Need Help with high school decision

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi All,
I need some advice, thoughts, hints, etc.. whether positive or negative on a decision we need to make for our oldest dd.</p>

<p>Short history- dd has been labeled gifted since k, but really didn't get services. The system really bumbled around with her and the teachers struggled to meeet her needs. We moved right before 7th grade and that system put her into Algebra I and the teachers were going to the high school to try to find stuff to challange her. We moved again and this system tested dd. Came back and offered us a grade skip to high school because that is where they could meet her needs best. DD turned down the grade skip because of volleyball. The school put her in Honors Algebra II, AP Government, and French at the high school and Honors English and PE at the Jr. High. She did not take a science due to the travel time between schools. The state we live in just passed something called Flexible Credit option. You have students take an end of the year final or something to prove that you know the material. If you pass, you get the credit and take the next class. DD took Honors English and Honors Biology and passed. When she officially entered high school, she was taking all soph. classes. DD, DH, and I were happy with her placement.</p>

<p>The school called and told us we need to declare dd a freshman or a soph for 2 reasons. One is the state changed the graduation between the 2 classes. This requirement is not a big deal to us. The second is that the system is changing how they weight honors/AP classes. If we move dd to soph. status all her honors/AP classes will be weighted on a 5 pt. scale. If we keep her as a fresh., the AP classes will be weighted on a 5 pt, but the honors will be 4.5 pt. Her counselor thought we may want to move her up for the higher GPA.</p>

<p>To complicate matters with the GPA, is that DD fell on her butt this quarter. Up until this year, dd has not had to study for anything and could write papers at the last minute and get A's. This year her honors teachers run the classes like college. They do teach, but expect the kids to learn alot of material on their own. Instead of 1 chapter to study, it is 3. Dd has had a steep learning curve on learning how to study.- This is not a bad thing. she needed it-So instead of all A's with an occasional B, this past quarter dd got 1 A, 3 B's, and 2 C's. This quarter is going much better. Current GPA is 3.8 if soph. or 3.6 if fresh. Dd, at the moment would like and Ivy or Ivy type school.</p>

<p>The high school is pushing the jump. I called Harvard and they said the higher GPA, her volleyball coach said go for the higher GPA. DH, DD, and I are on the fence about either way. Academics is not an issue at this point. If we were to keep her as a fresh, dd would be going to the local university her senior year because she will have gone through all the classes by her junior year. So no matter what, dd will be going to college at 17 either as a senior or college freshman. </p>

<p>Dd has more soph. friends than fresh. friends. Maturity is not an issue either. She is very mature for her age and the teachers only remember she is in an alternate grade when testing comes around. Everything points to a jump, but we are still unsure. </p>

<p>What would be good for college? Higher GPA and doing high school in 3 years? Lower GPA but doing college senior year? I have called other select schools and they all say they look at the whole package etc... Havard was the only one to point blank say GPA. </p>

<p>Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Are their areas I am overlooking or should be looking at with this decision? </p>

<p>Thank you,
Colleen</p>

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<p>A few things to consider in the additional year. If she takes additional classes and does well, this helps to boost the GPA also. With only three years, any early lower grades will stand out more. It may end up being a GPA ‘wash’ (not the same weighted grades in some, however an additional year of higher grades to average in).</p>

<p>She would also have an additional year of activities to be involved where she would likely rise to leadership roles, and a summer where she is a hs student and have the opportunity to participate in some exceptional programs, internships, etc. Harvard was the only one that said GPA point blank. The top tier schools are looking at the entire package and this is another opportunity for her to stand out.</p>

<p>There are going to be many ways to look at this. You obviously have your daughters utmost interest in mind. Personally, I think the greatest gift we can give our students is time. You have to help her decide where that time is best spent.</p>

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<p>Your gut is telling you to hold back. You need to figure out why.</p>

<p>It isn’t for age peer group if more friends are already soph standing.
It isn’t for GPA.</p>

<p>All you are basically left with is your daughter “leaving” for college earlier. Is this an issue for you emotionally or financially?</p>

<p>If she stays a frosh, how is the senior year at local college handled? Will she receive dual credits? If she receives only college credits, how will this effect her standing to receive merit (assuming she doesn’t go Ivy)? Will she be viewed as a transfer student?</p>

<p>Everything on paper you laid out says Soph. Since your family is still wobbling, I would go with your “gut”, no matter how it stacks up on paper.</p>

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<p>Will the transcript show the quarter grades or does she have time to pull them up? If they show the low grades, I would leave her as a freshman where they’re more likely to be forgiven by top colleges if all As follow.</p>

<p>Top schools use unweighted GPAs because schools weigh differently. The weighting system difference might make your state schools more difficult, but not ivies.</p>

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<p>Our teen was faced with a similar situation. We decided to do the skip. It has worked out all the way around so far. No regrets, only benefits that we can see.</p>

<p>We have friends who did the same thing. Because of the skip, their daughter was challenged in high school. She then would have started college at 17, but they felt she would gain much from a gap year. She had the most fantastic gap year (overseas) and started college at 18, a mature young lady. But she did not have to “stick it out” for a fourth year of high school that would have bored her. She became fluent in a language and lived independently abroad for the year after high school graduation and then started college with her age-mates.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t do much based on the GPA. Yes, it will move her up in class rank. But when colleges look at her transcript they will re-calculate GPA based on their own methods, regardless of whether your hs uses 4.5 or 5.0. Many top colleges go with an UNweighted GPA, because if you’re not taking all top-level classes they’re not going to admit you anyway.</p>

<p>Also, I wouldn’t make decisions on my daughter’s life based on a phone call to Harvard’s admissions office. Your daughter gets ONE chance to be a teenager and go to high school. Do what is best for HER, NOW - don’t arrange her life to please the whims of any admissions officer. </p>

<p>Also, if she moves up a year, will she be ready to go AWAY to college a year early? Not just academically, but socially and emotionally? Those are really the bigger issues. </p>

<p>Life isn’t a race. It’s a journey. (That’s not to say that moving up isn’t the right thing to do… just be sure it’s done for the right reasons and it’s really the best thing for your daughter).</p>

<p>Also, what does your DAUGHTER want to do? It’s really HER decision. If most of her friends are sophs and she’d comfortable with it, maybe moving up a year is the right thing to do.</p>

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<p>All colleges that my two kids looked at said they would recalculate their GPAs based on their criteria for classes. They request a course description to determine the class content and see where it fits in their system. The high school recently changed its point values for the classes and their GPA calculation to match the University of California GPA calculations. We live in CA.</p>

<p>So, I would not make your decision based on the high school’s GPA calculations.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t make decisions based on GPA calculations - I’m not even convinced that Harvard fully understood the scenario. I barely do. I graduated from high school at 16 and took a gap year learning to speak fluent French (and went on to Harvard fwiw). It sounds to me like she is basically a sophomore already and that may be a good enough reason to make it official. (With all the caveats other posters have mentioned.)</p>

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<p>I also would not base this on GPA or any calculating scenario. Base it on how much she will learn, both in and out of the classroom. Base it on how much her intellectual curiosity will be stimulated. Base it on how much leadership experience she will be able to get. Is there a chance for her to be a volleyball captain? How about other activities where she can organize other students toward worthwhile goals?
Also, do you really want her in an older peer group, accompanied by some of the behaviors that these older peers might get into before your daughter is ready?
I am always in favor of erring toward making a student the oldest in the class, rather than the youngest, except in rare circumstances. Older students are more likely to shine in the area of executive functioning, which gets them further. Of course, I do not know your daughter.
The school should have come up with ways to enrich her experiences, rather than accelerate them.</p>

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<p>I’m struck by the “d would like an Ivy or Ivy type school.” Well, yeah, lots of kids would. Nice shiny brand names. But is that realistic? It doesn’t help matters to be calling Harvard as if it is remotedly realistic. Harvard et al has tons of shiny applicants who haven’t “fallen on their butts” and gotten C’s. Why do they need applicants who have gotten C’s?</p>

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<p>Would it be better for her to consider Early College instead of finishing high school on either of the plans that you describe? She might be ready now. [Hoagies</a>’ Gifted: Early College Entrance Programs](<a href=“http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/early_college.htm]Hoagies”>Early Entrance College Programs | Hoagies' Gifted) has a long list of options.</p>