<p>I currently go to junior high as a hs freshman. When researching college prep sometimes they say prepare as a freshman for college but I go to junior high. And because I go to junior high I can't take AP classes like my friend who goes to another high school. I'm actually really happy where I am but I'm just curious do High school freshman have a significant advantage to college admissions than junior high 9th graders.
(I know in extra-curriculars they do but I'm trying to change that by establishing 2 maybe 3 clubs in my "finalie" year and actually being in at least 2 of my school already established clubs although i was involved in ASB and a medical intrest(called hippocrates circle) in 8th grade and joined my high school's upward bound program.</p>
<p>I appreciate your help and best regards to all you guys :D</p>
<p>It isn’t that odd. It used to always be that way… 1-6th elementary, 7-9th junior high, and 10th-12th senior high. That’s how it was when my dad was in school. He still doesn’t think that ninth graders should be in high school or 5th-6th graders in middle school. (I was in MS in 5th grade… es in 6th. It sucked.)</p>
<p>My district does that. k4/k5-6 elementary school, 7-9 junior high, and 10-12 senior high. However, they recently voted to rearrange it… so they’re moving 6th grade and renaming it middle school. And then they’re going to place the freshman in a freshman academy at the high school.</p>
<p>Most of the schools in this area have freshman academies, so 9th graders are at no disadvantage at a junior high vs a senior high. In fact, one of the local high schools has a freshman campus and a main campus (10-12) and it is quite the hike to get between the two… (as in you can’t take classes at main campus if you’re a ninth grader.)</p>
<p>Also… Schools consider what is offered to you. In the end, freshman year doesn’t really matter that much aside from grades. But if you can be involved with sports and/or clubs at your current junior high, then do those and try to bridge the gap between Sr H and Jr J.</p>
<p>7th-9th junior highs were the set-up in both the NH town I went to junior high and the Maryland county I went to HS (back in the dark ages). I do not think it is the most common set-up but it done a lot of places. Colleges will look at your courses/background in context of the opportunities your school system provided … if you have taken advantange of the opportunities provided you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>PS - In my experience my kids school system set-up K-8 school and the 9-12 HS is more limited academically then the set-up I had going through K-6, 7-9, 10-12 set-up. Having a central junior high school opened up educational opportunities in both systems I was in … such as taking Algebra in 8th grade and Geometry in 9th.</p>
<p>3togo yes I stronglyagree being in junior does open up opportunites that middle schoolers usually dont have. For example I was able to take ALgebra 2 as a freshman in this current year. In addition as a 9th grader one can create a good influencee on the school’s current 7th and 8th graders. My school even has a program called Link crew to help integrate the 7th graders in to our school. 8th graders can join but I wasn’t the greatest in 8th so I have a second chance to do so. Also I am considering to take advantage of my seniority by establishing several clubs on campus with 7 and 8 grader majorities for example my first proposal has 70-90% of possible members as 7th graders</p>
<p>My school was like that too. I was also a 9th grader in a junior high.
I don’t think colleges would look at it too differently, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>But yes, I do think that normal freshman have an advantage over 9th grade junior graders. It seems to me that normal high schools have a a wider variety of classes, whereas my school had classes just for students up to the ninth grade. At my school, you were allowed to take high school classes, but usually that meant more work (walking up to the high school, missing class, etc.)</p>
<p>I have a friend who went to a different high school, and as a ninth grader she was able to take “Intro to Medicine,” which included medical terminology AND anatomy & physiology. When I heard about it, my jaw dropped. The closest thing we have at my school is “Sports Medicine.”</p>
<p>So, I don’t think colleges think being a junior high freshman as anything “special.” I think it’s a disadvantage, since the classes are more limited.</p>
<p>What electives does a freshman really need? I was always under the impression that a freshman should be taking: English, History, Math, Biology or Physical Science (whatever your school requires), a foreign language, an art or music class, and PE.</p>
<p>Is that not standard? I always thought that ‘cool’ electives should be saved for seniors and juniors who already have mandatory requirements fulfilled.</p>
<p>^Most schools have 7 or 8. Traditional or block…</p>
<p>I don’t know of a school that only has six. My school is in the large minority for only offering 7 a year instead of 8. (We’re traditional… other local schools are block.)</p>
<p>Where do you live and do most schools in your area only offer 6 classes and what’s the schedule like? How long are classes?</p>
<p>I know a lot of schools on the west coast have 6-block schooldays, but that may just be the west coast, or Washington in general? However, my high school DID switch from 8 periods to 6 about fourish years ago, so yeah.</p>
<p>Each of the classes are 55 minutes, with 5 minute passing periods. So about an hour total.</p>
<p>Mm… Traditional at my school is 45 minutes with 5 minutes passing. (8:10-8:55; 9:00-9:45; 10:10-10:55; 11:00-11:45; 11:50-12:35; 1:25-2:10; 2:15-3:00) We have a 20 minute assembly/recess period and a 55 minute lunch… And then the local block scheduling are 90 minute classes with much shorter lunches.</p>
<p>But yeah… We’re on opposite sides of the country… so it could just be a difference in policy.</p>
<p>As it happens, I have some experience with this situation. Technically the best thing to do would be to simply repeat ninth grade when you get to high school. I’m sure you can figure out the many ways in which this is supremely advantageous. Many associate this practice with people who are academically lacking. At my school, it is relatively common [I’d say *at least* 20% of people my grade are ninth grade repeats who did so to gain an edge rather than catch up]. There is of course a stigma if you attend high school with the same people you went to junior high with and they are unfamiliar with this practice. But in the long run, it’s what Id recommend. </p>
<p>I moved to a school system in Canada in the eighth grade where ninth grade was junior high [and high school was only three grades]. I skipped to ninth grade for academic reasons. I then repeated the ninth grade when i got to high school so as to return to my normal grade [and not be academically overwhelmed- while the junior high i moved to was academically inferior to the middle school i came from, the private high school to which i was accepted and currently attend is astronomically superior to both].</p>
<p>We have six regular blocks [A-F] that meet five days out of the six-day academic week [saturday classes], two blocks [G and H] that alternate and thus meet three times a week each, and one block [L] that meets at the very end of every academic day [except wednesday and saturday as those are half days to allow for games] for labs and double periods should you have one. sports are required all three seasons for underclassmen [unless you participate in a time-consuming out-of-school equivalent, are injured or manage a team], two seasons for juniors and one season for seniors. I think there are around 25 AP’s offered.</p>
<p>We had that too, but it was only during construction while there wasn’t enough room. I didn’t really mind it. The campuses were about three blocks apart. They ran a bus but it was a nice walk in the fall and spring. We could still participate in activities and take classes at main and everything, so it didn’t really make a difference. It was a really good transition to high school, because we were in activities with upperclassmen and got that interaction but were not thrown into the fire the way they are now.</p>