Apologies if this has been asked before. I have a junior with ambition to get into a selective LAC (in the range of 15-30% admission rate). He’s taking every AP class he can (all his additional classes are honors). Despite rigor, he has big blocks of time off in the mornings (probably due to already having almost all needed graduation requirements), and will have even more free time next year. Which would be a better use of his time: college courses to take care of some prerequisites at the local community college, studying (more) for SAT/ACT, or working on some volunteer service projects (for their own sake as well as to help set him apart in the admissions process)?
Would selective LACs accept community college credits, and would his grades in these classes count toward his high school GPA (weighted GPA) or no? Thanks!
Transfer credit for college courses taken while in high school depends on each college’s policies. However, professional schools like medical and law use all college courses and grades from all colleges.
Define big blocks? More than 2 periods a day free? Many bright kids in publics dispose of their grad reqs by the end of 9th to 10th but there are plenty of other classes to take.
I think job/internship would be most useful in the long and short run if his counselor thinks his transcript looks good enough for the colleges he’s likely to be targeting. My high school had required service/intership projects as part of the curriculum - and I learned something from every one of those experiences. (I worked a child care center for kids whose parents were incarcerated, tutoring at a school, interned on Capitol Hill and worked at a political magazine. I also spent one year on a project trying to write a historical novel - I learned I’m no novelist - but I loved the historical research.) I became an architect, but have done various volunteer local history projects on the side.
College courses unless taken as part of a dual enrollment plan are unlikely to count in his high school GPA, but they could count on his college GPA. Some kids aiming at things like med school have found that came back to bite them.
Normally, I would first suggest he get a job. Top schools are clear that they value all EC’s, but they all stress that they understand a job is counted as an EC. Too many kids try to do something that they think will look good, but the message to the schools is that the applicant comes from privilege. Since they want to have a “diverse” class, they appreciate the kids who understand the value in hard earned money.
But there really is no perfect answer, since so much depends on what options your student has at his HS. If he is top of the class, and has exhausted all the most challenging courses available, and still has time, sure. But if his class rank will suffer because he is not taking the toughest schedule, the tippy top schools won’t look favorably at him- they want kids who are taking the most rigorous schedules and excelling at them.
It seems your son is academically proficient evidenced by his AP record. I suggest you for a proven program that challenges and motivates him, while at the same time provides real-college experience. There are excellent research programs out there for high school students which actually grant credit.
OP here: thanks for everyone’s ideas so far. I actually am very encouraged to hear that schools look favorably on kids who hold down jobs, because we are actually not privileged financially and DS has been asking for a job so he can earn some of his own money. We worried that with a job, he wouldn’t have time for all the ECs the colleges want. Asking him to do volunteer work while he could really use a job seems silly, so we may go that route.
Oh, and by big blocks of time, I mean about 2 hours: he has nothing from about 8 am to 10 am each morning. He can’t get into another elective (it’s full) during that block. His unweighted GPA is a 4.0 and he has taken two classes so far that are dual enrollment with the local community college, but no other college classes.
Is 2 hours 2 periods? Your school allows students to have no classes for that much time? Has he literally exhausted all the APs with only 8? Is it some kind of small school? This would not be doable as a junior in my kid’s school, 1 period is allowed for research (this is a class with attendance) and that would only be for IB/>3APs.
With block scheduling a student can have that much time off. There are a lot of schools, big and small, where kids can work in free periods into a high school semester, not every semester, but one or a few of them. They don’t have to come in for that period if first, or can leave if at end of day. Juniors and above can leave campus if free period in middle of day. Fresh and soph have to stay on campus. Our school encourages planning 4 year schedule so a free period falls fall of senior year for college apps.
That is interesting. Our high school has 7 periods (rotating 6 periods a day though so not the same time each day). However most students who do well academically take 7 periods a year filling in AP Classes with honors classes in areas such as art, business, technology, extra English electives etc depending on interests. A bunch take an evening dual enrollment each semester as well starting in 11th grade.
They take 7 classes as well but they are on an A/B schedule so you have class every other day. Lots of schools use block scheduling, it is more like college. The student from our HS that won the 150K Intel Science award said they used the free period to work on their project. They are at Harvard now on some special talent grant, I think the free period paid off.
OP, not that you have to have an Intel Science winner, but he could do something impressive on his own with his time. My S had a lot of home grown engineering projects on his app, frankly, those helped him stand out, versus having all the same things that everyone else does. Not sure what his major is or interests are, but is there anything creative he could do, or skills he could share with others (tutoring at a local school etc.)? Teacher’s aid of some kind?
Your son is not limited to courses at his school. Look up Virtual High School as an example. Our school, which is small and therefore has scheduling issues, joined VHS and there were suddenly all kinds of classes available (one of mine took a class on her own and we then recommended this to the school). Many universities have online classes as well. He could work on VHS or other online classes during those periods. My kids took AP environmental science, AP US History and a few others online but there are many choices that are more interesting and not normally offered in public high schools (Latin, philosophy, contemporary literature etc.).
As a more general comment, I would say, don’t tailor your son’s life to college admissions. It really tends not to be helpful and distorts the kids’ motivations. In other words, don’t fit the kid to a school, fit the school to the kid. If he wants or needs to make money, fine. On the other hand, if he has any driving interests or “passions,” this is the time to pursue them, to help him clarify and develop. Sometimes the extra money from a job doesn’t help that much financially and prevents pursuing other interests that may end up being more of a financial benefit. In other words, long term financial goals may be more important the short term money.
@compmom - it is difficult for anyone who has not struggled financially to understand how important any incremental income can make. You may be right in that a job can prevent the pursuit of other interests, but it also might be the difference in the student earning sufficient funds to apply to a wider range of full-needs met schools. I don’t expect OP to share the family financial details, nor do we know what employment options might fit in this 2 hour block - or how the student could learn to manage his time with his schoolwork and other commitments. I have sat through information sessions at most of the schools that meet full financial need, or talked with adcom officials. All of these schools, in one way or another, did their best to assure students whose EC is a job that if their academic chops are there, the job won’t work against them, rather it is more often a feather in their cap that they have learned to manage their time.
Additionally, think about all of the interview threads here at CC. These schools want to know that the students they accept will make good use of the resources the school has to offer.
First, and foremost, you want your son to not be bored. Financially using available time to earn money for college is a good idea. If that doesn’t work he can self study. This prepares him for ANY college- it is not limited to elite schools. AP credits earned may be a bonus at some schools. Independent study can be done for AP- one does not need to take a course to take the exam. Perhaps the school can help with this, or an online course can be done. This seems financially better than signing up for classes at a local college unless the HS will pay.
Have him do this for HIM, not admissions to any college. HE is the one who benefits regardless of where he goes to college. Do not dismiss your flagship U’s Honors program/college as a good place for a top student to get an elite education. Many elite state students cannot afford to go to private schools and the state U can be better than most private colleges. Do not go private just because they offer money- be sure it is a best option.
3 puppies, you make some erroneous assumptions in your post, about my family’s financial status.
The earnings of a kid who is attending high school really aren’t that high. I think it can help if a young person wants a car. That seems to be the most common reason. My kids still don’t have a car, ten years later.
Following interests in the last two years of high school versus work at the grocery store etc. can pay off in both merit aid and admission to schools with amazing financial aid. Basically it can be $8/hour versus $65k scholarship.
But I would not suggest this reason to kids. I would just do whatever I could to allow kids to develop in high school. If there is a job that does that, fine.
I have seen too many talented kids from working class families working at Dunkin Donuts or whatever when continuing lessons or theater or volunteering in the ER or whatever might have opened opportunities for them that would be well supported by scholarships.
This was what I was thinking @compmom , but honestly, if paid work experience is considered an EC and not a detriment, then all the better.
Most importantly, I welcome and appreciate all the reminders not to gear these final two years of HS around the college admissions process, but to rather let him pursue what’s important to him for its own sake.
@wis75 I did not realize he could sit AP exams after self study. That’s great! His school is large and on the block system, but he’s taking all the AP classes he can per year, schedule-wise. Now I think he will just need to decide between a job or picking an AP exam to self-study for.
I have a friend whose daughter got into pretty good colleges (including NYU Tisch). Her essay was about what she learned from scooping ice cream.
Yes, you can sit for AP Exams without taking the class, but you have to make sure the school is willing to order the exam so he can take it.
Both my kids ended up with somewhat light schedules senior year. The older one continued with the computer programming job he’d been working at the previous summer. The younger one had been making origami earrings and stepped up production and getting placements in local galleries. I think both activities were helpful, both in the application process and for my CS kid for both getting into college, but also getting internships.
I’m a bit confused. He’s only got 8-10am open? I don’t easily see a job fitting that.
The question isn’t the open time as much as whether he actially has a full schedule. If he has a full rigor load, just happens to have 2 extra morning hours, that’s fine. Adcoms aren’t examining by hour of day. Many transcripts don’t even show that.
If this is about stimulation, sure, look at online.
Not everything about local college classes is about credit transferring. If the hs will put it on their transcript, fine. If not, you send a copy of the college record.
Job is good. But so is committed comm service-- of the right sort.
My S is in this situation now, as a senior, and last year, as a junior. This year, for example, he doesn’t have a first, second or sixth period, and he TAs fourth period.
Here’s what he did:
Took several dual enrollment classes, including Japanese 101/102 (not offered at the HS), the vast majority of his IGETC, and his CPR and EMR first responder certification. He will finish up his EMT-B certification this summer.
Took a TA period two years in a row, basically working as an assistant to the theatre teacher/drama director. IMHO, this has been as good as an internship because he now has the skills of a junior house manager.
Dove into his favorite EC, drama. Was able to hold down a lead role while taking a rigorous HS and DE schedule and prepping for his SAT. The free periods gave him a nice combo of extra sleep and extra homework time that made everything work.
He didn’t get a part-time job, though I’m in favor of the idea in general. He was scheduled too tightly to make a job work, plus we live in a winter tourism area where teenager jobs are plentiful in the cool months but dry up over the summer. His plan is to take a gap year and work as an EMT.
Re: dual enrollment - as others have said, you will have to check with each school to see if DE credits will be accepted. S pursued DE because we pre-researched his list of schools and discovered that most of them would accept his credits. S was targeting OOS NMF schools, though, not LACs. In general, the higher a school’s ranking, the less likely it is to accept DE credits, and some won’t take AP credits, either.
