<p>I just wanted to cover another issue. </p>
<p>9th grade is for experimenting. There are some colleges which do not count 9th grade grades at all. There are many others at which they are highly discounted. So, this is the year to pile on the ECs if the KID wants to and see if they can stay afloat academically. If they can’t, then a MAJOR readjustment will have to be made for 10th grade. </p>
<p>Too often, IMO, parents restrict 9th grade activities because they are worried about grades. So, the kid does well, and the parent then agrees that the kid can take on additional ECs in 10th grade. At this point, the child may become overcommitted to ECs and grades will decline. Poor grades in 10th grade will hurt a LOT more than poor grades in 9th grade. Most colleges do look at “patterns” in grades and the kids whose grades improve as they advance in high school do better than kids with the same cumulative gpa whose grades declined over time–at least that’s my anecdotal experience. </p>
<p>Plus, when there ARE leadership positions or chances to advance in an EC, it’s usually the kids who were fully engaged in 9th grade rather than those who poured on the steam in 10th who are given the opportunities. </p>
<p>So, my advice would be to let the young lady try to do everything this year, and if it proves to be too much, change course in 10th grade. It takes a while for most kids to learn how to balance things and that learning is better done in 9th grade than 10th. Moreover, even if the kids don’t juggle well, they are less likely to resent restrictions when they tried and it didn’t work out than when parents step in before they’ve been allowed to try. </p>
<p>Just my opinion.</p>