will depend on the child.

One got 4/5 on 9 tests, the other 7 (our HS requires them to take the tests), they both attended public colleges that accepted all of the credits (many as electives). Having the credits going in also allowed them to register for classes earlier, plus they were in honors so they had that boost with registration.

 

[sam_gordon]

One got 4/5 on 9 tests, the other 7 (our HS requires them to take the tests), they both attended public colleges that accepted all of the credits (many as electives). Having the credits going in also allowed them to register for classes earlier, plus they were in honors so they had that boost with registration.

But it SO depends on the situation. What college they're going to, are they good test takers (oldest DD got A's & B's in every AP class... didn't pass a single AP test), and what their major is.

So I still don't think students are EXPECTED to take 4-5 AP classes at a time, even by the most stringent colleges, which is what I was originally commenting on.

As far as my "totally not worth it", it really wasn't for us. The AP classes, while "tougher", weren't really worth the stress it put our kids under. YMMV.

Personally, I think Dual Credit is a better "investment". Then at least you're getting credit from a college that I would think would be more likely to be accepted at another college.

 

[mjkacmom]

But it SO depends on the situation. What college they're going to, are they good test takers (oldest DD got A's & B's in every AP class... didn't pass a single AP test), and what their major is.

So I still don't think students are EXPECTED to take 4-5 AP classes at a time, even by the most stringent colleges, which is what I was originally commenting on.

As far as my "totally not worth it", it really wasn't for us. The AP classes, while "tougher", weren't really worth the stress it put our kids under. YMMV.

Personally, I think Dual Credit is a better "investment". Then at least you're getting credit from a college that I would think would be more likely to be accepted at another college.

My kids had more trouble transferring DE credits, but our HS only has a handful with 2 local colleges. In my kids’ cases, they were pretty sure they’d be going to publics, knew their majors, are great test takers, and actually liked being in more challenging classes. Two of my other kids took 4/5 but didn’t get 4/5 on all of them, my youngest son took 3 and didn’t pass a single test (he didn’t study for a single test either). I let them pick their course, in hindsight I wish I had been more involved (my daughter with 9, science major, didn’t take AP bio, AP chem, or AP physics, so the courses in college were more challenging. She regretted it at the time).

 

[tvguy]

But it SO depends on the situation. What college they're going to, are they good test takers (oldest DD got A's & B's in every AP class... didn't pass a single AP test), and what their major is.

So I still don't think students are EXPECTED to take 4-5 AP classes at a time, even by the most stringent colleges, which is what I was originally commenting on.

As far as my "totally not worth it", it really wasn't for us. The AP classes, while "tougher", weren't really worth the stress it put our kids under. YMMV.

Personally, I think Dual Credit is a better "investment". Then at least you're getting credit from a college that I would think would be more likely to be accepted at another college.

My daughter didn't take any AP classes in High School and got into the California State University system no problem. However, the issue she had was when she transferred from one CSU campus to another. The second CSU campus would not accept credit for half her classes take at the first CSU. To this day I am still baffled how that is even possible. A CSU class should be accepted at all 23 CSU campuses.

 

[sam_gordon]

My daughter didn't take any AP classes in High School and got into the California State University system no problem. However, the issue she had was when she transferred from one CSU campus to another. The second CSU campus would not accept credit for half her classes take at the first CSU. To this day I am still baffled how that is even possible. A CSU class should be accepted at all 23 CSU campuses.

I gotta agree with you.