So it may well be that a kid should take math course A rather than math course B as a 9th grader, because it will set him or her up to get to some advanced math class by 11th or 12th grade. But I think that choice should be made because the kid’s really into math and wants to really push him or herself, not because it might look good to a college.*
This was my issue. As a freshman, we were not told how the math sequence worked and rather than stretch a little for the first math class, we thought it would be better to play it safe than try the more challenging class. He ended up with needing no effort for an A+, and he couldn’t skip the next math course because the first one was not honors.
Same goes for the language choice/level.
Anyway, its better to have all the facts, but don’t I don’t think the college rat race should start in 9th grade.
Hi - here is a copy of the email exchange. Looking back now it appears to have hit the CC inbox at the worst possible time (late November). This probably explains her response:
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Finally she decides to respond. Here is her response back to me
What is presented above is the entire email exchange between me and the CC office at my son’s boarding school. I made no phone calls to the CC office. Take it as you will.
FWIW, I certainly don’t think the stress of the college search should begin prematurely, nor should ECs or even classes be selected solely because of “how it will look to colleges”.
OTOH, when you do get to be a junior/parent of a junior and process starts, you hear from pretty much every selective college that “we want to see that applicants have taken the most rigorous course load that was available to them”. So if you kid is interested in/has scores/grades to be in the hunt for these sorts of schools…if you AREN’T thinking about course trajectory starting in 9th grade, there’s a chance you might make choices detrimental to your chances at these sorts of schools.
We did a bunch of college visits Spring of 7D2’s soph year…mostly because she is a possible athletic recruit and I didn’t want to have to the pressure of fitting all the visits in Junior year — a key year for testing, academics, and athletic results.
Regarding if 9th grade is too early to consider college admissions, why does it have to be an on/off switch? Can you consider “just a little” about long term course planning even starting 9th grade? Especially with math and science where a chain is pretty hard to be broken once set in motion in 9th grade?
I agree that college planning shouldn’t be undertaken prematurely, and having someone sit with the freshmen and sophomores as they are picking their classes for the next year (i.e., sophomore and junior year) was something that was requested not to “package” the students (which is anathema to the school’s mission) but to help them make sure that their plans aligned with their goals/interests. While a kid who was interested in STEM would naturally have gravitated to science and math classes, he might be advised that sophomore year offers an opportunity to double up on science classes. A junior with serious art interests might be advised to have a portfolio by the end of the year. These would help them meet the requirements of the colleges they’d be likely to consider. The objective was to reduce/eliminate those “If only I’d known” moments.
In addition, there was an effort to dispel notions that kids aiming for top schools HAD to take a certain course or sequence to be competitive. In one situation, the advice was “if the only reason you’re taking that class is to get into XYZ school, you should understand that even with a flawless stats, acceptance rates in the single digits mean that it’s quite possible, even probable, that you will take this course – the one you are already dreading – for a result that will not occur. Do you REALLY want to spend your time that way when you have an interest in this other thing?”
I was happy when this was instituted because in spite of having watched many of my friends’ kids go through the college process, I was really ill-informed about the current landscape of college admissions beyond knowing that I probably couldn’t get into the schools that gave me degrees decades ago. Practically, that meant that I was also not the best person to be advising my child on his course selection (which he would have told you as well!). As @suzyq7 notes, involving someone with the facts can be helpful.
And on @sculptordad’s point, at our school, the advice given for 9th grade was to try the hardest class you tested into. You would probably find that you could handle it, but if it was too hard, dropping back would be easier than to trying to catch up (although that was an option too). And dropping back could happen at any point during the year without it being apparent on your transcript Freshman grades are given little attention in the college admissions process so the risk is minimal, and it also provides a little bit more of a reference point when picking classes for the next year.
@sgopal2 , I have no words! While you’re right that you inadvertently managed to make your request at possibly the worst time of the year, the response definitely lacks, ummm, warmth? I’m crossing my fingers that this spring, when your son has an “official” CC, your reception will be better. Yuck!
@sgopal2 It’s possible that the head of CC at your kid’s school honestly was wondering what you would use the school profile for. I would explain to her what info you were look and how you could benefit from seeing it.
@sgopal2, I can totally see why you were put off both by the tone and the content. At my kids’ school, one of the very first things that the head of college counseling told the 11th grade parents in the initial meeting about CC was that we should take a look at the school’s profile, just so we could see what information about the school is conveyed to colleges. Of course he also went on to make the point that many colleges would already understand the school’s grading system, etc., and so it was really only important if kids are applying to schools outside the usual suspects.
And on the point about planning a student’s course load, I agree that thought needs to be put into it, I just meant that I didn’t see why that needed to come from college counselors, which is what I think the original suggestion was (that the poster wanted college counseling to start sooner so that there was CC input to course selection). At my kids’ school, their advisors help them pick their courses for the next year, and when they are uncertain about what the best plan is in subjects that build from one year to the next, then the advisor would typically have a conversation with the relevant department head to figure out the best choices. I think putting that responsibility with the advisors makes a lot of sense, given that the advisor is who the kids would also turn to if the class then turns out to be too hard or they’re struggling for some reason. I think the college counselors probably have more than enough on their plates without also having to deal with course selection for younger students.
Count me among the shocked at the CC’s attitude. But, @sgopal2 , I’m probably wrong, but I thought your child was at Exeter or Andover? Both have school profiles readily available on their websites.
We haven’t had much contact yet with the Mercersburg college counseling office, but so far I like what I see. They now assign students a CC from day one (which I believe can be changed later if there’s a reason; for instance, one CC specializes in athletic recruits). They have large group sessions with the CC in 9th grade and small group sessions in 10th grade. There have been group sessions for parents on family weekend, and a whole “college counseling day” for parents in the spring (which we couldn’t attend but will surely go to next year). So there is plenty of contact at the level appropriate for each grade, but it is low-key and aimed at reducing stress while increasing knowledge. Advisers each year have specifically addressed the topic of “you need these classes for college.” I’m not among those who think college aspirations shouldn’t be discussed too early…these are PREP schools!
I looked at Andover’s website and it took me a total of 3 clicks to get the College Profile. For any readers who may be wondering, I did have to click a link that said something like “For College Counselors.”
At my D’s BS, the college profile was part of a packet parents received during junior year. Her college counseling department was very accessible, friendly, and competent, and when I had a question I received prompt, polite, informative replies.
They work with the kids and definitely do not pursue parental involvement. I did my parental involvement on my own for the most part.
Her school de-emphasizes doing everything as prep for college. They emphasize learning and education for their own sakes; however there were times when faculty or her advisor suggested she take a course or sequence because it would be a good thing as she applied to college. For the most part she took their advice. I think this only happened once or twice.
As an aside, D is now enrolling in college and easily assembled a good Fall 2016 schedule. She had to get approval from an adviser at her college via email, someone she has had no other contact with, and the adviser commented on the balanced schedule she had chosen (a course of special interest, a course outside her background, etc.).
@twinsmama@alooknac. My son decided not to enroll at either Andover or Exter. I’d rather not divulge where he attends as they probably read this forum. I do fully realize that both Andover and Exeter post their college profiles in a place that is easily accessible.
@sgopal2 If they do read this forum, and if they try they probably have already identified you. How often does such a scenario come up anyway? And as far as I know, most of the well-known BS post their school profile online so if your kid’s school is “well-known” (I figure the chances of it being relatively well-know is high ) I already know what school that is (and I haven’t even tried). But I’m not trying to scare you though. What you are asking here is a pretty “benign” question. I don’t think they will take it as offensive. If anything, they should appreciate this bit of feedback and work on improving their way of working…
I will volunteer that our college planning started in middle school. The day the student steps into the door of his HS his every action is recorded and has potential meaning in the college application process. I think a HS should have a plan and a goal. A few bad grades can have a significant impact on getting into some colleges.
FWIW, the Air Force Academy actively recruits middle schooler. They will send you a packet on how best to position yourself in HS to have the strong possible application. For example, they advised being a captain of a HS team is more important than planning on a couple of teams.
