<p>Something that was said by the Harvard representative a week ago at the Exploring College Options meeting in Minneapolis has stuck in my mind. A student asked the Harvard rep, following up on an answer to another question about taking a challenging curriculum in high school, if she should take as many AP courses as possible, or enroll in a local college for dual credit as a PSEO student, or what. </p>
<p>The Harvard representative replied that one way to check what is right for you is to consider whether you will still be getting a good night's sleep each night and still be able to participate in other activities. The point isn't to do the academically hardest schedule possible but to seek academic challenge while maintaining a balanced life. </p>
<p>One thought I had about that right away is that that can serve as a test of who is really Harvard material: the person who can take four AP classes, or enroll in full-time college for eleventh and twelfth grade, and still get a good night's sleep each night is more intellectually impressive than the person who has to pull all-nighters and cut back on outside activities to do the same. But as I thought about this longer, I took the statement more at face value as an expression that Harvard really is looking for balanced, active people who aren't frazzled from overstudying. </p>
<p>What do you think? How much sleep do you get as you do your high school studying and think about college applications? </p>
<p>P.S. I STILL find it hard to believe that there isn't at least a neutral effect, if not an outright advantage, to applying for early action.</p>
<p>There is an absolutely HUGE advantage to applying early - at Harvard or at virtually every school, with the possible exception of MIT - and if anybody tells you different they are not being candid with you.</p>
<p>SEE: "The Early Admissions Game", by Zeckhauser, et al.</p>
<p>Haha, just kidding. Actually, generally I go to sleep around 9:00, but today I'm staying up late because I forgot to do a paper :(. I'm probably going to end up going to sleep at 8:00 tomorrow, so tired x_x.</p>
<p>I guess its your own choice. If you can get by with 2hrs a night, then thats great, but I know there's no way I can get by without at least 7-8 hours a night ;).</p>
<p>I sleep about 5-6 hours/night on school nights...but that's because I love to read so much that I can't get myself to do my homework until late.</p>
<p>I sleep 6 to 6,5h per night. 7 if im lucky. its physically impossible for me to get my work done, relax + get more than 7 hours of sleep. and if that means im not as smart as someone who can sleep more, so be it.</p>
<p>Seriously, in my school, the people who get a lot of sleep are the people who rush their assignments so that they're done by late afternoon. They're not bad students: they get decent grades and do all their homework on time. But they really care about getting it done, not really how well it's done.</p>
<p>I get about 7 to 8 hours nightly, because I do a lot of my homework in art class. I'm still a freshman though, but I take all GT (gifted & talented) classes.</p>
<p>For the % question, it depends. I'd say about 20% are in a GT science or history class, 10% in a history or math class. The percentage gets lower and lower as you move up the grades, though, but the people who consistently get good grades stick with the GT courses. </p>
<p>The difference in work is basically GT is "2 grades above grade level." Like, I'm a freshman taking Algebra II, whereas freshmen in normal math classes take Algebra I (geometry, which would be honors for a 9th grader at our school, goes in between those 2 algebra courses). GT classes get LOTS more homework and projects. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm a freshman taking Algebra II, whereas freshmen in normal math classes take Algebra I (geometry, which would be honors for a 9th grader at our school, goes in between those 2 algebra courses).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This illustrates how much curriculum expectations vary around the country. In most of the schools I know of in my town, algebra I would be expected in eighth grade, geometry in ninth grade, etc. (Rural schools in my state would probably be as described above.) There is an accelerated</a> math program in our metropolitan area, drawing students from more than sixty school districts, where the sequence is </p>
<p>1st year) algebra I and algebra II </p>
<p>2nd year) geometry and precalculus </p>
<p>3rd year) honors calculus I </p>
<p>4th year honors calculus II </p>
<p>5th year honors calculus III </p>
<p>Some kids test into that program in their fifth grade year, beginning the first year of program in their sixth grade year. LOTS of kids (> 100) have tested into that program by their seventh grade year, thus completing algebra I and II in their eighth-grade year, starting calculus as sophomores.</p>
<p>I could easily sleep 10 hours a night (and I did for much of the football season). In reality, I waste a lot of time (sometimes a TON of time) and get around 8.</p>
<p><em>EDIT</em> Forgot to mention that my HS allows seniors "late arrival" meaning I don't have to be at school until 9 a.m. each morning.</p>