<p>@jwajwa OMG ur in AVID?? So am I…well I was but I’m quitting the program this year.</p>
<p>Yes! Well for my school, there are pros and cons:
Cons: It’s boring. They could be more interactive. I don’t think there really should have a freshmen year either.
Pros: If you take it seriously, it can be tremendously helpful! Like my sophomore year, we went over PSATS and from this I made a plan for the summer on how I can improve my PSATS and try to get quailed for merit awards. We also made college lists, which was very helpful because I really took the time to research colleges and I found colleges that I am IN LOVE with. Even my safeties! I could have easily saved time and sent to my teachers colleges that I know of and still got a good grade. </p>
<p>Overall, when it comes to AVID, My mindset towards it is to make everything they give me, the minimum of what I should be doing- with whatever project we are currently working on. </p>
<p>The only things I found burdensome with AVID are cornell notes and binder checks. With Cornell notes, I found a style that works for me which is actually writing it out on the sheet. With binders, I don’t use them. I use notebooks and expanding filing folders that let me easily take things out bc I HATE BINDERS. </p>
<p>So, I don’t know if you are still thinking about quitting but I wrote this for anyone in AVID bc SOOOOO many people quit and I think it’s because a lot of people don’t know how to use it as a tool to help them. Idk. To me, avid is both a support system that I might not have otherwise and a guide. </p>
<p>ANDDDD, Leonardo makes me wanna stay and AVID even more! Repping AVID from Yale! </p>
<p><a href=“Is a Full Ride Enough to Upgrade a 'Fallback' School? - The New York Times”>Is a Full Ride Enough to Upgrade a 'Fallback' School? - The New York Times;
<p>AND…AVID has so many good connections with colleges. Like at my school, just saying you are in AVID gets you a better chance at local schools - umass amherst, Lesley, Colby sawyer, smith, amherst, mount Holyoke, etc. Even in my school, people want to give AVID kids a edge. If there is an open space and only one kid can have it- one in avid and one not. It would be the AVID student! </p>
<p>I don’t know if this changed your mind. Lol.</p>
<p>@JwaJwa Welcome to the thread! It’s always nice to have another motivated student. Interesting take on avid…I was going to take it but I can’t stand Cornell Notes and Binder Checks. I hate when teachers micromanage their students’ organization patterns. I like to throw EVERYTHING in one folder and my teachers hate that. My philosophy is if it’s not in there it can’t be anywhere else! But I hate taking notes and then being graded on it. Everyone has their own style and mine isn’t mindlessly copying down your every word. And BINDERS… 
They’re so clunky. Ha Im not very organized…</p>
<p>Okay guys can we pause and take a moment to celebrate the fact that we have 100+ posts!! <em>ques started from the bottom</em> :)</p>
<p>Congratulations! :)</p>
<p>My D got into Penn this year. My second and last kid to go off to college. I thought I’d be off of CC by now. It was helpful and now its time for me to move on. However, I decided to check in every now and then to comment if I think I can be helpful. I feel like I learned so much about admissions that its almost ashame to just drop it because I got mine.</p>
<p>I attend Hampton U, my S is pursuing a degree in an artistic field at an art and design university and my D is at Penn so I’ve been through the gambit of decisions and challenges and hopes. </p>
<p>So, please don’t mind if an old head drops in on your thread from time to time with a comment or two.</p>
<p>Oops. I attended HU, not attend. Many years ago and it’s only gotten better since I graduated.</p>
<p>@jwajwa my schools AVID program is the best in our state. Like really…we’re a model school for the other AVID programs so the AVID curriculum is always testing stuff on us. There’s never a dull day in AVID it’s really fun but we also get our work done. Our sophomore class has a 4.1 average GPA. Although I’m quitting because I feel that I don’t need the program, plus my teacher laughed at me when I said I wanted to go to NYU. And the kids in my class are kinda weird. I feel left out in that class because I’m like the only black girl in my class and I hate talking about my feelings or just talking in general sooo yeah. And the activities we do are really fun it’s just I feel like I could be bettering myself by taking an AP class Instead.</p>
<p>@jwajwa Also our college tutors were really annoying. They always yelled at me if I didn’t understand something so I just stopped going up to the board for tutorials. I maintained a 4.1 GPA all year, but it’s not because of AVID. Also I got tired of being labeled “the quiet black girl”. Like everyone always thought I was sad when they’d see me reading a book while everyone else would be socializing. And the teacher almost sent me to the principals office because I snapped at him. He said “it’s not like you to talk back”. I had enough with that guy, he wouldn’t leave me alone until I told him what was wrong (there was nothing wrong so I made something up for him to leave me alone.) He even told me “if you don’t tell me anything I’m sending you to administration.” This made me cry and this totally embarrassed me in front of the class. From then on I decided it was best if I’m in classes that I’m comfortable with.</p>
<p>Wow. That’s really interesting! I would say if I were in your position and felt like AVID could not help me anymore and I am already doing very well, I would probably quit too.
That’s interesting that you say you get labeled as the “quiet black girl” bc I feel like I am in the exact same position in AVID! And the teacher thing is soo releateable too! I really would avoid talking to my sophomore teacher because she really did not know me at all. Even with my college list, I knew she would say something about my schools because of my current subpar GPA and PSAT scores so I wrote an essay on why I think I can get into these schools to avoid a discussion that I did not even want to think about having with her. I really think that after she read this, she had a completely different perspective of me and she interacted with my in a different manner than before.
Next year, I won’t have her and will have my a teacher that will be potentially my APUSH teacher as well which is really good. I have already talked to him and he is entirely different from my 10th grade one. He’s known to be a hard grader which is good and bad but really good when it comes to college essays!
I would also agree with you that AVID hasn’t necessarily helped me with my GPA. And my senior year, if I got into my dream schools (Columbia!) and my reach schools, I would not say I owe my success to AVID. I would probably say that I owe my philosophy of individual determination to AVID for nurturing it and encouraging it!
I also do see the benefits of not taking AVID. If I hadn’t taken it, I could fit an AP Lit or AP Environmental Science! But I also think colleges will see in my position that I am taking the most rigorous schedule I can. </p>
<p>So overall, I would say do you if think benefits of getting out of AVID outweigh the benefits of staying in AVID. And if you do stay in AVID, you can always PM if you want to talk about it. (Trying to sound supportive-not creepy! Lol). This makes me wanna make an AVID thread! :)</p>
<p>@jwajwa At my school the AVID teacher teaches all grades. So our teacher knows us all very well. He even gossips with the students, it’s kinda unprofessional because he wants to be in the know. And I definitely don’t want him in my business so he can go spreading it around.</p>
<p>@DreamWriter
I hate teachers/professionals like that. There’s a difference between wanting to relate to the kids and be the person that they can talk to but you should never stoops to their level and gossip. In the words of Cheef Kieff that’s that stuff I don’t like.</p>
<p>I think I jacked that spelling up…</p>
<p>@Madaboutx (spelling again)
Thanks for contributing to the page. It’s great to have someone who’s been through the process to help the newbies out.
I have a few questions if you don’t mind.</p>
<p>In your opinion, what’s the most important advice you could give to us (rising juniors) for this upcoming year?</p>
<p>If there is anything you could do over what would it be?</p>
<p>How much of a role do you think URM status plays on your application?
-This has been a hot topic on CC in the past</p>
<p>@Basic2015 - Other than all the routine advice of taking the most rigorous course load, maintaining the highest GPA and class rank you can and having interesting ECs and leadership, I’d say to really know yourself and focus on what you want more than what you have. For every kid whose dreams are so big as to be out of reach, there are 9 kids whose dreams are way to small. The majority of kids struggle with a lack of confidence. </p>
<p>As far as doing anything over. I’d say knowledge is power because you don’t know what you don’t know. There was much I didn’t know when I went to college and I had to learn on the fly. My kids are so much further ahead than I was at their age because they benefit from my knowledge. They get to build on the foundation I laid. Knowledge is easy to get too. Just talk to people. Tell them what you hope for and desire to do. Most people will readily share their knowledge then you have to get good at knowing good info from bad info.</p>
<p>URM status means nothing to me and I don’t care what it means to others. I wish more of us would adopt that attitude. If you do the very best you can do, why would you want your race taken into consideration? Just be proud of yourself and accept any rewards accrued based on your efforts. I’m not saying that there are no circumstances when AA is appropriate but don’t bank on it. Prepare for a life without it. Im in sales, my worth to my company can be calculated down to the penny. It’s wonderful and liberating. Race means nothing. Either I produce or I don’t. It’s a true joy.</p>
<p>@basic2015 Lol that’s the truth. I’ve encountered so many teachers who try to be cool, sometimes they even pick on other students to “fit in”. Luckily I’m not one of those students, besides I like to put all my teachers “in their place”. </p>
<p>How many AP’s is everyone taking this year? I’m taking 4: AP Government and politics, AP chemistry, AP psychology, and AP language. Does this seemlike too much?</p>
<p>@dreamwriter23 I don’t think that’s too much. I’ve heard that AP psychology and AP Gov are pretty easy. I’m taking two: AP Lang and APUSH</p>
<p>Thanks at @Madaboutx!
One of the best quotes Ive seen on the African American page goes along the line “be the best student, not the best black student”. That really struck something in me. Of course the op worded a little more eloquently. Work hard to be the best of the best…hands down. And if AA is around then that’s great for you. Just dont let it define you and your success.</p>
<p>@DreamWriter
Lmao im curious how you put your teachers in check!
And taking: AP Chem and AP whichever you take junior year Lit
AP Chem struggle together?</p>
<p>@BellLander
Thank you for being normal and not taking like 12 AP classes in one semester. Kidding but jeez some of these CC kids have like 8 their junior year. Do they not have gym or lunch?</p>
<p>@basic2015
Ikr! I’m assuming they go to large schools, and the classes are divided by semester. My school is really small, we only have about 16 APs, and APs last the entire year. But like you said, you have to be the best you can be. I told my friends I’ll probably be taking all APs next year and they almost had a heart attack lol I don’t know about them, but I need food lmao</p>
<p>@Bellander Thank goodness that half the AP’s I’m taking are easy. Hopefully my transcript will be very outstanding by the time I graduate. Although I’m starting to think that colleges are used to seeing black females over achieve. </p>
<p>@Basic2015 Lol basically on the first day of school all of my teachers look at me as of I’m going to be a trouble maker (we all know why lol). To prove them wrong I’m always the first one to raise my hand to answer questions and I’m always on time to class oh and on time when turning in assignments. Here’s my favorite lol, I bring in a really difficult book that I’m reading for “fun” and read it when I’m finished with my class work. By the end of the week my teachers know that I’m not “ratchet,ghetto, a trouble maker, or a procrastinator”. That is how I put my teachers in their place. They have no right to assume I’m a hoodlum because of my appearance. And because of this my teachers hardly ever confuse me for the “other” black or foreign looking girl in the class. They actually know my name and that I can accomplish absolutely any task given to me. Besides I live in Florida a realllllly messed up state so I’m used to the ill treatment.</p>