@dfbdfb it’s hard to ask on a forum like this and get a clear ‘I should do it this way’ outcome from the responses. That being said, I would recommend going for the AP class if she has already shown that she is a strong student and has good organizational skills. Students learn more than just the subject matter by taking an AP course as they are typically taught ‘like’ a college course (ie self study reading with followup lecture). My S23 is currently in APWorldHis, but it is required for those on the IB track. But even if he wasn’t following the IB track we would still encourage him to take AP in History and English class and them any STEM he might be interested in. A good score on the tests can give you automatic college credit at most state universities and even some privates, which opens you up to take other classes, possibly double major in college. Even if scores don’t merit college credit your student benefits by being that much more prepared for the rigor of college studies.
All that being said our academic philosophy is very different for yours. We encourage the hardest rigor; although we allow them to choose IB or just Honors/AP route in high school. We don’t dicker about the grade they make so much (because they will all be weighted) as we do encouraging they take the class since honors classes also automatically weed out discipline issues and those not as focused on academics, and have great teachers and smaller class sizes. Our oldest D18 chose IB path and is currently at a T15 college and was accepted to several top programs - she was definitely not interested in a large state uni, wanted smaller and hoped to go out-of-state, so we had to pray for finaid as we let her apply to financial reaches with the stipulation that she would go where the money came from (even if that meant honors program at state uni). Thankfully it worked out for her! S23 wants to follow her academic path so is pre-IB currently (all Honors/AP 9th and 10th) with specific IB starting in 11th (also hoping to use swimming as a hook but that’s a whole other story) … well see what D25 decides although she is currently in all Honors for her 7th grade core and will take Algebra 1 next year in 8th.
Good luck deciding… or not and letting her decide. It will all work out either way.
Oh, don’t worry, @ASKMother, I’m not thinking that I’ll get a good solid definitive here’s-the-best-of-all-possible-outcomes from this forum! It’s more crowdsourcing ideas from the hivemind to get perspectives I might otherwise get, you know?
@dfbdfb I’m surprised each subject teacher doesn’t recommend level placement for next year. That is how it is done in our school district and the parents generally have the ability to override the placement up or down. Also, is it a choice between grade level or AP or does your school also have honors classes?
Is your daughter doubting her ability or is she concerned about the work load? My sons will be taking AP Gov’t in 10th grade (World History is an 11th grade class). The AP Gov’t teacher is known for being very, very hard especially at the beginning of the year, too many kids take AP classes and don’t follow teachers recommendations.
I do agree that it is much easier to drop down then move up. Hopefully, your daughter will agree to at least try AP World since it sounds like she is clearly capable and interested in the subject.
Last point, I know AP World has changed curriculum in the past few years, that might be something to dig deeper into.
At our school it’s next to impossible to drop from AP to regular course. Once students select their classes (which just happened) there is no switching.
That’s too bad that you can’t switch down. Our district allows it, my D23 even dropped down a level after the first semester from an honors Alg 2/Trig class to regular Alg 2.
She’ll take AP Gov next year but it’s not taught at a particularly difficult level at our school – the school prides it self on having close to 99% of students take at least 1 AP class/test and they get there by making everyone take AP Gov (excepting ESL students and other special needs).
@dfbdfb I think not being obsessed with the grades is the best reason to go ahead and have D23 challenge herself a little more with the AP class - if she were sweating every GPA point it might make more sense to play it safe with the more guaranteed grade but if she’s got breathing room vis a vis expectations (which, yay) than why not go for the more interesting course? Something tells me she’ll do just fine.
@dfbdfb We’re also not grades obsessed parents and focus on praising effort not outcome. So, I wouldn’t say anything about her class rank but I would encourage her to take the AP class to challenge herself.
At our high school, if a teacher recommends a higher level class and kids find it too tough, then they can switch into the lower level class. I don’t think your D will need to switch classes, but it might be a good idea to check with your GC about the ease of switching levels should she find herself overwhelmed.
Ski racing is over. The musical runs the next 2 weekends then he gets a whole week off before track starts.
With one kid already in college I know I will miss all this when it’s over but with working 2 jobs myself, this mom taxi is tired!
I live in the Midwest. I said in an earlier post that my son tentatively wants to go to college in a “different climate” but in reality, that really means that he wants to go out of state. My son loves sports (football, skiing and track and enjoys watching other sports). He loves music and theater. He isn’t religious and enjoys being around people with varied interests and opinions. He’s a pretty center of the road midwest kid. We are upper middle class, both parents with graduate degrees but not well off financially (at least Im not). We live in a medium suburb about 25 minutes from our metropolitan city hub. Son lives on a hobby farm with a handful of horses and goats at their dads and although my son likes animals, he doesnt want to take care of them. We have a cabin in the north woods and he loves lake life. Hes equally at ease in the outdoors and in the city. He cares about his appearance but wants more substance than just image.
Basically “vibe” is going to be a big thing for my son in his college decision making I think. I don’t think he would be happy in the Bible belt. I’ve never been to the east coast but I get vibe that it’s more intense out there which might not be for him either. He loves Florida but I could see him frustrated there after awhile.
Is anyone on here from out west/west coast? My son loves California (hes been there a couple times) so I could see him there. He likes Arizona as well. I’ve never been to the pacific northwest but it sounds pretty chill and open minded which might fit my son.
Im looking at potential family vacation spots and sneaking in potential college visits in the next few years. Does the west coast sound like it might “fit”? Any areas you love or recommend? We might end up vacationing before a true potential college list is made so more just trying to get a feel for general area although I know each city and college has its own vibe overall. For me its all about vacation time but if we can sneak in some college visits that would be a bonus.
@2plustrio I wouldn’t write off the entire east coast. Though I do understand your thought process since my DS2015 would only apply to midwestern LACs after spending his whole life on the east coast.
My suggestion for a combined vacation/college visit would be Vermont and the University of Vermont. Great place to vacation summer or winter and Burlington is a wonderful city and the University is relaxed.
@2plustrio If he’s into skiing then you might consider planning a ski trip to Utah and dropping by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It’s a gorgeous setting and has 6 different ski resorts within 40 minutes of campus. It’s also full of outdoorsy kids, who go backpacking, climbing, rafting etc at weekends and during fall/spring break. And very good value for money because you can get instate tuition after the first year. It has relatively easy admissions, but also good merit aid for (very) strong students. It’s becoming more popular but is still underrated because a lot of people assume everywhere in Utah is like BYU.
The west coast (especially CA) is expensive for OOS students, though the PNW has a few options. However there are many more possibilities in the Mountain West, including Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming.
@2plustrio I live in the mountain west and the vibe here is friendly and laid back. There is a “live and let live” attitude and people generally bond over a shared loved of outdoor activities. Many people lead a healthy and active lifestyle, care a lot about the environment, and enjoy cheering for the home sports teams. If your son enjoys skiing and live music, then he will love it here; we have world-class skiing and there is some sort of music or arts festival nearly every weekend during the summer. Personally, I love being able to go from the hubbub of the city to the serenity of the mountains in less than three hours. It’s the best of both worlds.
Some vacation ideas listed in order of suggestion:
Estes Park: From here, you can explore Rocky Mountain National Park and are only an hour from Boulder (University of Colorado) and Fort Collins (Colorado State University). If visiting during the summer, take Trail Ridge Road through the park to Grand Lake, a popular R&R spot with fantastic lakes and mountain views.
Montrose/Crested Butte/Telluride: Montrose is an ideal home base from which to visit Western Colorado University and Colorado Mesa University as the town is approximately 1 hour from each college. Crested Butte and Telluride are both great towns, beautiful and bustling year-round.
Colorado Springs: Home to Colorado College, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and the Air Force Academy. Explore breathtaking mountain parks like Garden of the Gods and take the cog railway up Pikes Peak. The AF chapel is also a popular tourist destination.
Back after a hectic beginning of the year and a lovely vacation to warmer climes!
The unnerving thing is that S23 now has a ever-growing actual list of schools he wants to check out. He wants to go on college tours on spring break. (I am getting whiplash contrasting this kid with his older sister, who started to show some motivation about college midway through junior year.)
To rein him in, we will tour “types” of schools so he can hopefully rule some types out. i.e.: small LAC, Big State U, an Ivy (hah, but I guess he can dream) and also rural, urban, suburban campii.
This spring we’ll check out Princeton, Dickinson and WVU to cover most of the bases. And I truly hope it narrows things down for him (and us!)
@2plustrio I second the Vt. suggestion; also UNM in Albuquerque offers outstanding merit to OOS kids. Other random thought: I live in PA and the costs are ridiculous here, but WV is next door and WVU (where my D19 goes) has amazing outdoors opportunities and also great merit (plus Big State U vibe, lots of school spirit and party rep, but not selective, so no intense competitive vibes). It’s fairly well thought of for some majors, like engineering.
@4kids4us - my S23 is also going to be doubling up on math next year. He wants a competitive college (well, more competitive than WVU) and so he feels that he needs to up his math rigor.
So his sked next year is Geometry, Algebra II, AP World, Biology, Spanish II, Chorale/Health and Literary Genres (the standard 10th-grade English class for everyone). His adviser recommended against Honors Biology: “She says that I definitely would be able to handle it but I’d never have any breathing room and I’d literally die,” he texts me.
@mountainsoul Thanks for the input. My son is for sure the ski and music type. Western Colorado U would be on his list but then Im seeing its about 4 hours from an airport that can get him back home to the Midwest so thats a huge negative and a deal breaker. Perhaps College of Idaho? Gonzaga? Regis U? Those are a bit closer to airports that service our homebase.
My fiance and I were just in Estes Park last May so yes, I love that area too and could see my son happy there! Getting home via a simple flight (direct is preferred) is a factor though.
Mid-spring semester here, first semester finished with a 4.0 (district only does unweighted gpa). S23 has signed up for fall classes in all honors or accelerated classes as the only AP offered is APEuro, which he has very little interest in. Made the JV Baseball team and is a starter, which he’s thrilled about. He knows he’ll have to make sure to balance baseball with studies as academics has always been the priority. Played handball (a mix of water polo on land with a little basketball thrown in) in the fall for the first time and he loved it.
S23 knows that college/university is on the horizon but has shown little interest in where he’d like to go. Will probably end up somewhere in this state. Also, doesn’t know what he’d like to do and it’s ok. I’m not as stressed as I was with D19. Going through this process (high school/college admissions) the second time around I’m significantly less worried. My attitude has shifted and I know that he’ll grow wherever he’s planted.
@bgbg4us@Dolemite@Happy4u@mountainsoul I wanted to update you all. Thanks for your great advice and questions to ask D23’s guidance counselor. My daughter and I met with her this past week for two hours! GC had so much great information…about school profile, class rank, GPA, etc. She did say that the school’s profile does indicate that the most ambitious student would have limited access to AP courses, given the curriculum, and there is no rank because the admission process to the high school is so selective and class size is so small (freshmen class of 60 right now). She also had some great suggestions-1) there is an opportunity over the summer to place out of her next math course and go straight in AP Calc for sophomore year and take another AP math for junior year, 2) self-study and take AP tests (she can take them at her high school) and show the college that she can do well on those tests without having taken the course. GC said she’s had students do that in that past and have done well. She also showed me stats on which highly selective schools students from this high school have made it to, so that gives us hope.
I made sure to make a list of those things that all of you mentioned for me to ask, and I’m glad I went in there knowing what I wanted to know. Now D23 can make a plan about how ambitious she wants to be; she has the option to can stay at this school and do more self-initiated studying and stay with her theater program or come back to home school and take the AP courses.
@Graphitemovermom Hooray! Happy to hear about the productive meeting with the GC. You can really begin to plan now that you know your options. Plus the GC sounds quite resourceful. That will certainly be helpful as you move through the process.
@2plustrio I understand your travel concerns. D19 is attending college out of state and proximity to a major airport as well as affordable and plentiful direct flights were a top concern for our family.
By Regis U, do you mean Regis University in Denver? If so, University of Denver could also be a consideration.
Any college along the front range (Colorado Springs to Boulder) is within 2 hours of the airport. Colorado Springs has its own airport and public transportation goes directly to DIA from Boulder and Denver.
Yes, Denver Regis. Son may be eligible for FACHEX/TE benefit so will try to guide him towards that list but will let him apply to great matches that aren’t on that list as well. Regis is on the TE list.
The last performance of the school musical was tonight. It was a busy winter with my son doing both ski racing and the show but we made it through but grades took a bit of a hit so now he has to get back to academics. I have to admit that this was the best musical I have seen by the school ever! I got teary eyed with my hair on my arms standing up because we have so many talented kids at our school!
Now he has 1 week off before track starts. Its always something with this child.
@Graphitemovermom Wow! So nice to have a 2 hour session with a GC and glad it was productive. It’s unheard of at our large (2,600+) public HS to have parents meet with a GC. Hard enough in the 4 years for the student to meet with GC for any substantial time. My DS got advice from upperclassmen a lot. One piece of advice he took was also what your GC mentioned - taking math in summer after freshman year. He took PreCalc after freshman year Alg2/Trig which allowed him to take BC sophomore year, Calc3 & DiffEq junior year, and AP Stat as a Senior.
My DD23 is not interested in summer school. She wants to work. We have a summer youth program nearby that will train and place area youth in jobs. Several of her classmates did it last year and had good experiences so she wants to do it. She’ll also have summer sports league so she’ll definitely be busy. We’ll try to get some college visits in too as she’s starting to look and get a list together. She’s our 3rd so she’s done a lot of visits with her siblings.
Anyone else making summer plans - camps, work, classes, college visits, vacays?
