<p>This is the first thread I've started on CC. I'm reaching out to parents of students in the "B" range. My S is not an academic superstar, nor is he a slouch. He will be taking his first Honors course (English) this year. His school offers a small amount of Honors and AP classes, and he has determined that one will be his limit for Junior year. Yes, I had visions of him taking Honors Chemistry and AP US History, but that was my vision not his. In all honesty, he is not the ideal candidate for Honors Chem. since his math skills are variable. </p>
<p>My hope is that this thread will be for parents of kids who work hard (mostly!), and will go to college though the path may not be full of APs, Honors, IB, etc.</p>
<p>You will find that you will come across many kids who don’t have honors classes in h.s. and they still do fine in college and beyond. We know several kids who take their first honors/AP class as a junior…then on the other hand, we know kids who take all honors as freshmen. It really depends on the child, the parents, and their comfort levels.</p>
<p>I have two boys, one who took all honors/AP and was a straight A student, and the other one who needs to dip his feet into the process more slowly. He took 3 honors as a freshman and a sophomore (2014 grad too) and now will take 2 honors as a junior. He is a straight B student in both honors and regular classes.</p>
<p>Find out what his passion is and try to develop that. Club’s? part time job? Volunteer? All of that counts in shaping your child into the person he will become. We all want the best for our children, but the best doesn’t have to be the best grades…he’ll do fine!</p>
<p>Thank you for the encouraging words. I’m happy to say he does have a passion, percussion. We dropped him off at Berklee today for a weeklong Percussion Festival. I felt like we left him with “his people”, and he couldn’t wait to shoo us out the door. He is a super bright kid with wicked slow processing, but is adaptable and able to figure out methods to work around it.<br>
I started this thread because I felt there are many kids out there who aren’t academic superstars, but definitely have a lot to contribute. The “Parents of HS Class of 2014”, while a great thread, didn’t really feel like “home” to me. I thought I’d take the plunge and start a thread for parents of children like my S. Junior year is ahead, and I know a lot is riding on the outcome grade wise. I thought is would be nice to hear from other parents.</p>
<p>I have one of those, just graduated high-school and will start college in August. There are some wonderful programs, whether college, university, music school, trade school that value these “B” students. It does seem on CC that most of the posters have kids with over-the-top grades and scores, but plenty of folks exist trying to help their great, non-uber-achievers make good decisions. Best of luck to you and to your child!</p>
<p>To the OP: while you may not be of the Jewish faith, the “B” students thread on the parents forum may be of help…come on over; many members who are not Jewish…</p>
<p>In addition, there is a 3.0-3.3 for class of 2012, 2013 etc that may give some ideas as well…</p>
<p>My son is in this category as well. I’ve perused the 3.0-3.3 threads and there is some useful info there. I’ve looked in the Jewish B thread as well. We are not Jewish, but we are also not Christian (nor conservative politically) so a lot of Christian schools are not a good fit for him. I have told my son not to rule out a school just because it has a church affiliation, though–I know there is a lot of variation there.</p>
<p>My son is also a potential music major (voice) although that’s not a given yet. The choir program at his school is fantastic and he has excelled there. He has taken 1 honors class so far. Requested 2 for next year. He’s in a magnet school with a lot of high achievers, so his class rank isn’t likely to be high, and his GPA will be somewhere in the 3.0-3.5 range by the end, I suspect. Currently around 3.3.</p>
<p>Rodney - Thank you for the info. I read the “Jewish B Student” and the “3.0 to 3.3 GPA” threads when I first joined CC, and those threads inspired me to start this thread for the 2014 class. The above mentioned threads are wonderful, and I’m an avid reader. My original intention for this thread was to have a place for the parents for the class of 2014 “B” students, in addition to the existing threads. The “Jewish B student” thread helped me generate a college list, though I now need to alter it a bit because my son is aiming to be a Jazz Studies performance major ( I’m reading everything I can find on the Music Major threads).</p>
<p>I didn’t intend this thread to be all about me or my S, but a thread for anyone who wants to share information, seek information, receive support, give support, etc.</p>
<p>1or2Musicians - My son considers himself an atheist. We talked about Belmont, but I’m not sure he would fit, to say the least…</p>
<p>E-mom – good thread idea! I hope I have a solid B student – I’ll let you know once grades come out. </p>
<p>He signed up for AP English but his English teacher said she thought he wasn’t ready. I may take that up with his GC – he has a learning disability so the “take 4 APs junior year” thing was never in the cards for him.</p>
<p>I told him in a way, he’s lucky, because I remember my daughter having SO much homework in advance of her APs. I’m hoping he can use this time to prep for SATs instead.</p>
<p>I’ll join! Do I sense a musical pattern here? My D is a Choir Kid…sings in three…has pondered dropping an athletic EC to participate in a 4th but I’ve strongly discouraged that.</p>
<p>I have a list of colleges that accept at least 50% of their applicants organized by state at [Do</a> It Yourself College Rankings - Get the information you need to find the best college for you](<a href=“http://diycollegerankings.com/50-50-college-listing-intro/]Do”>50-50 College List). They aren’t all great for a B student but good number are.</p>
<p>It’s crazy that there needs to be a B thread at all. Remember the days when C was average, B was above average and A was outstanding? When did being above average equate to having to hustle to be admitted to college?</p>
<p>At D’s high school, a C is still average. So earning a B is certainly commendable.</p>
<p>OP, I don’t know what state you live in, but check out the SUNY (State U of NY) Fredonia for your son. A young percussionist friend of ours just graduated from their music program, loved it, and got into a very good graduate programs. We just heard their terrific jazz ensemble. SUNY is a bargain even for out-of-staters. A very modest academic record will get you into Fredonia, though you have to audition for the music program.</p>
<p>If you dropped him off at Berklee, then maybe you’re in the New England area? Pitt and SUNY’s are great suggestions for colleges…also look into Univ. of Hartford. It has a very well known and respected Music program and the kids seem to be in the B range. In fact, that one is on my list, too, to start looking at more closely as we go into the junior year. You may want to PM Stradmom, who has a child in the music program there. It’s a decent size school, @7,000 kids…</p>
<p>If he is already showing an interest and a passion, that’s great! My S2 played percussion in middle school and after renting a kit and finally deciding to purchase it, he decided not to continue. We were able to sell to another family whose S was beginning middle school :)</p>
<p>One thing I’ve learned by some of these CC threads is to learn to relax! Easier said than done, I know, but the kids all find their way one way or another!</p>
<p>My D (class of 2015) is a b student. She studied her butt off in 9th grade to get a 3.22 GPA. She will take her first honors class next year, in History. I just roll my eyes when I see yet another person on this site (sometimes a teen, sometimes a parent) treat a B like it’s a D. I would like to believe there are decent colleges out there for a non-honors B student.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about admissions. I am more concerned about finding a school that D wants to attend that we can pay for. We are in that “too ‘wealthy’ for need based aid but can’t possibly pay for private school out of pocket” category. My other two kids earned enough merit aid to make private schools affordable. But it is doubtful that D will have the stats and as I have told the kids “I don’t have any more money just because you want to go out of state.”</p>
<p>Another parent of a B student with musical talent (percusssion). He is currently at U of Miami’s Young Musicians Camp. He wants to study music business and UM has a great program. I am hoping he can get into UM with his academic record. Unlike others on this thread my son does have many AP and honors classes. He just gets Bs in some of them. </p>
<p>His academic record is confusing to me. He does take a fairly rigorous academic load. He gets As and Bs in all his classes but he is not a straight A student. He would love to study music business at U of Miami but I don’t know if U of Miami is reasonable for him with his record.</p>
<p>Proudpatriot – If your son is taking a challenging courseload and is a B+/A- student there is no reason not to apply to UM if he wants to. Miami takes students that earn Bs in college prep classes. I just wouldn’t bet the house on admission. As you know, your son needs to find a safety he can love and a few match school that might give him some choices. Good luck.</p>
<p>Missypie brings up another good point. We won’t qualify for aid, and she won’t qualify for merit. So it’s going to be hard to find a place she can get in AND we can afford.</p>