Could anyone help to predict future for a good friend of mine? Imagine the scenario:
9th grade - AP HUMAN GEO, H Biology, H English; H Algebra 2,
10th grade -A.P. WORLD; A.P. ENGLISH; A.P. STATISTICS, A.P. MACRO, H Pre-Cal; H Chemistry,
11th grade A.P. U.S. HISTORY, A.P. CALCULUS AB, A.P. CHEMISTRY, AP ENVIROMENTAL, H Literature, A.P. PSYCHOLOGY
12th grade - A.P. LITERATURE, A.P. CALCULUS BC, A.P. GOVERNMENT, AP BIOLOGY
In Summary:
• 14 AP classes
• Honors track, almost perfect GPA
• >33 ACT
• School does not rank
• College classes in Spanish
• Typical EC
• Typical high school
• No hooks, not an athlete
• Doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future
Question:
Would this kid have good chances to get into top-20 colleges? His parents think – yes. I think, he should be more proactive. Currently, the boy is in 9th grade, still has time to change game-plan.
If you think that his plan needs improvement, where should he improve?
californiaaa- good grief!!
you need to tell the parents of this kid to just CHILL OUT.
There is NO crystal ball that even the most experienced college counselor can consult that will accurately predict if ANY student , let alone a 9th grader [!!], will have a “good chance” of getting into a top college. =))
If there was all of us here on CC would be billionaires by now!
californiaaaa,
here is what the Stanford Admissions office says about AP classes-
“We want to be clear that this is not a case of “whoever has the most APs wins.” Instead, we look for thoughtful, eager and highly engaged students who will make a difference at Stanford and in the world beyond. We expect that these students have taken high school course loads of reasonable and appropriate challenge in the context of their schools.” http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html
PLEASE pass it on to the AP fixated parents of this unfortunate 13 yr old.
sheesh…
Even if this student is a good candidate for a top 20, and that is what S/HE wants to do, you need to change your approach right away.
If this is not student driven, it will not work; do not force it. S/he will not make a top 20, and s/he will learn to hate you. It has to be what the student wants and it has to be a student with strong ability.
If this is what s/he wants to do, then continue reading. If not, stop now.
Take a sample psat soon to see where you are, if you have not done it already. If the student is not already showing exceptional ability, then probably no amount of work will get you there.
You have too many APs on this schedule. I would trim 14 APs down to 7 or 8, and try for A's. Focus on math, English, and science. More than that and you will make yourself miserable, but you will impress no one in top 20 admissions. In Sophomore year, I would dump AP World. It is very time consuming, and math, English and science are more valuable in general.
With fewer APs, you will be able to add study halls every semester to make your schedule more manageable.
You need excellent grades, and developed ECs and interests. You also need a social life to stay positive and avoid burnout.
Get involved in ECs/clubs/activities to start to find out what interests you. Active in a couple of clubs you want to put time and effort into is better than a minor member in many clubs. Explore interest areas.
Plan activities that interest you every summer. Use that time effectively. Explore interest areas. Work on test prep.
9.Ignore the negative, but unhelpful comments. You have to have thick skin on cc:
This sounds like a recipe for an anxious, depressed child who only seeks external validation of his work. Even if he ends up with an almost prefect GPA in all those courses and a high ACT, I wouldn’t want my child to be him.
