<p>This sounds terrifyingly cut-throat and counter-productive to students become well-rounded and willing to push themselves, if this is the reaction when taking advanced coursework has this kind of effect on students. For once, I am actually glad that my school didn’t weight grades…</p>
<p>@blueiguana thanks for the advice. Btw, APs and honors classes are weighted the same at my school, which kind of sucks.
@nano Geometry is the only test-out option with honors and non-honors tests. It’s like they’re purposely trying to trick us overachieving students! </p>
<p>In all respect to everything else on an application, I understand class rank isn’t too important. It’s just that I could’ve easily been in the top 2 or 3 and now I’ll (most likely) end up much lower for no real fault of mine (like not studying of not doing homework). But as blueiguana said, it may actually be better not to be at the very top.</p>
<p>Again, IMO being able to take math above Calculus BC is better than being in the top 3. </p>
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<p>This.</p>
<p>Either way I would’ve been able to take math over BC. It’s just now I get to take it BC in 10th instead of 11th.</p>
<p>Just saying, but class rank isn’t really that much important anymore apparently, which is why my school stopped reporting them starting this year.</p>
<p>Even though it may not be important, I feel robbed out of a distinction I could’ve had.</p>
<p>Dude, if this is the worst thing that happens to you, you’re going to have one darn terrific life.</p>
<p>It certainly appears that a mistake was made by the person who gave you the test. How could this have happened? Before the test, did you confirm with them that you were getting the honors test, not the non-honors test which is likely what the vast majority of students were taking? When you received the test, did you look at what it said on top? Did it say “Honors geometry final” or did it say “Geometry final”? After the test, did your family receive any written grade report? Did it say “Geometry” or did it say “Honors Geometry”? When you met with your guidance counselor as an 8th grader, did you verify with them that you would be receiving credit for “Honors Geometry” or “Geometry”. </p>
<p>It is certainly unfortunate that someone made a mistake and didn’t give you the test you were expecting, but to come on here and say you were “cheated” and you “wasted a summer”, posting multiple threads on this topic seems a little ridiculous. </p>
<p>I’ve told my kids many times, if you want something out of the ordinary to happen for you, it’s your responsibility to follow through and make it happen. And on the occasions when they’ve complained that life isn’t fair, I always said, “You’re right, life isn’t fair and you should be awfully happy that it isn’t.” I realize you are probably only 14, but still, your attitude towards your education could benefit from a lot of reflection.</p>
<p>I had been told there was only one test by my GC. She also said all middle schoolers taking ANY high school classes would receive honors credit. I never received a conformation in the mail; my GC just told me I passed.
I found a document with all the credit by assessment tests. For every math class there is only a honors version of the test. EXCEPT geometry. There is a regular honors test for it.
Anyway, i guess life isn’t fair and it probably doesn’t matter in the long run.
Whatever.</p>
<p>Wait…you are a freshman? How can how possibly know how things will play out 3 years from now???</p>
<p>Trust me, students at my school follow a very typical pattern. Approximately 20 students (plus minus 2) get 4.0 GPAs every year, of which 12-15 take all honors/AP. The class rank between those 12-15 differ the most based on number of (honors) classes taken. Not to be cocky, but I’m pretty confident that I’ll be in the 20 that get a 4.0, it’s just where I fall in respect to those others. Even though it’s possible I’ll get a B in some class, I find it unfair that I’m starting out with a handicap. But I guess “it’s my fault” and I should just deal with it because life isn’t fair.</p>
<p>What’s really “your fault” is that you’re perseverating on a completely inconsequential point.</p>
<p>For the love of God, just stop it! </p>
<p>What you’re showing all of us in this thread is that you care about the statistics–the GPA, the class rank, etc.–and not about the learning or the life experiences. If you show this same side of yourself to colleges when you apply, the “best” and “most selective” ones will choose somebody else–somebody who showed an interesting in learning for learning’s sake, or in creating an interesting, rewarding or purposeful life–instead of you. I’d bet my house on it.</p>
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<p>Stahp with the “life isn’t fair” stuff. I would lose a lot if life were made fair, and I suspect you would too.</p>
<p>Ooh, h’heather, I wish I had said that! You really do turn a phrase very well.</p>
<p>Sorry if I came off aggressive or conceited. It becomes too easy to rant when you’re on a forum.
@halycoln yeah, if you put it that way, I’m definitely fortunate. There are so many people in the world that don’t get such a good education (or even basic necessities). You guys are right that I’m taking this too seriously…</p>
<p>Look, the mistake was made by the school. Anyone would be unhappy about that. But the way you talk about it (was “robbed” the term you used in the last thread?, and here saying you “wasted” your time) give an impression of someone who doesn’t want to share any responsibility for making sure things were done correctly (if you had checked at the time of testing, perhaps the mistake would have been averted, if you have identified the error in the fall of 8th grade, perhaps they might have been more sympathetic to a re-take). Your other posts show someone who doesn’t value learning, who has an extremely hypercompetitive attitude towards classmates. I really think that by far your biggest problem is not loss of a small amount of class rank, but your general attitude. On what basis do you think top colleges select those candidates with near-perfect records to admit and which to reject?</p>
<p>My daughter was the most advanced math student in her high school entering class. She accelerated math because she loves math and school was so boring for her it was the only challenge we were able to arrange. She was not doing it to get ahead of anyone else. In fact we were quite disappointed that she didn’t have any such accelerated peers to share the experience with. Because she completed math through honors precalculus in middle school, with those credits, she could have arranged a schedule that would guarantee she would be valedictorian. Guess what. It’s not even something that we thought about. It was far more important to her to pursue music, which trashed her weighted GPA, and college-level math–which her school counts for GPA purposes the same as a study hall–but that math cost her enrollment in 3 weighted AP classes she would otherwise have taken. There is no way either of us would have wanted her to compromise her education and high school experience to play the silly game of course weightings. There really isn’t a fair way to do these course weightings, and from what I understand most top colleges recognize this.</p>
<p>Even though you lost some small amount of GPA, you still have distinguished yourself because you will be able to take more math, or more advanced math, than your classmates (but will you get honors credit from your high school if you do this?). I suggest you ask your guidance counselor to include a note about why your geometry credit wasn’t at the honors level, or else write it yourself on the common application, I think you can provide additional explanations. I really don’t think colleges will care that much about something that happened in middle school. I also think if you spend your entire high school career trying to mold yourself into the “ideal” college applicant, whatever that might be, that you will eventually regret it.</p>