<p>My child has a friend who is a bright, hardworking student. He's got everything going for him as far as college admissions, GPA and SAT scores are great, EC's are fine. For his senior year, instead of taking a pile of APs he is taking classes at the school system's technical school. It IS an honors level technical program. We have had many conversations around the dinner table about how this will effect his college admissions. He originally thought it would be a hook and make his application be noticed because this is a difficult (for tech school) program. I tend to see it more as an opportunity lost, that they will think he took an easier path than the APs everyone else did.</p>
<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>Don’t see it as an opportunity lost - this is hardly ever the case when dealing with a 17-18 year old. No number of AP courses will make or break any teenagers future.
See it as a different path.
There is nothing wrong with going to a technical school - even for bright hardworking kids. Certainly if he desired a technical degree such as engineering this experience won’t hurt.
Each year several kids who graduate from our county’s career and technology schools gain entrance into some really good college programs.
Just curious - what is he studying?</p>
<p>Forensic biology. I can see it as a great way to see if he really wants to pursue this as a career since he is a kid who has lots of options. I’m just curious to see how admissions people see it.</p>
<p>Is this a Vo-Tech high school or is he attending a post -high school Technical college?</p>
<p>How admissions sees it will depend on where he is applying.</p>
<p>This is Vo-Tech. </p>
<p>He is applying to UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, UVA, William and Mary, Cornell and others I’ve probably forgotten.</p>
<p>I am impressed a Vo-Tech has forensic biology.
Well then - I don’t really know. I hope he has a safety school in mind. All of those schools are very competitive regardless of what path he took.
Wonder what his guidance counselor and parents think about his choice to go Vo Tech?</p>
<p>I think you are going to have to wait and see on this one.</p>
<p>Our local Vo-tech has robotics and Chinese language classes in addition to the usual offerings. Kids do go on to 4 year colleges from them, although I have no idea about the schools listed on this thread.</p>
<p>Forensic science is one of the new “hot subjects” for the CSI generation. Happykid is taking it this year instead of the normal junior year chemistry course (and not because she watches CSI either, she just didn’t want to take chemistry). Two of her pals who are enrolled in the most high-powered AP heavy program at her HS dropped Physics to join her in the class. This course doesn’t even have an Honors version and the kids all love it. Why? It is intriguing. It applies all the stuff they’ve learned in general bio, general physical science, chemistry (for those who’ve been through chemistry already), etc. One of the very best science teachers in the school is the classroom instructor. Yesterday, I take it, was all about using femurs to determine the age, gender, and ethnic background of a corpse. From my observation, they are learning a lot more real science methodology in this class than they ever got out of the “regular” courses.</p>
<p>Whether this young man’s choice turns out to be a “hook” that can get him into a college that otherwise would not have accepted him is something that none of us are likely to ever know. That he has chosen to take coursework that is interesting to him rather than just following the college-bound herd demonstrates both initiative and curiosity - two things that are definitely worth celebrating!</p>
<p>I knew a couple of people at MIT who did similar things. They clearly did all right in college admissions. I don’t know about a “hook”, but I don’t think it will be looked down upon as long as he has taken a courseload that will prepare him for the expectations of his target schools and otherwise has a sufficiently strong application.</p>