<p>My 8th grader son got a 35 on his first ACT test without preparation. There are 4 years of public high school ahead of him, so what should he do to better himself academically? Hes been busy with lots of extracurricular activities already. I think some people here may offer some good advice/suggestions or point us to some opportunities, particularly from those who are about to enter college or those who just got in. I cannot find much practical helpful information on the web, so any help is highly appreciated.</p>
<p>if u mean to get into a good college, obviously its good grades. If u mean how to prepare for college, tough courses and time management</p>
<p>Win something nationally, or at least get really good at 1-2 things. That's at least what my senior friends who got accepted early had.</p>
<p>Wow, that is fantastic! He is one smart cookie! :)</p>
<p>Thanks kevinscool and lookingforwhat? for your suggestions, that confirms my understanding of what needs to be done in general. Taking tough courses and getting good grades should not be a problem I guess, but identifying 1-2 things to focus on might not be easy. That 1-2 things should be where his passion lies, not for the purpose of getting in a good school, but for a lifelong fulfillment. Is there some sort of assessment of that for middle/high school students? Assessment through EXPLORE, SAT and ACT didn’t/doesn’t help because of his even scores across the subjects on the test. Also, are there any good tips on how to strengthen time management skill? To tetrisfan, thanks but he is not that smart to me. He reads widely and fast with an intense focus, and perhaps he has good memory, that may play a role in his learning.</p>
<p>Make sure he doesn't get cocky and stop working. Your son's score indicates that he can reason well, but grades are also heavily dependent upon work ethic. Don't worry about finding a passion right now. There are plenty of people in college who enter undecided. He'll develop interests naturally through the broad range of courses he'll take throughout high school and college. Always encourage him to go a bit further, and try to avoid naively comparing him to his classmates (unless he goes to a stellar high school) because there are many incredibly smart students out there who you wouldn't believe existed until you met them.</p>
<p>As for strengthening time management, if he gets involved in clubs, sports, volunteer work, etc, then he will learn with time. You can't teach someone time management. Plus being involved will enhance his high school experience because he will grow more than just academically and feel more connected with his environment.</p>
<p>As for college, admissions largely depends on the student's context, including residence, ethnicity, school reputation, etc. But do NOT make high school about getting into college because admissions is influenced so, so much by politics (personal relationships, alumni and donor satisfaction, diversity recruitment, school relationships, unpredictable personal opinions) that it's simply not worth trying to figure out.</p>
<p>IMHO,</p>
<p>Your son is "smart" enough by the standards that count (ACT, SAT) to get into a lot of schools when the time comes. Neither you nor your son should try and plan four years of your son's life in advance. Relax and let him live a little. Make sure he doesn't burn out before he even gets to college.</p>
<p>PS: Why did he take the ACT as an 8th grader? I don't know if scores from before 9th grade even count for college admission.</p>
<p>they dont count for admission but can be used for programs such as cty.</p>
<p>8th grade + 35 on the ACT = Send him to MENSA, stat ;)</p>
<p>Let him do the extracurricular activities he enjoys and let him drop the ones that he's "OK" with. Other than that, continue to motivate him to succeed academically...</p>
<p>saying 8th grade 35 deserves mensa is kind of like saying atom bombs should be used on ant hills. A 35 is high enough to get in anywhere if he got it as a senior, given that he had the associated courses etc. Speaking as someone who 36'd it as a junior and is bored at one of the top 100ish schools in the country, please don't put your son through public school. His achievment is a way bigger thing than mine, and I can't stand public school. Send him to TJ or something. He's going to be bored to death, which is no fun and shoots your motivation.</p>
<p>Or just have him enter with calc as a freshman, and take two languaes+english. (Shouldn't be too hard with his intelligence+memory).</p>
<p>I’m truly pleased to see so many thoughtful comments/advice/suggestions. Many thanks to you all, particularly to theoneo whose comments and advice I’ll refer back to often. Certainly there are many smart kids out there that he’ll find out in college, so I make sure he doesn’t compare with anyone but tries his best. In our public high school he can take about 15 AP courses and participate in many ECs, maybe he’ll begin to discover himself through all that. He doesn’t need to get in a particular college, I think he can get a decent education from many top universities. As to why he took SAT (last year)/ACT in the first place asked by GeoffreyChaucer, his school suggested many kids to take them and I thought it’s a good idea to see his strengths and weaknesses. School work is light for him, so he has lots of time for ECs.</p>
<p>Like most parents I’d like to give my kid the best opportunity that I can afford, but don’t know what that is and how to. That’s why DMRenrel’s comment really concerns me. What my son would get from a private school that he couldn’t from our public school? Could DMRenrel please share your thoughts on what’s missing? I’m not sure I can afford a private school, but if I have to, I may be able to. However, by reading through the CC forums and chatting with friends whose kids go to private schools, I’m not sure they offer anything extra or I simply don’t know what I’m missing.</p>
<p>It depends heavily on the specific private school. And there are also manyy great magnet/ib public schools...and taking 12+ AP's in high school is no slouch either. You also have the option of taking cc classes on top of your schedule in subjects you enjoy/want to get ahead in. I did this.</p>
<p>As a mother of a gifted child (although not as gifted as yours) who attends a public high school I can understand your concern about public/private schools. In 8th grade my daughter was pushing to test to go to the local magnet school (Illinois Math/Science Academy) for uber smart kids. Everyone thought it would be a given that she get in. Since the school is only 10-12 grades, it requires skipping 9th if you test in directley from 8th. You also have to live on campus and school is only 4 days a week-one whole day is given for homework. Stimulants are used by some and fierce competition is the norm there. I was totally against her trying to do this . While gifted kids are usually miles ahead of their peers, I really felt that freshman year plays a HUGE importance in maturity. My daughter is smart but seems alot like the rest of her "normal" friends maturity wise. Our compromise was that after 9th grade at the public high if she was still interested, she could test. She got involved in ECs right away and didnt even consider trying to take the test at the end of 9th grade. She loves where she is and has challenged herself with honors and APs. For my daughter who is her own worst critic, I felt her staying home and me being able to monitor the stress she puts on herself was important. Talk to your sons future guidance director and start him in higher level courses. He can later take some college courses while still in HS.</p>
<p>Thank you spring162 for sharing your experience as a parent of a gifted kid. I think I’m with you and won’t let my son go out of sight at this young age. But, I certainly don’t want him to feel bored as some smart high schoolers revealed in this thread. I hope enough ECs will keep him busy and help with his time management skill. At the end of the day, what’s important is that he lives up to his full potential, does what he loves, and contributes his max to the society and his family. I don’t know how to help him reach or get close to that goal, and that’s why I’m seeking help here. I think what theoneo above said was that don’t let college admission get in the way in his high school years. Perhaps taking more courses is not as important as how to tackle a new subject.</p>
<p>He’ll start 9th grade mostly with honors and then get to APs in 10th grade and up. Would you suggest he go to APs directly as some smart students suggested above? Will that leave a gap in his understanding of a subject? Sometime I don’t think I even know what he’s able to or unable to do. For example, he’s been studying music theory for 3 years 30 min. a week, and his teacher said he should take the AP exam in 9th grade and would get a 5 without taking the course. That’s hard to believe but then, I wonder how much/little we the parents know about our kids, each special/gifted in his/her own way but in what way and how special.</p>
<p>jnatu, boy do we sound alot alike!!! We didnt realize what we were dealing with until 5th grade when a teacher finally said something about her being "special". She is our oldest so we just thought she was smart. Our next daughter is the same. It just became "normal" for us. I often wonder if she could have been pushed father in elementary school if we would have known what we know now. Oh well, she is happy where she is at. She started off 9th in all honors which some kids found overwhelming but she just chugged along. Her EC (colorguard and winterguard) takes up atleast 12hrs a week. Her only problem freshman year was actually having to study!! This was new for her. Middle school was no challenge so she assumed that everything would always be that easy. She was placed in a Soph. Bio class that took ALOT of time. She would say it wasnt too hard but just required alot of work reading, writing, researching. Also, she had been in Algebra since 7th grade. I wanted her to skip directly to Geometry and not take Honors Algebra. Dept. head wanted her to stay in honors algebra since he felt she would get info at the end of the year that would help in Calculus. She got a+ in the class no problem. Will wait to see if this was good advice since she takes Calc. next year. I would go with what guidance says for 9th grade. If he is bored freshman year or its too easy, I would them speak to them and possibly move ahead next year.</p>
<p>"As a mother of a gifted child (although not as gifted as yours)..."</p>
<p>Wow! That's a huge assumption based on one three-hour test.</p>
<p>Thanks spring162, I won’t suggest any changes to his course selection then. I hold his teachers over the years in high regard; they are the ones who taught him all the stuff. I don’t disagree with dntw8up and don’t like to judge a person using an index, e.g., a single test score. Give me a kid with an IQ of 180, I can pick up a kid at random and find he/she is more talented than that kid in some attributes. That’s not the point. Here we are trying to find out how to better help our kids grow based upon who they are, gifted or not. Someone knows more than others, at least in some aspects. Nobody knows it all. I’ve already picked up some good ideas here, for which I’m grateful, and I'd consider any thoughtful suggestions.</p>
<p>Suggestions and thoughts from high school seniors and college students are most valuable, particularly from those who were straight A students in middle school and/or first two years of high school.</p>
<p>Do you wish you or your family did something differently so you’d have better opportunities now? For example, if you think you family should’ve sent you to a private school instead of a public school, is that because of the lack of APs or/and access to facilities for projects? Believe me, lots of adults have to change their careers/jobs, though that may be exciting/challenging, but I bet most of them would like to do something differently in high school or college if they could turn back the clock. Your thoughts/reflections will help lots of younger kids and their parents us included, more than any book can. Thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>o.O so many ppl dream of that score</p>