A freshman with a bunch of questions

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hi! Before I even begin, I want to say that a lot of what I say in this post is going to sound like bragging, and I'm really not trying to. I hate listing my achievements or calling myself "smart" because I think it makes me sound so concieted. Anyway...</p>

<p>I am a brand-new highschooler, and while I love it (my teachers and classes are really cool!), I have a bunch of questions/concerns. My main one is that since I had a lot of problems with my schedule, culminating in an unbearably hard public speaking class which I dropped, so now I ended up with a year plus a semester of study hall, since there aren't any more semester classes and it's too late to transfer into a year class. Now, however, I am feeling like I am slacking off too much and not taking the most rigorous classes/schedule possible. As it stands now, I already have five credits (from middle school) and this year I'm taking algebra 2/trig, AP Latin Virgil, biology, US history (which isn't technically an AP course but which you can take the AP exam for and get the extra GPA credit), english, photography (a semester course), and PE. I am also in the IB Program (technically MYP right now), so all my classes are IB. I am also a straight-A student, and have always been. I feel like this isn't enough, but at the same time I kind of need the study hall time because as of now (without all the clubs even being offered yet) I am in:
SCA Senate (like homeroom reps) and applying to Exec. Council
running for Freshman Class President
on the swim team
on the debate team
on the Academic Challenge team
writing for my local newspaper
on the teen council at my library
volunteering at my local aquarium
I also hope to do much more in my school, testing the waters per se in all of these new clubs (my middle school was very small and we had few clubs). What do you guys think? Am I not taking enough classes? Any suggestions for good classes to take in later years?</p>

<p>Also, the PSAT/SAT. I took the ACT in eighth grade as part of a Johns Hopkins talent search and got a 32 overall with a perfect score on reading. I would like to take the SAT now, if only just to see what I could get, but I have been told whatever score you get on it, no matter what grade, goes on your transcript and I don't want a bad score on there. Would taking the PSATs be better? Should I take either/both?</p>

<p>Please don't misunderstand me. I love school and all my clubs/teams and in no way am I taking the classes or clubs that I am to "get in to a good college." I am very motivated and competitive, and I would love to get into a great college and do the best that I can do in school. However, I'm not going to base my life around college or anything, and one of my top colleges (UVA), while a great school, is not an Ivy League. You can advise me as if my only goal was to get in to Harvard; however, please do not judge me on my obsssiveness. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You should take a practice SAT test and see how you do on it. </p>

<p>Advice: Stay active in your clubs. Get leadership positions. It's very important. </p>

<p>Seems like you're off to a good start.</p>

3

<p>I agree with the post above- what you're doing is great so stick with it. Get leadership positions, do community service, take as many advanced classes as you can manage (but don't take so many that you don't have the time needed for each one.) You're off to a good start. But don't forget to have fun. You're a freshman and you should enjoy this year.</p>

4

<p>It's OK if you don't have every slot in your schedule filled up. That doesn't matter one iota your freshman year. You should be concentrating on getting into your ECs, since those are hard to pick up later. I speak from experience.</p>

5

<p>for the SATs I know that my local library has a free [real] Practice SAT sponsored by the Princeton Review twice a year; spring and fall; and they also have a session where they go over the score report with you (and try to get you to take their classes, but you don't have to).
you should check if yours has something like that too.</p>

6

<p>Just try to do your best in the classes you have now, try a lot of sports/clubs/activities and see what you like best, and enjoy your first year of high school! Take the PSAT this October too, it's a good way to see where your weak areas are without having to spend a whole Saturday taking the exhausting (and slightly harder) SAT.</p>

7

<p>take the PSAT not the SAT this year.</p>

8

<p>Wow... You're really something. Just try hard, and you'll be fine. 32 on the ACT in middle school...?</p>

<p>Anyway, don't lose track of what you are doing, and even though you are doing this hard now, you might start to slow down as reality settles in. Just do your best...</p>

<p>You might want to think about independent studying APs.</p>

9

<p>You can take the SAT and it will be recorded, but that doesn't mean you need to ue that score. Most schools super score (take the best from each section), but I don't know why you'd want to take the SAT with a 32 on your ACT. Your schedule is a lot more rigorous than most freshmen schedules. I don't know any person who ever took a language AP freshmen year.</p>

10

<p>hmm freshy, enjoy 9th grade, because it will only get tougher. I had loads of fun in 9th grade and managed to get away with A's and B's. Umm take the Sat for practice. And try to stay active in ure clubs because it seems that u have no problems getting all A's. Thats all u have to worry about. CLUBS.</p>

11

<p>Thanks guys! Yes, I'm taking an AP class and a class that is not formally AP but teaches the same material and for which I will most likely take the AP test. You guys have really eased my worries about having that block of study hall. SAT/PSAT thing I'm still not so sure about though. If I take the SAT's now and bomb them, then take them again later will colleges ever see my bombed score/the fact that I took them more than once?</p>

12

<p>Colleges tend to see all your scores, but it depends on the admissions people on what they decipher from it. I would try and slow down a little. Your acting like its your junior year. Just have fun in 9th grade, and take the PSAT and PLAN. You can worry about the SAT later, like 2 years from now.</p>

13

<p>Don't take the SAT until your junior year, if only for National Merit purposes to back up your PSAT.</p>