<p>My son had a 99% average in high school with a full load of AP's/college classes. First semester at Harvard as a bio-chem major, he got 3 A's and 1 B+ (had an A average going into the final, but wrote way too much on the first few essays and ran out of time. leaving a full quarter of the test out--a real learning experience in time management!). Second semester: 3 A's and 1 A-. Worked extremely hard, especially in his physics class. Also must mention, he was just notified of receiving an expository writing award!</p>
<p>my S had I think 2 B+s this year and the rest As...so a bit below hs. He took 2 Japanese courses with seniors and grad students and got As. (his highlights gradewise I think).. He has had to study MUCH more at WASHU than hs! </p>
<p>digmedia...hope OU is still a happy place for your S.</p>
<p>kdos - Still the best. The new HTC web site (<a href="http://www.ohio.edu/honors%5B/url%5D">http://www.ohio.edu/honors</a>) now has him talking about the program (along with some other kids).</p>
<p>This is all very interesting. Seems like some experiences fall into categories:
+ Same drive as always
+ Needing to work much harder than in HS to maintain the grade
+ Party time! Grades slip, but will be ok in the long run
+ Can't keep the same gpa as HS - work is different/harder/might be other priorities
+ Burnout.</p>
<p>Wait for the sophomore slumps! ;)</p>
<p>Great - a whole new thread! Next year!</p>
<p>Oh noooo! How to avoid sophomore slump? :eek:</p>
<p>Egads! I cannot imagine the results of a slacker slumping!</p>
<p>But can you say "slacker slumping" ten times fast? (LOL!)</p>
<p>That's pretty easy. "slacker slumping sophomore slump" is a bit more challenging.</p>
<p>I was thinking along the line of Christmas songs - eight slackers slumping la lala lala.</p>
<p>S is at a large public univ. His hs unweighted GPA at a rigorous public magnet school was around 3.7 and his first-year college gpa is around 3.5. </p>
<p>His first semester was better than his second because he decided college was pretty easy and signed up for 3 upper division classes(!) and one lower div class that is known to be hard (logic). And then he decided to help found a pre-law fraternity and become an officer, on top of already substantial EC commitments. He just got completely overwhelmed with responsibilities outside the classroom. So, as he said a couple weeks ago, by the end of the semester it came down to either eating, sleeping or going to class and when one is in survival mode, class comes third (he said!). He didn't want to let people down that he had promised to do things for. So he got 2 B-minuses, first ever in his life. He said he learned a huge lesson in time management and overextending himself. This next semester a new EC committment (editor in chief of a campus magazine) is substantial so he is taking only three classes and they are lower division. </p>
<p>He wants to go to law school so the pressure is on him to bring that GPA up over the next two years. (luckily LSAT practice tests show him to be in 99 percentile, so there is some breathing room). I guess it's a good lesson to learn your freshman year. Glad I didn't have to watch it or nag or worry or... love it that he's learning from his mistakes somewhere else. :)</p>
<p>I hope he had his sophomore slump early and can get into balance for round 2.</p>
<p>My son took his fourth preliminary examination Monday. He has a good shot at a distinction (requires a First in two of the three primary subjects). He won't know for about a month what his score was. The grading system is tough - points are given for each essay, a total score over a 70 is a First. </p>
<p>He's worked hard this year (more than 40 essays, labs, experiments, and problem sets), and has had to learn to study for exams - flash cards as memorization aids, significant re-reading, things he didn't have to do in high school. However, since he's only in tutorials or lectures about 15 hours a week, he has 20 extra hours compared to the HS schedule - allows for reading, essays, and rehearsals, with time left over for socializing and laundry.</p>
<p>We parents always knew college was Shangri-La. How many would sign up to go back if money were no object? You can count me in - "how does the light shine in the halls of Shambala?"</p>
<p>Mom of 2 Incas:</p>
<p>(j/k - I know how to parse it) Thanks for getting the thread back on track.</p>
<p>But one more off-track input:</p>
<p>I'm not the slack slumper
Or the slack slumper's son.
But I'll slump your slack
Till the slack slumper comes.</p>
<p>
Well I certainly spend time yearning to be a historian rather than a civil servant. But unfortunately the nearest I get to going back to college is at night when I still have dreams that I'm back taking my Oxford History finals again - twenty years after the event. That's something I could certainly do without!</p>
<p>digmedia- I just love the program your S is in. Thanks for pointing out the testimonial. It sounds so amazing to me to be in a program like that!</p>
<p>momof2inca-Your son is something else! What a go-getter! He seems like someone who will be successful in whatever endeavor he chooses as he is so interested in being involved and leading. Berkeley seems like such a good choice for him...I'm so glad it worked out that way!</p>
<p>kdos - As someone said up above, it's certainly not for everyone. The pressure is there - personalized attention and all, but also pressure to keep grades up. A B-minus or lower will trigger a conversation to find out what's going on. And if the GPA dips below 3.5, there is a danger of getting booted out of the program. But my kid loves what he's doing so much, "pressure" is not the right word in his case. "Fun" would be more like it.</p>
<p>oldspc, for me the occasionally recurring nightmare is final exams in high school, where I'm running around the halls in high anxiety looking for my math exam location, when I didn't go to class all year. </p>
<p>Failure = Death (or close enough - perhaps I should say "good enough for Government work"). Many people have similar dreams that are education-related, illustrates how intensely we were indoctrinated. But not anymore - mwahahahahaaaaaaaa!</p>
<p>yulsie, I still have those dreams too and I am a mom of a college kid! </p>
<p>My S this year had an actual scary experiece like this. He woke up at about 9:30 and had slept through an 8:00 am final on the very last day of finals. He ran across campus and met up with his professor as he was packing up. He explained that he had set the alarm for 7:00 pm by accident. The prof told him he was heading over to his office to begin grading, and that S could go with him and take the final in his office. How cool is that. Thank God!!</p>