Salutatorian, but no H.S. Honors Degree

Parents Forum
1

<p>DD is 2nd in a very competitive h.s. Her schedule (and the fact that she is taking a language class at a local university) does not allow her to take the fourth science class needed for our high school's Honor degree.</p>

<p>Will this be detrimental in applications to top colleges? D has completed 9 APs already and is currently taking 5 APs, as well as a college course. So, she's a strong student. Will not having the Honors degree amount to anything in this situation. The degree she will have is an "Advanced" degree, unless we add something like chemistry AP, which feels like it will break the camel's back.</p>

2

<p>I don’t think this is anything to be concerned about. When schools are considering your daughter’s application, they will be looking at her transcript for the most rigorous curriculum. It certainly seems from what you’ve described that she’s met that expectation.</p>

3

<p>The important thing is to contact the counselor and explain why (schedule conflict) this choice shuts her out of another class. Make sure the counselor will still be willing to check off the box on the application form that says she is taking the “most rigorous available” schedule. One of mine got shut out of advanced language classes due to music schedule. Getting that on paper early made a difference.</p>

4

<p>Remember that the applications only reflect through junior year and don’t have any speculation about what kind of a degree a child will earn next spring. I wouldn’t worry about it at all.</p>

5

<p>“Remember that the applications only reflect through junior year”
Unless things have changed drastically in the last 4 years, that is NOT the case. College applications ask what classes applicants are scheduled to take during both the F and S semester of Sr year as well .</p>

6

<p>They do ask for a list of classes, but for nearly all colleges, five AP classes plus a college class would certainly be considered rigorous.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for your comments. She wants to take another AP on the internet. But I say this nuclear arms race has got to stop. She’s happy and well-adjusted. Why take so much college before college?</p>

8

<p>Never heard of a HS honors degree, I doubt it will make a difference. The guidance counselor should add a note about the off campus courses precluding meeting the reqs for any college and scholarship apps. Her record’s details will impress colleges more than any HS honors degree. BTW- just talked to a friend with a PhD who never got the honors degree from our U since she didn’t do the undergrad research, she got into grad school and did plenty there. Don’t worry.</p>

9

<p>

Tell her not to do it! Online courses are awful, especially for something like AP Chem. She shouldn’t overload herself or she’ll burn out.</p>

10

<p>Ugh. APs are not “college before college”. AP is a brand for a set of reasonably challenging, nationally standardized (somewhat) high school courses. They are “college” only in the sense that maybe they render unnecessary the remedial high school that colleges seem forced to provide many students.</p>

<p>Still, yes, stop the arms race!</p>

11

<p>I seriously doubt that any colleges will care what the name of the high school diploma is. I vote for leaving the Chem alone for now.</p>

12

<p>In Indiana, there are several types of high school diplomas awarded. The names and requirements for each are changed periodically. For the class of 2009, a recipient of an “Academic Honors Diploma” would automatically qualify an admitted student for a specific minimum amount of scholarship $ at certain schools in the state (amount varied by school).
In instances where money is a concern, it may make a difference as to what diploma was awarded. OP’s child, with her strong academic record, would probably be in the running for higher merit awards anyhow.</p>

13

<p>The “honor degree” is only awarded in the end during grad or something, right (at least it is at my school)? Meaning the application process won’t reflect this, not sure about your school.</p>

14

<p>Inlaws in Indiana so heard about the different HS diplomas. So glad we don’t have that in WI. Students take different courses to qualify for each also- a shame for students who change their minds too late in HS to get the better diploma. Tracking went out years ago I had thought. No standardization to make the designations meaningful to those outside your sphere. Then there’s the gpa- ours doesn’t do any weighting, nor +/- no wonder the UW system and others use unweighted gpa’s, especially since different districts use different point values. </p>

<p>Can everyone imagine trying to standardize/centralize education in the US? How much time would be spent arguing over such details…</p>

15

<p>I never even realized that there was an honors designation in NY until I looked to see why some names on the graduates list had stars next to them. As others have said, the colleges will know her senior year schedule. whether or not the school system considers it honor worthy is irrelevant.</p>

<p>As for AP courses, I’d say they are college level IF your remember that most colleges are nowhere near the level of the places we discuss on CC. Many really do cover the typical intro level course - though given the grading scale only with top scores. That’s certainly true in calculus and the languages. History and literature courses can be more variable. Dh was impressed with the bio curriculum and he’d been a bio major. (Of course 30 years of bio knowledge have been added to what he took as an undergrad.)</p>