I have exhausted almost all classes at my high school. For senior year, I have 4 AP classes, then I have to take Regular Psychology because that’s all I can take, there’s nothing left, except “Adult Roles” ( a “class” for special ed students,especially Down Syndrome, who learn practical skills like, looking in the eye, shaking hands, filing papers, things like that) or a study hall. I really, really want to learn something during these two periods. I love learning and I can “self teach” things - prepared for the ACT on my own, took it, got my results: 34. Taught myself German when my teacher clearly wasn’t going to anf raised a C- from German I to a A- in German III. So I’m hoping to go to selective colleges, not just the local college, and I’m hoping for the colleges with excellent financial aid. I know these colleges won’t be content with 2 wasted periods anymore than I am. My school won’t let me take online classes during study hall and won’t allow me to leave early to try a community college class. They may allow me to leave early for an internship but it seems I don’t have enough “vocational credits” for it. What can I do? Is there something I can say or a law I can refer to? I live in rural Indiana by the way.
Take another language? (Spanish will be a breeze if you self taught yourself German.) Tutor math at school? Volunteer as a teacher’s aid in the Adult Roles class? And then write about the experience in your college essay? Write for the school paper? Join the yearbook?
Given the restrictions of your location and your district, I would take the study hall & be a TA in the adult roles class.
Many districts do not offer study hall, but colleges will not expect you to take more than 4 APs if your school doesn’t offer them.
Get your schoolwork done at school and you will have more time for ECs or a job after.
I wouldn’t be TA’ing in the Adult Roles class, I’d have to be taking it. Being a TA is a separate “class” altogether that I don’t meet the qualifications for.
Just take the study hall and enjoy your senior year
Can you take an online class in lieu of the class for special ed students?
I’d just take the 4 APs and either regular Psychology or add a new language. My D had a scheduling issue in her junior year and ended up taking regular psychology – she had a great teacher and really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t just take 4 classes as the schedule may look to light.
Your guidance counselor will note that you have taken the most rigorous curriculum available. In addition, each HS sends a school profile along with each transcript which indicates the classes available etc. at your HS so colleges will know you have taken all of the APs available.
You could work on an independent study project, teach yourself something via MIT’s open courseware, or perhaps take an extra arts course. Scheduling issues happen all the time, your GC will explain that you ran out of courses. (Or will if you ask him/her to.
Oh please. If you are so advanced in high school, your school is NOT going to force you to be in a special education class. I’m not sure why you even bothered to post that.
Take the 4 AP classes, and Psychology. There is nothing wrong with that schedule.
Just make sure that you have fulfilled all of the requirements to graduate from HS.
If you have a study hall. That’s fine too.
I’m not sure what your actual problem is.
In addition to the selective colleges, you should probably prepare applications to some plain old regular ones as well.
D2 took welding her senior year with the extra time with the all the AP’s she could take. - to this day it is on her resume applications for grad school. Off the beaten path skill. She got quite advanced with it. Look around anything interesting and different?
Take the two study halls, ask for them to be back to back either first thing in the morning or last thing of the day. Then go to the local college and take a class or two there during that time, either leaving hs early or arriving late, whatever the case may be.
or use the two study halls to do all your homework and get a decent nights sleep.
Have you actually taken everything except those two classes? Did you take every single course offering in tech ed, art, band, vocal music? Or is it that those classes don’t fit into your schedule?
Can you take an online class or a community college class outside of school hours? Or do something else that is interesting with your time. The study halls afford an opportunity to be active in some interest outside of school.
@compmom Doing something on my own time outside of school seems to be my best bet. Sadly I have to be on the campus during the study hall and no electronics allowed there either.
@happymomof1 They do not fit and/or are full.
Keep in touch with your guidance counselor. The full classes may open up. Can you be on a wait list?
Also, I don’t understand why you are not allowed to leave school for a school-related purpose such as taking a class at a local college. My daughter did that in her senior year and all we had to do was sign on the dotted line for the school to release her during those study halls. If she had been 18, I don’t think we even would need to sign for it.
Is it possible for you to go to the library or computer room during your study hall and do an online class? I know you said that no electronics are allowed, but perhaps you can find a sympathetic teacher or GC who will allow you computer access so that you can do an online class or something like that. Kids at our school are allowed to do online classes during study halls. I think some of them pretty much have to. Even in our relatively well-off area we do have homeless students and kids living in trailers, etc. Not everyone has high speed internet at home. So if the school doesn’t allow them to use computers at school, how would they complete their online work? Failing that, how about self-studying for an AP of interest during one of your study halls, or as others suggested, just get your schoolwork done so you have lots of time to do something which interests you outside of school.
Regular psychology doesn’t sound that bad. What about taking that and challenging yourself by self-studying for the psych AP test?
I would also make really sure that the scheduling situation is impossible, if there is some other class you really wanted to take. I have often found that simply trying harder solves many scheduling problems. Your counselor is busy and may not always come up with the optimal schedule for you. You have more time and motivation to make the best possible schedule for yourself. So if you can get info on all the times the classes of interest to you are offered, perhaps you can find a way to make it work better.
Take a study hall, but instead of just idling, self-teach yourself something like foreign language, organic chem…etc
Take regular Psych and self-study for AP if you want a challenge. Do the study hall and do something productive with it.
Have you reached out to teachers to do an independent study?
Since you are from Indiana, show this to your guidance counselor. You may be able to do them after school. It isn’t ideal but you could use your study hall time to study for the classes.
https://www.bsu.edu/academy/online/