<p>@twoinanddone, it’s one thing to make sensible rules like seniors get priority scheduling or like anyone wanting to double up on science will be lower priority than those getting their first science class scheduled. It’s another thing just to make these things up and not fill all the available seats when there are students who want them.</p>
<p>This plan does not make sense.</p>
<p>If he continues along his current path, he will complete calculus as a senior in high school – one year advanced. What is the problem with that? For a math/science-oriented student, AP statistics is not very useful, since he will probably have to take a more rigorous statistics course in college anyway.</p>
<p>But what I was saying is that there are no available seats. State law restricts how many students can be in any core classes, so once there are 22 kids in there, they either have to open another section or deny access. They figure out how many science classes they need by figuring one science for each student. If some want two sciences, that means other kids can’t take any. The funding just isn’t there.</p>
<p>We always wonder if it right to ask him go to school so early (CA cut line is Dec. so <13 in 8th grade). When he was in Kindergarten, his teacher wanted him have a retention in K. But we think it maybe good to use it late. Now he is good in academy and social skill. We only concern he is too young to compete with other students in college admission if he wants to enter top schools and needs to finish all advanced classes.</p>
<p>Socially and emotionally, you will do your child more harm than good. Imagine how your child will feel coming into high school one year later than his cohort and watching all of his friends move ahead. High school kids can be really cruel and your son will have to attend school every day with the other kids talking about how he was the smart kid in middle school who got left back.</p>
<p>Other things to consider:</p>
<p>Unless, your children automatically feed into their high school, if your school district participates in any kind of high school choice (magnet programs, specialized high schools, etc) being a hold over will not benefit your child. As a person who does the high school selection process, the first thing I do is look at students who are older than cohort age then weed out kids who were retained during 7th/8th grade.</p>
<p>The 9th grade counselor may not necessarily look at or have access to the middle school record to see that you held your child over to take geometry. All they may end up seeing is that there was a hold over at the end of middle school (and could not handle the 8th grade curriculum ). This may cause the counselor to pause of even rethink as to whether or not your child will have the wherewithal to undertake advanced classes. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that if your child meets the requirements to move from 8th to 9th grade, he will be promoted (whether you want him to or not). It is highly unlikely that your school is going to take a hit on their promotion graduation rate in order to cater to you.</p>
<p>Does your middle school give high school credit for these courses? If yes, his high school transcript will indicate that he repeated the grade. How will you feel about that?</p>
<p>OP- stop worrying. You may have the mistaken notion that kids who complete more AP’s in HS have a leg up on those who complete fewer when it comes to college admissions. That’s not the way the system works. Your son should keep doing what he’s doing, explore his interests, maybe take a summer class in something that the HS does not offer (which is why I suggested CTY) and he’ll be fine. Trust me- he’ll be itching to get out of HS and get to college when the time comes- no need to add another year to the process.</p>
<p>Many (most) kids end up with a HS schedule which is a combination of what they really want to take, and what they can feasibly take. College admissions officers understand that HS’s don’t schedule their courses so that kids can take everything all at once. And even if they did- every state mandates things like health and gym, so that the HS schedule gets clogged with the graduation requirements (the non-academic subjects) which means less time for what your S might have wanted to take.</p>
<p>He’ll be fine. You can relax!!! Did you mention this plan to him yet? Hope not.</p>
<p>I appreciate everyone’s post. It is valuable to me.</p>
<p>Seriously? You want him to repeat 8th grade because of geometry? You know that many schools are moving away from counting geometry completed in middle school? He’ll get through calculus and that is the main goal. If he wants to go higher he can take a class at a community college for duel credit during high school. Geesh. Repeat a full year of study to be competitive? How about repeat a whole year and kill any semblance of joy in learning. 8th grade itself doesn’t generally offer enough challenge for the bright kid in itself let alone doing it twice. Studies do not support grade retention either by-the-way.</p>
<p>I have two kids who are young for grade. One due to grade skip and a boy due to late fall birthday. He 's newly 13 in 8th grade. He’d feel like a total loser if he were told to repeat 8th grade. He’d be a joke socially. He’d be bored out of his gourd repeating the curriculum. He took algebra in 7th grade but is in an advanced algebra/problem solving course because our district doesn’t support geometry prior to 9th (as most of our county high schools won’t accept it.)</p>
<p>Being competitive in college admissions has nothing to do the chronological ago. Nothing, nada, zip. My youngest started hs in Algebra <shivers> and finished Sr year with APCalc and APStats so I don’t really see the issue here. If your son has been accelerated in math finishing his Sr year with APStats alone is going to look like he’s checked out. As suggested, if he wants to move ahead further he can request doubling up with Geometry and Alg2 at school, or take one in the building and one virtually (how my son did this). As for the science classes, that many is really not necessary. Keep in mind that all of these AP courses come with hours and hours of homework. He can only take so many at once. It’s no reflection on the student, there’s only so many hours in the day, your kid needs to sleep, and if you are worried about college competitiveness you’re going to want him to allow room in his schedule for a couple of ECs he’s really involved with. Balancing resources is vital. APs are great to show course rigor, but there is wide skepticism that they are adequate substitutes for university versions. More and more universities are being very tight about the AP credit they award, some not at all. So, understand what AP will and won’t afford your son. </shivers></p>
<p>The one thing I absolutely would not do under any circumstances is retain this student for the reasons given. The payoff is nil, and can be gained other ways. The drawbacks are huge, including the blow to self esteem. This can not be underestimated. Think about the message you’re sending, that everything he’s accomplished isn’t enough. That you’d rather hold him an entire year for a single class. This is what people call “you can’t see the forest for the tree”. You’re so focused on this one point you’ve lost sight of everything great your son has accomplished that says he needs to move ahead with his peers.</p>
<p>Oh, and stats is an easy class to take at a community college summer after junior year</p>
<p>Don’t hold your kid back. The cons far outweigh the pros. It could be very damaging both socially and psychologically, and for no good reason.</p>
<p>“Holding back” can be beneficial for developmental reasons in early childhood. Your son is too old and that ship has sailed.</p>
<p>Just wanna point out… I was one of the youngest in my class (late December bday) and I had no problem competing with kids in college admissions…</p>
<p>I feel like, in all honesty, holding me back at that time (if my parents did) would have been more detrimental to me… Especially for the purpose of one class with no other reason</p>
<p>
I’m wondering where you got the idea that a student has to take every advanced class offered by the school in order to get into a top college. OP, from your syntax, I assume you are foreign born and therefore may have some misconceptions about the college application process in the US. You are considering making a very poor decision based on poor information. I hope the school puts a stop to your plans.</p>
<p>I checked one student who is deferred by Harvard this year. Seemly she has maximized her science and math classes. Most of them are hardest classes.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Objective:</p>
<pre><code>SAT I (breakdown): 800CR, 780M, 800W
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800), Chemistry (800), Physics (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t calculate GPA.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Rank not available, though I’ve been told I’m in the top 10%…
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (5), Latin (5), Chemistry (5), Biology (5), Physics E&M: Mechanics (5), Physics C: E&M (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): none
Senior Year Course Load: More APs, lots of english electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Entered Intel, results not out yet
</code></pre>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1586643-official-harvard-university-2018-scea-decisions-only.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1586643-official-harvard-university-2018-scea-decisions-only.html</a></p>
<p>Your child is in the eighth grade. You have no idea if they will even be interested in Harvard. Chasing ivys this early is an unhealthy message. Secondly, this student doesn’t go to your sons future hs (I’m assuming). You can’t judge anything about their deferral based on a short blurb of self reported stats online. Your student is evaluated based on what they accomplished in context of what was offered and what his peers did. If the more competitive students from his school take 6-7 APs, that’s the number that will get the designation of ‘most competitive’ course rigor. What students from another school are doing is less important. Also, comparing this student online you have no idea what other components of their application may have fallen short…essays, LORs, etc. Their hs may offer twice the APs your sons school does. You have no context for this. You see a tiny snapshot and have made a judgment on what your son should be doing. This is not a good practice.</p>
<p>The moral of that application outcome is not “Taking all those AP classes is necessary but not sufficient.” It’s “Admissions decisions are not based entirely on grades and test scores.”</p>
<p>Ivy admissions are not particularly easy to game. IMHO moving to a podunk town in Montana with no AP classes offered is likely to lift any given kid’s odds more than repeating 8th grade will.</p>
<p>Again, you’re kidding, right? Harvard has a 5% or LESS acceptance rate and should NEVER be used as an example to discuss rejected top students, as Harvard can fill their class xxxtimes over with just straight A, valedictorians. ALL Ivy League schools are lottery schools, crapshots. Your kid can be a straight A student with a 2400 SAT, apply to all the IVY schools plus MIT and Stanford and get into NONE. It happens EVERY admissions cycle. And if you are Asian, well, your chances may be even less, as Asians, unfortunately are considered Over-represented minorities at HYP-SM.</p>
<p>That same thread also lists students who were accepted early action to Harvard who didn’t “maximize” science and math classes. I think it might be worth the money for you to find a reputable private college counselor who can help plan a sensible curriculum for your son’s next four years.</p>
<p>OP- please, I mean this with great respect.</p>
<p>Get off CC, and go take a walk with your son, or build a snow man (if you’re in snow country) or play a game of cards, or grab the newspaper and see which of you can find the stupidest story of the day, or bake a tray of cookies and then take them to your local nursing home and sit in the lobby and share them with the residents.</p>
<p>These things will do more for his sense of self, and you will be doing more to enhance his college readiness as a confident and caring young man, than all the AP classes in the world.</p>
<p>I know it is not enough. But if a kid likes science and math, I think it is reasonable to take all hardest science and math APs to prove his ability. It will help him no struggling in college to study physics or engineering.</p>