<p>So I know a lot of you have been taking classes a year or even two years early. You know, like taking calculus as a sophomore. </p>
<p>I'm just wondering: do you guys ever find it weird? Like you stand out a lot?</p>
<p>Because at my school, when I took a class early I felt like I really stood out and everyone know that in a way I wasn't supposed to be there. Eventually, I made friends but still, at first it was so nerve-wracking. I know its not about being social or whatever but I feel like if I know someone in my class I can get missed work and feel more comfortable and such.</p>
<p>And now I am taking even more classes earlier so I would love some advice!!</p>
<p>It's just a bit harder because everyone in that year mostly already know one another. So, just wondering how you guys would deal with this? Does it ever feel awkward for you?</p>
<p>Just curious. (:</p>
<p>I took pre-calc as a freshman, AP Bio as a freshman, and now AP calc as a sophomore… when I was in eighth grade, I was dual enrolled in high school for Algebra 2 every single morning. Plus, I skipped 1st grade, and then sat in fourth grade, studying fifth grade. (Ik that’s a big complicated). If I wanted to feel awkward, you bet I wuld have many opportunities of social isolation. TBH, I didn’t feel awkward and everyone was kind of okay I guess. They didn’t put me on a pedestal nor did they outright be rude or “you shouldn’t be here” me. Isn’t that so surprising?
I remember walking into my Algebra 2 class as a little eighth grader and they were all juniors or seniors, and the youngest was maybe a sophomore. I was sooooo nervous!!! I legitimately thought everyone would hate me and think I’m some nerd and would outright shun me. I was super scared, and just resorted to sitting in the corner of the room. The opposite happened but they weren’t friends with me either. They kind of considered me some child prodigy, but didn’t talk to me or be friends with me. I don’t blame them; I mean I was basically 3-4 years younger than them. But the important thing was they didn’t try to make me feel misplaced. I didn’t stand out either; everyone was surprisingly NORMAL about it; they didn’t act like OMG WHO ARE YOU or what are you doing here. Nothing even happened, they just acknowledged my existence and then moved on about it.
I honestly think it was the age? At that time in their lives, they have so many other things going on in their high school lives, they wouldn’t really have the time to pick at me or people like me in those classes. They didn’t seem to mind and I kind of felt like one of them; not an eighth grader there but just an every-day student.
Now, in high school, when I had to sit in Pre-calc, it was the same and even better. This time I managed to make friends although half of them were seniors. They would respond to me in awe sometimes, but they actually communicated with me. The thing about taking classes early is you stand out and become the smart person in the class. I’m naturally an extremely shy person, so I was not loving the attention. It was so stressful being the one people came to for math help because they figure I’m in the class knowing everything, but really I was learning math just the same as all of them. People have those very basic and natural misunderstandings of you and the type of person you are when you’re in the class, but it’s not big deal.
Same for the AP Bio class–they would stare at first, but then they would totally get over it and then accept your existence. </p>
<p>So really, I just wanted to reassure you it is not at all like what you think. Sure, it is so nerve-wracking at first! And see, after a while you made friends! It happens. It’s a total natural process. There might be some people who could act jealous or competitive, but they rarely happen. They consider you a totally different category. I mean, imagine sitting in your math class as a junior and then a freshman walks in. You might feel kind of annoyed–that’s the basic upperclassmen feels. You know what I mean? I hope you understand all this I wrote–I really wanted to reassure you with a personal experience. I’m sorry I wrote so much!! I’m in love with writing and putting my feelings across this way… 
And Yeah, they all know each other, but it’s not very important. They’ll learn to accept you after a while and then you’ll just get used to being that special smart student that’s taking these classes so early! </p>
<p>xx Sally </p>
<p>Oh–but when I was going to try and make friends, what I would do was just kind of talk to me and see if they respond normally… because they may not approach you because they’d think you’re some really weird person for being in that class… but when they see you’re pretty social, it’s no big deal. Yeah, I know how you feel about being social–it would be nice to have a connection to ask for homework help or missing assignments when you’re absent.</p>
<p>I didn’t have much luck with it as a whole, but there was always at least one person that was willing to help a girl out. </p>
<p>talk to them* not talk to me hahaha oops</p>
<p>I took AP Calculus AB as a Freshman and it definitely felt weird. Everyone in the class was either a Junior or a Senior and I always sat alone in the back corner. I always felt like everyone was trying to look at my work and my grades and it was really annoying. And then you just get random people asking you, “You’re taking AP calc as a freshman?”. I just wanted to be left alone because I felt I was in the right place. However, it was just a bad experience. I never participated in class because I already knew most of the information and I just felt if I answered something I would sound like a show off.</p>
<p>@SallyStephens Thank you for taking the time to write all of that!! I wish we were allowed to go so far ahead in courses, but my school board will not allow it 
</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the advice - it makes me feel A LOT better! (: </p>
<p>@laura280 I know what you mean by the whole not participating thing because when I took physics early, I knew most of the curriculum and thought if I participated I would sound like a show off! But after a while, I realized that I shouldn’t care what they think, but I should care about what my teacher thinks! (: </p>
<p>No. A year or two isn’t anything, and people usually can’t tell your precise age anyway. There was an eighty-year-old woman in my university linear algebra class. </p>
<p>When I was in the 8th grade I took three high school classes online. I took Math I, Earth Science, and World History. Those are the classes that people usually take as Freshman, so it wasn’t a big deal. If I passed then I would get the credit, and I could get ahead of the other students. Well, I passed with one of the highest averages at the high school. I was an 8th grader, and I didn’t know that making 97+ on those three classes would make me smart. It was just easy to me, like all classes usually are. I had made higher scores than Freshman. I thought that was just perfect!</p>
<p>When I entered my high school, my schedule read like this:</p>
<p>Semester 1: By the way, it’s a block schedule. 4 classes a semester, 8 a year.
Honors Communication Skills- Required for all Freshman in the Fall,
Honors Math II- Late Freshman to Early Sophomore class.
Concert Band Beginnings- Basic Class
American History I- Sophomore class.</p>
<p>Semester 2:
Honors English I- Late Freshman to Early Sophomore class
Honors Math III- Late Sophomore to Early Junior class
Music Theory- Late Freshman to Late Senior Class
Honors Biology: Sophomore only class</p>
<p>I was nervous.</p>
<p>I was in classes with mostly upperclassmen, and I was crazily nervous. I didn’t know how they would react, but it wasn’t that bad. When I walked in the class, almost all of them had known me. We had gone to the same Middle School as each other, so it wasn’t anything bad. The only thing that bothered me was Music Theory because, there were like 7 Seniors in that class, and the rest were either Juniors or Sophomores. I was the only Freshman. I was really nervous, because the last time that I had seen the Seniors was in Elementary school, and most of them were new people from Middle School and up. </p>
<p>I think that taking the classes early really benefited me, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m taking classes that I like as a Junior, and it’s fun!</p>