I’m a sophomore in high school, and have taken NO honors/AP yet. I’m self studying the World History and Human Geography AP’s this year, but my school is so small (it is known for academic rigor) that only math classes have honors options until junior year. I skipped a year of math and science in 8th grade, but that’s the only “honors” thing I’ve done at my school. There’s a college level geology class, and I academically got in, but it didn’t fit in my schedule. What do I do? I have a 3.8 GPA and my only B is Algebra II/Trig, and I have a 90 in Chemistry. I am much stronger in the humanities and life science.
Starting junior year, you should try to take one class at a community college each semester or each quarter. Taking Freshman English/composition/seminar level 1 and 2 then Philosophy will be good for someone strong in the humanities. Or take one online class (less desirable choice).
All in all though, if your school doesn’t offer Honors/AP, then it’s not held against you, especially if your school is competitive.
I hope so, especially since I am taking:
-AP Environmental Science
-English 11 Honors (seen to be one of the hardest classes in the school)
-SUPA/AP US History
-French Honors
-Science Research (weighted as an honors class)
-Precalc
Unless your gc indicates on the secondary school report that honors English 11 is considered the hardest class, the college will not know this is a hard class at your school.
If your school has no honor classes yet is known for rigor, why are you concerned that you haven’t taken honors classes? There weren’t any to take, except in math, but it sounds like you skipped a year of math, then took the regular, not honors level, and got a B? I’d be more concerned about that than non-existent honors level classes in other subjects. So I don’t think you have to “do” anything about the lack of honors options at your school, but I would try harder to raise your math and science grades.
I am not looking at a major in math or physical science. I am averaging A/A+'s in history, French, and English, and averaged an A+ in Bio and an A in Earth Science. Chem is my only real weakness in science. Math has always been difficult for me. I skipped a year, but did poorly in Algebra and am now doing poorly in Algebra II/Trig. I was good at Geometry.
How is your school known for academic rigor, if there are no courses that can show this? How can you possibly judge a school on academic rigor without a base (for example, A’s in AP courses) for the academic rigor?
Foreboding, a school can be known for rigor when all the classes are rigorous. This happens in prep schools but also in public schools in very academically oriented communities. The students are mostly very very strong so the pace and depth is greater for all classes than those at a typical school. They are all essentially “honor” courses.
@Foreboding My school consistently falls in the top 100 schools in the country by Newsweek. Last year, we were the 41st best school in the country. We are just exceptionally small (under 500) and therefore can only staff Honors/APs for juniors and seniors.
My school is known for some academic rigor (in top 40 public highschools in country) but we still have AP classes right at the base. If all classes are rigorous, what about for the kids who aren’t academically comfortable? I just think having AP classes would show more academic rigor and would show motivation. If there are no “hard” classes, how do colleges know if the students are truly motivated to do well, or if the classes are just too easy for them?
That is the way my school is! Technically, all classes are taught at an “honors level.”
If all classes are taught at an “honors level,” why are there honors and AP levels?