<p>Hello, As my first post on these boards I come to you all with a dilemma I am caught in and a request for help.</p>
<p>I am a senior, not yet graduated but accepted at every school I've yet applied to, one of which I currently fully intend on enrolling in. I also thought back in the summer that going for the Advanced regents diploma would be a fun challenge. </p>
<p>It's not. The one class standing between me and this diploma, Trig/Algebra 2, is excruciatingly hard for me(I've struggled in math since middle school) and is destroying my leisure time(a primary concern of mine, but I am far from here to debate that).</p>
<p>I ask this: If I am already accepted and in every legal way guaranteed to go where I want to, have very solid SAT scores and a good enough GPA BUT little to no extracurricular activities, will this advanced diploma make or break me in any situation from here on in in life? I've talked to my Counselor and many friends and pretty much unanimously say to drop the class because in my situation it'd just be a minor plus on job applications after high school. Is it more significant? and given the long and short of my situation, is it worth my time? I'm really lost in the woods here, any help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You live in New York right? There isn’t really that big of a difference between Regents vs .Advanced Regents, but I think if the college you are going to expected you to complete this course and get the Advanced diploma, you should at least let them know that you are dropping it.</p>
<p>“There isn’t really that big of a difference between Regents vs .Advanced Regents”</p>
<p>I don’t agree with this statement. The basic Regents diploma only requires passing exams in Algebra, one lab science, English, Global History and US History with a score of 65 or better. It is stated NYSED policy that the goal of NYS public schools is to graduate all students with a Regents diploma.</p>
<p>The Advanced Regents diploma, in addition to the above, requires passing a foreign language exam (usually given after the third year of study), Geometry, Trig and a second lab science. </p>
<p>There is also a category called Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors for students who pass all required exams with a 90 or better average. Some schools, including our middling rural/suburban school, require a third year of lab science in order to earn the Honors designation.</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom in our community is that the Regents diploma prepares you for community college or non-selective SUNYs and private colleges. The Advanced Regents prepares students for the more selective SUNYs and private schools and students who want to apply to more selective schools are encouraged to shoot for the Advanced diploma with honors.</p>
<p>If you have already been admitted, I don’t see why you have to worry about the regents! </p>
<p>I do wonder, however, about graduating high school and going to college without Finishing Algebra 2. Won’t your college have a math requirement?</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t worry about the conventional wisdom above. My kid is at a prestigious, hard to get into NYC public school that cares not a whit about Regents scores.</p>
<p>@Hudsonvalley:: I have already been accepted into a fairly selective private school. During my tour of it, I talked with many of my now future professors, one of which told me that for my chosen field they get about 60 applicants, and well under 20 are approved. Don’t tell me it can’t be done without being a straight-A student with honors, 10x as many classes as necessary and all that other crap.</p>
<p>@redpoint: thanks for your input, I concur.</p>
<p>To answer your question, I am in trig/algebra 2 now as my FOURTH math year- I took intermediate algebra my junior(last) year. Most people take these classes inversely but last year was kind of tough for me so I didn’t overdo it. As far as I know I fulfill their math requirement as is for my program.</p>
<p>redpoint: I am not aware of very many private colleges, in NYS or out, that care about how you score on the Regents exams. For that matter, outside of the SUNYs, there aren’t many public colleges and universities that care. But I wasn’t addressing regents exam scores. My post addressed (perceived) rigor of curriculum. Most all colleges give most weight in admissions decisions to rigor of curriculum and GPA. The Advanced Regents track is more rigorous than the requirements for a basic Regents diploma. FWIW, there are certainly more rigorous curriculums than any Regents path found in NYS schools, both public and private. </p>
<p>hammer326 – It was not clear in your original post that you had completed 3 years of HS math, since NYS public school students’ usual progression is Integrated Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calc (or Calc for advanced math students). Since you already have 3 years of math and your preferred college doesn’t care if you take a 4th year I would say you are fine without the Advanced Regents diploma in this case. I’d still run this past the Admissions office at your intended college just to make certain it is not a problem at their end.</p>