<p>If this has already been mentioned in the previous 165 pages, then I apologize in advance for the double posting :)</p>
<p>What are your thoughts on taking a Foreign Lang all 4 years? My S is currently in his 3rd year of Honors Spanish. And isn’t really interested in taking AP Spanish next year.</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>My D2 wasn’t planning on taking physics this year - science isn’t her thing and she doesn’t need it for admissions. She does need 4 years of science for an advanced diploma but she was going to use earth space and astronomy to satisfy those.</p>
<p>Well she just called and is headed over to see if she can find a GC to switch into physics - she said she at least wanted to try which I fully support - and things are always smoother when they are her idea!</p>
<p>The only issue she has with her schedule is at her school some classes are block and some aren’t - she got put in a section of block math for AB calc and she learns math better when she has it every day - she could switch it with her theater III class as they have openings in both sections BUT the theater teacher is concerned if she switches into the other theater class, that her boyfriend is in, that if they break up the class dynamic will be thrown off (BF’s mom is a GC so he found out from her and told D but she isn’t supposed to know) - ugh, that is an unfair assumption against D2 and her BF who could deal if that happened. D2 is hoping now she can swap the math with physics and leave theater where it is. Hopefully a GC is at the school and she can make the switch - when she gets a bee in her bonnett about something she wants it done now, LOL!</p>
<p>Here is why we will ‘strongly’ suggest that S takes AP French senior year…</p>
<p>Our state flagship has determined that 4 years of foreign language (they count 8th grade) satisfies the requirement for a liberal arts degree. So if he goes there, he will not have to take a foreign language in college as he has met the requirement by completing French junior year.</p>
<p>But some colleges that we are looking at require freshman to test out of the requirement. We are worried that if he does not continue with French senior year, he may not be able to test out.</p>
<p>Re foreign language. I suppose it all depends on where child goes to college and what his major is going to be. My older D1 is at a college without a foreign language requirement, which is great because she only took 3 years of Latin in HS.</p>
<p>S2 took AP Spanish language in sophomore year and did well on the AP test, so we’re hoping that he will place out of Spanish for college if he needs to. BUT, depending on where he goes, and if he majors in voice (his current choice) he will still have to take Italian (and at some schools, French and German for a year).</p>
<p>My opinion, if child is planning on being a liberal arts major, go ahead and take AP foreign language course. It can’t hurt and might help.</p>
<p>If your kid desires top colleges, then 4 years of aforeign language has been strongly suggested on this site. It does not mean it is required, mind you :-)</p>
<p>I am in a different spot, my kid wants to take 2 foreign language APs.</p>
<p>Medavinci - what does your daughter want to study/where is she going to apply?</p>
<p>SAT’s. We are aiming for January and ??? D has both AP exams in May and IB exams in June. I am waiting for the final schedule of exam dates before we confirm the date. </p>
<p>D is planning on the ACT in December. </p>
<p>Physics: I agree- why stress and take it if your D is not interested. NYS requires 4 years of science. My D started her science in 8th grade, so will end up with 5 years of science. Due to the IB program, she will end up with 3 years of Bio. But no physics at all. She made that clear to me. 
No biggie since she isn’t aiming to major in science. </p>
<p>However, Meda, if she is avoiding Physics just to avoid a certain teacher she hasn’t experienced yet, I would have her take Physics. Dealing with challenging people, including teachers, bosses, etc, is a life skill. Learning to learn on your own is so important. When my D was whining about her math teacher last year I liked to remind her that HS is not all unicorns and butterflies. Sometimes you just have to learn the material on your own. (picture D rolling her eyes at this point)</p>
<p>Foreign language. I would lean toward 4 years of lang. unless it is absolutely painful for him. Our HS requires a language for all 4 years to graduate. </p>
<p>Shilly- yikes that the teacher would care about classes due to dating relationships. Dating is so fluid during HS.</p>
<p>Shilly - My D1 dated her HS boyfriend for 3 yrs. They were both theatre majors at their performing arts HS. When they finally broke up in spring of senior year, it was while they were in a show together playing the romantic leads. It was a bad break up, but on stage you would never have known it. They both ended up winning awards for their performance at a regional competition, while not even speaking to one another off stage. That’s great acting!</p>
<p>Sorry for my long rant again! </p>
<p>My daughter just hates science period. Her interests lie with broadcast journalism/political science/pre-law - she has done theater since she was 4 and loves singing. That is the disheartening part about switching schools - there are only chamber singers in this public school. The theater there stinks too. Her old school is really getting on my nerves, as they could not offer fin aid (you wonder where the annual fund money is going when people can drop $50K a piece into it). She’s been there a long time, middle and high and they have been so horrible about how they are handling her departure. Just pay your unpaid balance and skidaddle. The head of the school lets her underlings send the nasty notes. Not even a nice exit interview for my daughter (which would have meant the world to her and made her feel as though she “counted for something”). She contributed so much to the school. But when the well runs dry, they drop you like a hot potato. She is emotionally so distraught leaving her friends. The head of the school is not well liked at all, and now I complete understand why. Cold and insensitive and had the unmitigated gaul to have her staff send us a note stating we should quickly get her invested in her new school. As though what? We’ve been sitting around all summer not contemplating this difficult move? I’ve investigated every available alternative both pros and cons. It’s all about money, and once you don’t have it, you are treated like trash. It’s shameful. Thankfully the outpouring of support from the kids has buoyed my d, and I’ve reassured her they are only a short distance away. </p>
<p>Physics - yes, the parents told me to avoid the teacher at all costs, and the counselor said stay away if you think there is a remote chance of getting a C or D as she cannot afford that in junior year. Almost everyone takes physics in our state, and then AP bio or APES. Apes for my d is the lesser of the 3 evils. In her old school, she would have attempted physics, as the teachers were good, willing to work with you and offered so much extra help. But in this school, the man is a year older than methusalah (sp), apparently hates his jobs (and one woman at the school went so far as to say he hates kids! that’s why I hate tenure!!!), and I’m not going to risk her trying to struggle through a course with no help whatsoever. She’s been there done that all these years with too many bad math teachers. She doesn’t need that stress at this point in her life with all that’s going on in our personal lives. </p>
<p>This change of schools is going to be a massive culture shock for her and she is getting a lot of emotional support to help her through. We read an article in today’s local paper by a mom who is an atty and writes a column stating that she and her d went out clothes shopping (her d goes to the ps my d will be attending) as “what you wear the first day of school determines who you are and what group you get to hang out with.” My d just wanted to puke at that point as she just wants to get in and out and doesn’t give a fig about the clothes - she was used to uniforms and is not into the whole fashion thing for school. So I do hope it won’t become a thorn in her side. </p>
<p>She doesn’t care for AP bio and definitely not AP chem but she will have to suffer thru ap bio i assume next year. They don’t count 8th grade science in our state - she had earth/physical science but they had hard sciences from 5th grade on. She had 4 years of latin in middle school and 4 years of French, then 2 years in high school brought her to the end of her language req’t - she could have started a new language or gone on to ap french. HOwever, in this public there is french IV honors, french V honors then AP and the counselor wouldn’t let her move to AP even though she was scheduled for it in her other school. She will have to talk to the french teacher since the head of the language dept here does not speak french and won’t be able to test her. Every school is so different. So technically she is in a sr yr french honors class (per this school) and would have gone on in her old school to french literature in sr yr after ap french this year. She may have to do a lot of switching around after the first day.</p>
<p>She loves languages and was contemplating taking italian or arabic this year had she stayed at the old school, but she’d have to give up an art (her music) for it and didn’t really care to do it. Her electives in private were stress relievers…music calms her down and she loved doing a capella and being the lead singer in the boys band. Here she has to take business electives. She can do journalism at least but you must work on the school paper in addition to your other classes…Entrepreneurship you have to do a project and the same with sports/entertaiment management which is what they offered her (i.e. that was all that was open since we registered so late). She is a great photographer, and although she has worked major world events, they still want her to follow the photography pre-requisites, so she couldn’t take advanced digital photography. </p>
<p>I personally don’t care what she takes in core courses, as I’m not a big fan of following the upward trajectory. As she says, if they don’t like what I’ve done, then they don’t need to accept me. I’ll find the school that fits me perfectly. The majority of schools do not accept AP classes anyway, so what’s the point…you only have to repeat them again in college which is a nuisance. Yes, of course, they want to see that you are able to do them, but each school’s philosophy is so different. Most kids in the rigorous privates stay in regular classes since they are very tough and prefer to get A’s in those…that’s all you hear is straight A’s are the most important thing. However, why bother with a regular class that is just as difficult as an AP when you should just take the AP if that is what they want to see. It drives me insane. My d’s friend that took 14 ap classes (and got 5’s and A’s except in AP physics, which she got a C in in sr yr) worked so hard and got in all the ivies but brown, and she is so frustrated because yale won’t take a single credit. Had she gone to the state college, they would have all been applied. Another thing that gets my goat, is that in sr yr, public is required to submit the entire year’s transcript even if you get accepted in early action/early decision. In private you do not have to do that unless you’ve been deferred. Why is there so much disparity?</p>
<p>Well, as my late mom would say: What will be will be. My d’s emotional and physical health is the main concern; and per HER request, she wants to be tutored in pre-calc and the SATs. That’s it…and then just working on the one extracurricular she enjoys…she’s not a serial club joiner. Her only disappointment is that the school does not participate in a Model UN conference. Her old school did princeton model UN, and with her background she needs the conference to complement her resume.</p>
<p>She’s looking at georgetown, gwu, american, usc (CA), uva, univ of chicago, maybe nyu, northwestern, possibly duke, boston college, princeton (maybe) - she qualified to apply for those at her old school but here, I don’t know - they approach college planning differently and I hate to say it, the name of the school does weigh a lot (private) even though they may be overrated. There are some great rigorous publics in our area, but we are out of district (despite the fact that our taxes are much higher). That is one of the reasons we left public in the first place, because of our town’s hs. So now 7 years of private school money down the drain. It’s just a business to them. My d was hoping to see her friends this weekend to say goodbye, but now that she only received the summer ap hw on weds (school was supposed to start on thursday but thanks to Irene and 16,000 homes without power, they’ll start tuesday) - she feels too stressed to go because of all the work. I told her to go anyway, her mental health is much more important. I have faith she’ll catch up.</p>
<p>Regarding foreign language, our state flagship recommends you take five years. Even though it requires far less than that, the five credits they recommend will make you more competitive for admission. You are still required to take a language at the university, however, if you don’t have AP/SAT II credit or are not exempt through their testing process. Granted, this is a very selective state flagship, but just an example of what one university may want. It is best for students to research this kind of information for universities they are interested in so they are better informed when selecting high school classes. My D started taking hs foreign language in 6th grade and finished this past year. There is no AP option in her chosen language, so she is now finished. </p>
<p>At another very selective college in our state, physics is regarded as one of the benchmark classes they look for in a most challenging hs curriculum. So again, seek advice from admissions if your child knows where they might want to attend. D is taking physics this year, but then again she would have anyway.:)</p>
<p>Nellieh, couldn’t agree with you more about not avoiding challenging people, teachers, and situations. When you are presented with a challenge in life, it is an opportunity to learn so much about yourself. D has the English teacher this year that every 11th grader fears and dreads. Many change their level of English to avoid her. My D knows it will be difficult and her grade in English will be lower, but she would have been disappointed had she not gotten this teacher. She sees it as a mountain she must climb in her hs career…a badge of honor she must earn.:)</p>
<p>One quick question, - does the PSAT cut off(NMSF) for states change every year? Or is it a fixed number?</p>
<p>It changes every year. However, you can look up where it has been in your state for the past few years, and you should get a close approximation of where it will be this year.</p>
<p>My d has always had the hardest, most challenging teachers which has helped her tremendously. She is strong and resilient, and to take 3 AP classes at a new school, is very brave, because each school teaches differently. It’s not just the teachers; it is the school. However, if it were a simple change,and no other major challenges were going in her life, it would be just like any other year. You get what you get, and you don’t get upset. She had the most difficult and despised Euro teacher last year, and no one got into APUSH because of it; however, all the kids who had the easy teacher got into APUSH. That’s just the way it works. And such is life. However, when teachers are not well-liked BUT can still teach, that is a different scenario all together. A teacher who just hates their job and can’t wait to retire, is doing a disservice to the children. No one wins in that situation. We have a public school 4 mins away whose PTA does NOT tolerate bad teachers. They will have them fired mid-year come hell or high water, and they are the number 1 school in the state. That is the way it should be. Can you imagine showing up at your job and not performing? You’d be fired in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>The school my d is transferring to realizes the issue, but they can’t do a thing about it because he’s “tenured.” Good grief! I spoke with 3 admissions depts at universities my d is considering, and all three asked in different phrasing basically “what is the point of taking physics?” I explained the scenario to them, how the college counselors felt it was required, and you could read between the lines. If there is no correlation to what your child is interested in, why set them up for failure was what it amounted to. I gave my d’s path, and the type of science that would benefit her work, and they said it was fine as long as the rest of her transcript was rigorous in other areas. In many schools, they have different sciences too - they might have a physics course for majors and one for non-majors which fulfills the core requirement, but is not as focused and rigorous. </p>
<p>The counselor at her new school reiterated that if there is a chance of a C or D with this class, don’t take it. I just don’t have the money to waste on a physics tutor. I’d rather apply it to math or SAT prep. Also, the counselor was also wrong in that the colleges could not give a fig when you take physics, as long as you take it IF that is what you want to do. Many of the private schools let the kids save physics till sr yr because it is so difficult. However, I do think it is unfair that public has to send the entire sr yr transcripts if you are accepted in December. Private schools are exempt (at least the ones in our area).</p>
<p>Hi All! Hope junior year is chugging along well for the majority of you :)</p>
<p>Donivrian: The PSAT cutoff is recalibrated every year. Most years state cutoffs only vary by a point or two up or down. This year seems to be an outlier though. I’ve been following the threads in the National Merit forum & some states have jumped by 4 points. This is the thread with the most current info: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1199607-national-merit-semifinalist-qualify-scores-class-2012-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1199607-national-merit-semifinalist-qualify-scores-class-2012-a.html</a> Students are just being notified about their status as NMSF so I wouldn’t expect the complete list of scores for the Class of 2012 until the end of September. </p>
<p>Foreign language: it all depends on your kid & where they plan on applying. D1 only took 2 years of french in HS (including an 8th grade class for HS credit) and switched to Latin when the school asked a select group to try an online class. Then they didn’t offer Latin II so she couldn’t continue with Latin & didn’t feel comfortable going back to French III. It didn’t affect her college admissions, but I suspect that’s why she was named an alternate for Governors School in 11th grade vs. being admitted. D2 is in her 4th year of Spanish & she’ll probably continue her senior year. She enjoys it though while D1 wasn’t a big fan (although she’s loving Italian in college & is in her 3rd semester.) I’d have no problem with D2 dropping Spanish at this point if she didn’t want to continue; I don’t believe in playing the “what do colleges want me to do” psychic game past the point of meeting the requirements they have posted on their admissions site.</p>
<p>Cases in point: D1 never took physics or calculus! Gasp! She’s a history major in college & certainly took her share of challenging math & science in HS (including AP Chem and AP Stat.) If you have kids who are humanities focused, I don’t know why you need to stress about the math & science. I don’t see the math & science kids stressing about taking AP english & history classes. D2 will probably not take physics or calculus either. Guess she’ll figure that out in January. But she’s planning on being an English major, so I’d rather see her spending her time focusing on the areas that she plans on continuing & that she enjoys.</p>
<p>I think those of us who spend time on CC get a skewed view of what the average HS student is doing, including those who do well in school. A relative of mine posted her senior HS schedule the other day (she’s in NHS & was President of NJHS in MS so not a slacker!) Out of 8 classes 2 were art focused, 1 language, 1 English, 1 gym (required in the state every year,) 1 was a student aide type class and the other 2 were used for a senior co-op option where you work out of school & get dismissed early. No science, no math, no social studies. And at a meeting at our school (where 95% go to college) we were reminded about things like credit recovery and the need to have 13 credits at the end of junior year to be a senior (D2 will have 19.5.) </p>
<p>medavinci: I can hear the stress in your posts & if I may be so bold, I’d like to give you some advice. First, stop worrying about what the old school did or didn’t do. It’s irrelevant now. Holding a grudge against them for their policies and practices isn’t going to help you or your D going forward. What is done is done, and from what you’ve said I don’t think you’d want your D there anymore even if they found an additional scholarship. Give them thanks for giving your D a solid foundation with those good teachers and then take a deep breath and close that door. As for the new public school, well there are good and bad teachers and there are advantages to having both. Have her take what she wants to take; I think the feedback that you’ve gotten from college admissions counselors about not caring about a particular class (i.e. taking physics) is sound. Colleges want to see that a student has taken x years of science & x years of foreign language, etc. The specifics of that doesn’t matter to them, especially if the student is majoring in another area. I’m sure MIT might look strangely if a student was planning on majoring in physics but hadn’t taken a version of it in HS, but I’m not sure that a student planning on majoring in journalism will have their math & science course selections scrutinized. </p>
<p>Also, regarding private school senior transcripts. I don’t know any university that doesn’t require end of year transcripts for the students who end up matriculating there. While many schools allow you to apply with a transcript that ends in junior year, most selective schools also require a mid year report that includes the grades through 1st semester senior year. And if I remember correctly, you need to send an end of year transcript to the school you decide to matriculate in (they need to make sure that you actually graduate plus if you tank, they can decide to recind their admissions decision.) It’s not the secondary school rule, it’s the college rule. </p>
<p>I have to comment on the PTA having teachers fired as well. I’ve been on PTA executive boards in two states and in my experience, there’s no administration that’s going to let the PTA have that kind of control. For a teacher in a public school to be fired mid-year, well that means they’re not tenured or there’s been an issue that is particularly harmful or criminal. If it’s a new teacher and they’re not performing well, I’m sure there would be parent complaints from the students impacted & certainly that would be addressed. </p>
<p>Thank goodness that your D is feeling better. Enjoy the long weekend with her, go for a nice walk & try talking about something besides school. Really, a few years from now, you’re not even going to remember all these little details, so enjoy some time with her and relax.</p>
<p>RobD, YES you may be so bold (lol)! You have made some good points, however, it’s the “money down the drain that we couldn’t afford to spend in the first place” thing that hangs on. And being thisclose to graduation. I don’t like watching my d suffering like this, as she is not a complainer, but it’s going to be a huge culture shock for her. She has been through hell and back these past couple of years, and quite honestly, our therapist said if he had been in her shoes, he’d have jumped off a building by now. She’s extremely stoic, and there’s much more backstory to all this than can be shared. </p>
<p>The outpouring of love and support from the teachers and students for my d since she announced she was leaving has been incredible, and the music teacher has offered to help her produce a CD of all the songs she wrote (she was the lead singer in the boys school band which she will miss) as well as her a cappella and theater performances. There is a regional school you can go to after classes end at 2, if you want to so perhaps she will do that. We are just playing it by ear day by day.</p>
<p>We have beautiful beaches around here, but they eroded during Irene, and there are still over 6000 without power in just our small town! So who knows school may not be opening as planned. </p>
<p>As for transcripts, I can positively tell you that “her old school” and I can’t speak for other schools, does not send any transcripts except first semester senior year when applying early decision/early action and only deferred students have to send the entire year’s transcripts (got the paper from our college counseling sessions right here on my desk)! It’s neither here nor there, but perhaps the perks of private. I do know that if you do get in trouble (in or outside of school), it is the school’s obligation to report it to the college.</p>
<p>Sadly, last year, one of the boys who got into Harvard, showed up at a graduation party drunk and with alcohol in his backpack. There were police right at the party (that the family who was giving the party hired). They reported it to the school, and the school had to report it since the police took him in for underage drinking. It was horrible, as the parents in the town felt it was unjust and Harvard did rescind the offer 
</p>
<p>My d won’t give a thought to leaving the house as she signed up for 3 APs as I mentioned, and the counselor on Aug 26th (when she and all the other counselors returned to work from summer vacation) did NOT have the summer assignments. We were there 3 hours working out the schedule. It’s a huge school, and we didn’t get a chance to walk through it to try and find the different classes, so we went back the following Wednesday (the storm postponed school starting on 9/1). We picked up books and managed to find AP hw lying around that the kids didn’t pick up, so we had the office copy it. From that point on, she has been working feverishly at breakneck speeds to catch up. The counselor was amazed when I called her for something else, and she said my d would have double work next week trying to get all the summer hw done, and I told her she was staying up till 2-3 am. I was proud and impressed and she is nearly done with it all now. We are not used to summer hw, and since she was home this summer, she could have paced it out but school did not reopen until the end of august when we registered. The amount of work was staggering, but very manageable if you start in June. The great study skills she got “from the other school” certainly helped her!</p>
<p>Now i just have to register for the PSAT’s because they are not done at this school. You are on your own. I was worried that with all everything going on in our personal lives, she might be distracted. However, seeing how she tackled the summer hw, I think she’ll be fine. Can you tell she’s my only child RobD?</p>
<p>HeavyLidded: enjoy the beach! One of the things I miss about living in a landlocked state is that it never really feels like Memorial Day or Labor Day because I’m not sitting in traffic to get to my spot in the sand ;)</p>
<p>medavici: as an only child I can say that you sound like a concerned parent and that you’re dealing with some complex issues. I think you’d be just as concerned as if you had more than your D, but I know that having only 1 does magnify things.</p>
<p>Medavinci: It is obvious that you are struggling with the transition in your life. Transitions are always difficult and I didn’t know what to say to offer you support. I think RobD said it best in her post to you. I totally concur with her post! Take a deep breadth, morn the loss of “what was” and then move on in a positive manner for your own sake and that of your DD’s. The old school was an expensive private school and they owe you nothing if you can’t pay for their services. Really, that is why they are a private school. Embrace the new life you have and take advantage of what the new school has to offer. Embrace and celebrate. Your DD is going to be fine as long as you are fine. It appears she is embracing the new, now you can too. She has two years at this new school. Relax a bit. Have a glass of wine. Be happy.</p>
<p>Still in summer mode here except D13 and S15 are working like crazy to finish summer reading and writing assignments. Grrrr…</p>
<p>D has talked to some friends to arrange a Sunday afternoon SAT review session. I agreed to get pizza and let them study. I figure they will get an hour in before they get distracted but an hour is better than nothing. </p>
<p>D is so ready for back to school. We are in a magnet school so are dispersed across the city. She is looking forward to seeing folks that she hasnt in quite a while. </p>
<p>We have had family obligations this weekend so were unable to hit the beach. Sounds wonderful. </p>
<p>RobD- sound advice for Meda and all of us. We have to keep in mind that parenting is about much more than college admissions and pleasing admissions counselors. A very dear friend likes to remind me that they all find a college. It may not be the one we imagined for them, but they do all find a path.</p>
<p>Well…it is down to hours before the new school year begins… Yesterday, D broke down and came to me with the 3-4 precalc review questions that had her stumped. I love math and miss being asked to help so that felt good. The last essay is being written at this moment…word got out that the summer physics packet isn’t actually due until Friday so apparently D thinks that Thursday night, after an away hockey game she will be able to wrap up what she wasn’t able to do in 3 months. I have to laugh. It is great to be young and full of hope and absolute confidence in one’s ability to cram at the last moment…</p>
<p>The weekend was spent mainly on figuring out the perfect first day outfit (cute but not trampy seems to be the goal) and also the search for the replacement backpack (needs to last 2 years I said)…There were emergency trips to Georgetown to support a friend with closet anxiety with a pre-school strategizing session at a bar-b-q last night…they have FH practice today for the game tomorrow on the first night of school. I will fill out forms in the bleachers.</p>
<p>Meda…your daughter sounds like a pearl …I hope she can have some fun this year too. I think the best we can do for them at this point is help keep them from extreme behavior–some limits on fun/work/sports if they go to far one way or the other. also, the only thing I may do for the testing is sit down after the PSAT and ask her to come up with a test taking plan (schedule) and if she feels she needs some structured help preparing. We can put the registration dates on the schedule but leave it to her to ask for the credit card and get it done. First steps toward taking responsibility for the college application process for next year.</p>
<p>Oh famm, I think our daughters would be such great friends! She, too, has been strategizing about the first day of school outfit for tomorrow. She had made up her mind, but the news of rain on the horizon has thrown her into a tailspin. What to do, what to do…rain will cause a possible change of plans for the hair as well. D has fh practice today also. The coach was not happy with preseason scrimmage performances, so they are practicing to prepare for the first game this week. Just finished filling out five pages of paperwork for her to return. No beach for us either. However, D has finally finished the summer homework.:)</p>