Is it worth it?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hello! :D Right after 8th grade ended, I went to see my high school counselor so I could change the classes I chose earlier. Instead of just taking 2 Honors, I also am now taking 1 AP. However, I also asked my counselor about taking Algebra 2 AND Geometry at the same time. He really didn't want me to, so I kind of just accepted the fact that it wouldn't happen. I guess I was so persistent he told the assistant principal, though. Yesterday, my dad got a call from him saying I had a meeting with him after summer school.</p>

<p>He really doesn't want me to go with this option, but there is a way for me to take Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra 2 next year. I would have to take an extremely rigorous 3 hour math placement test to see if I am qualified.</p>

<p>There are a quite a few downsides. The first is that I would max out my school's math curriculum my junior year, so I'd have to go to the nearby (sort of community) college to take math during the day. The thing is, it would take 3 periods out of my senior year because of transportation and the class length. I want to look into online math classes, but my school doesn't like to accept online credits.</p>

<p>My school is really rigorous. Honors classes are actually really hard, even if there is an AP version of the same class. There are so many smart kids that It's near impossible to get a 4.0 UW GPA. I'm coming from a small private school where A's were pretty much handed to us. I barely ever studied and still got straight A's. I'm afraid I'll get a rude awakening if I sign up for too many hard classes. I don't want to bite more than I can chew.</p>

<p>It's VERY rare for freshman to ever try to do this. The assistant principal said I would be the only one trying to take Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra 2 at the same time. The test has been already made though, so at least one person has tried to do it before. He did say I would be the only one in my class to try it, though.</p>

<p>The assistant principal also said that Honors Algebra 2 is a very hard course. I don't really know if that's actually the case, but I have heard that Honors Algebra 2 is pretty tough. He said that it would be better for me to just go with the normal advanced sequence, since I'd have a higher chance of getting better grades. He did tell me that he believed I could get A's in both at the same time, but there's just a higher chance I'd do better taking them one at a time (which I understand).</p>

<p>My family also doesn't want me to do this. They thought that when I was only taking 2 Honors classes, I would be overloaded. </p>

<p>If I actually do get into Algebra 2, my dad won't let me take online Chinese for foreign language credit. I'm already taking French, so it's not a big deal. But I was really interested in taking Chinese :(</p>

<p>Should I take the test? Should I go along with this plan? I'm thinking that no matter what I should take the test, to see if I'm even eligible in the first place. If I don't pass, oh well, at least I tried. If I do pass, I'll be able to make the decision then.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading all of this! :D Whoever did truly deserves a cookie~</p>

2

<p>Give me a cookie. I like cookies. </p>

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<p>That depends. Are you typically strong in math? It’s hard to say based on your classes if you “barely ever studied and got straight A’s.”
Have you taken/studied for the SAT or ACT at all? If you got, say, 650+ then I’d say take both. I’m no math genius, but I found Alg 2H pretty easy this year (now a rising soph). If you haven’t. you could try a few of the harder problems and see how you do on them (level 4-5 questions in the CollegeBoard book)</p>

<p>dat oshawott doe</p>

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<p>To quote someone on these forums (@yakisoba I think?):</p>

<p>Math is easy
Math is fun
Solve the equation
And you’re done</p>

<p>Take the test; see how you do. </p>

5

<p>As @DigitalKing said, take the test and see what happens. If you do poorly, I suppose it won’t be an option anyway. If you pass but barely, I would hesitate. </p>

<p>You’re just a freshman. You’re already ahead of most. Don’t try to make it too hard for yourself and scramble to fit all of that in. Take a step back and think about how doubling up will affect you and your other classes and your ECs. Talk to the teachers that actually teach those classes if you have any hesitation or questions at all. Just be fully aware of the decision you end up making! :slight_smile: good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for all of the great advice! I just took the exam yesterday after school and it took me FOUR AND A HALF HOURS O_O I don’t know if I passed or not, but to pass you need an 85 percent. I think if they count partial credit I might pass :slight_smile: There was one thing I forgot from Algebra 1 (exponential functions) so I hope they don’t hold me back. There was also some questions that made you answer in interval notation. Is that the one with infinity signs? xP</p>

<p>The tests to get into honors are usually meant to keep kids out. You can only get into honors if you got in the 95th percentile on this test you took in 8th grade. I did get in it for Honors Geometry, but since I wanted to take both I had to take the honors appeal test for Algebra 2. The good thing is that if I pass, they’ll know I can handle taking it, because of how difficult it is.</p>

<p>I’ll tell you guys if I pass or not when I find out! :D</p>