<p>The magnet school experience may not help the student get into an "ultra" elite school. OTOH, it will certainly help the student do well at a fine school. Some kids come out of inferior high schools not knowing what they don't know--perhaps how to do research and write a lengthy paper--and get sandbagged when they go to college and find everyone is as smart as they are and no one is going to hold their hand and explain what they should have had in HS.</p>
<p>And being the top kid at any HS is no guarantee of admission at an ultra-elite. Anecdotes abound of the outstanding Vals & Sals who, to everyone's surprise, didn't get into their first choice school. There are just too many "top" students out there.</p>
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The main thing to do is to make sure she is able to keep up with her classes and get her support (tutoring if needed) early on if she starts to run into problems with high school math or other subjects.
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I agree. I have one son in college, and one in HS. My suggestion would be to help your daughter choose the right level of academic classes, where she is challenged but not overwhelmed. Most studies I've seen show that the best learning takes place in that range.</p>
<p>I would always try to make sure that she had a well-rounded HS curriculum. Focus on the important classes -- English, foreign language, math, science, history -- and let her take some classes that are just for fun, like music or art. The important thing is to make sure she is successful at the core classes before ramping up the level of difficulty. If she's better at English, then maybe she could try an accelerated or honors level. Vice versa for math or science. Most kids are better in either math/science or the humanities type of classes. Don't expect her to be good at everything.</p>
<p>Let her choose her own clubs and/or ECs. It's good to have something going on after school -- it helps in building social skills and making friends. But most kids also need some free time for daydreaming or just relaxing. </p>
<p>Above all, take your cues from your daughter. If she expresses an interest in something, you can find camps or other activities to enhance that interest. But most kids I know will eventually rebel if all of their activities are chosen by mom or dad.</p>
<p>It's too early to think about WHICH college your D will attend. It's not to early to think about what classes she'll need to get into any college. But I suggest taking a little care about too much pressure -- there are enough threads about kids falling apart or being diagnosed with mental health issues on CC. I'm sure you really just want a happy, confident daughter.</p>
<p>At my daughter's high school the students at the very middle of the class score above the 89th % on the ACT and SAT year in year out. To be in the top 10% is very hard to do. Those kids really work the system from day one. They fight for the easy teachers, they fight over points on every test, and they never get a good nights sleep! They also load as many AP's into 10th as they can. My daughter is not in the top 10% and has really enjoyed her sleep. This doesn't mean that she isn't one of the top students this year and her letters of recomendation back up her achievements. She did get accepted to a top tier liberal arts college for next fall. Very strong high school programs have been known to eat up average students, or even bright students that don't want to play the game. I have no doubt that my daughter could have been #1 at many other schools but never at her school because she doesn't want to play the game. Good luck to you and your daughter! The only other thing i would say is that you should talk to as many parents of kids at the school you are planning to send your daughter to and ask the about the teachers/ classes/ stress that the kids are under before you think about that magic top 10% placement.</p>
<p>mylifeisgood, top 10% placement at one of those prestigious HS's is difficult enough, but OP is thinking top tier and elites, which makes the pressures on the child even greater! My concern is that placing SAT pressure on this child before she even becomes comfortable taking regular tests will push her too far. That said, the child needs to be evaluated to see what is causing the testing and struggling situation. And we also need to atake into aco**** that not every strugggle can be taken away - some kids just aren't talented in certain areas (there's a reason I am not a a neurosurgeon, nor would you want me as your doctor) but that's not to say that is the case here. But does OP mean struggle to get A's? Shouldn't everyone (or at least have to put in extra effort)? Struggle to get B's? Perhaps, a bit. Struggle to get C's? Now, we may have a problem. First, let's get this child comfortable in a new situation, and learn some test-taking skills to see if that will help. At that time, where she goes to college should come into play. While others may and can hit the ground running for those top spots, this child needs some time to get comfortable with her situation and school before additional pressure is placed on her.</p>
<p>I have not read all the posts, so if this is repetitive I apologize. I have noted that many posters have cautioned you not to overpressure, so I will not go there. </p>
<p>You do have a role in making sure that your child has the opportunity to succeed. If your kid is good at math, make sure that she is not tracked below her ability. If she is eligible to take honors courses, encourage here to take them. They tend to be more interesting. If the level ends up being too tough for her she can always drop back, it is harder to go the other direction.</p>
<p>Unless your D is a superstar in EC's all that is important is that she has some that she enjoys. Don't try to out guess the adcoms on their preferences. Not worth the effort.</p>
<p>Generally, I'd suggest that you not worry about class rank. The data that you see indicating that "90% of students" at a particular college are "ranked in the top 10%" is very misleading. Read the footnotes. Sometimes as much as 50% of the students don't have a reported class rank because their HS doesn't provide it. You have a special problem in Texas because of the preference given to students who rank in top 10% for admission to the UT system. Your decision to send your child to a competitive HS puts you at a disadvantage, but there is not much you can do about that. </p>
<p>As far as test prep is concerned, keep it simple. Buy the College Board "Real Tests" book for SAT and SAT II. Have your daughter take a test every year and then get her to review any areas of weakness, if she is willing. Make sure you sign her up for SAT II's when she is at her peak level of understanding in the subject matter. Sometimes problems with testing can be overcome by simple practice in a low stress environment.</p>