Transferring???

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I’ll be going into my junior year in a few weeks, and I really don’t want to go back to my current school.

I’m a very strong student; I always have been. I genuinely enjoy learning and challenging myself in the classroom. When I say that grades aren’t relevant to me, I really mean it. I want to be in the hardest and most interesting classes I can. While I do want good grades, I’d rather be engaged and challenged than just get easy A’s. My high school is a very noncompetitive school where the school community and spirit is much more important than the academic rigor. There are certainly good students and great teachers, but the advanced class offerings (APs, honors, etc.) are very lacking. In my first two years we weren’t allowed to take honors or ap classes. I had to fight the district just to take AP bio sophomore year.

In the past two years I have alone and isolated. I’m the school’s resident nerd. That’s all I’m known as. I don’t have anyone to talk to who can share my interests. It got so bad last year that I became depressed. Even through that really rough time for me, I still easily maintained straight A’s.

I’ve spent the past month at COSMOS (CA math and science camp) with people that I have really connected with. I have less than a week left of camp, and I can’t imagine going back to my school and feeling isolated again. I have had the chance to interact with brilliant students and amazing college professors as well as learning advanced college level curriculum. It literally brings tears to my eyes to think about going back home.

I’ve been thinking about transferring schools since the second semester of freshman year, and this feels like the last straw, but I’m scared it’s too late to go elsewhere because its too late (I think…?) to transfer for junior year and I don’t know if it makes sense to switch for just senior year.

I’d love to hear suggestions regarding what I can do to have a better experience in my remaining years of high school, especially advice about transferring schools if anyone’s had experience with that.

Thanks in advance!

2

Please help! I need advice…

3

If you’re a rising junior, you may want to check with your parents and your school district. School hasn’t started yet, so it might not be too late. You never know unless you ask.

4

Talk to your parents. We don’t know what the options for another school is.
Tell them that you thrived in math camp being around people who have similar interests to you and is it possible to transfer to a school with students like that.

5

Whether is it possible for you to transfer to another public high school without it costing you money is something that we can’t know because we don’t know your situation or the policies where you live. It is not obvious to me that this would make much difference.

Something like a Montessori or Waldorf high school sounds like it might be a fit for you. However, these cost money, and we don’t know your financial situation. Some fancy private high schools can cost as much as a private university, which is a LOT.

As others have said, this sounds like something for you to discuss with your parents.

However, there is at least one thing to keep in mind: In a bit more than two years you will be going off to university. You will meet a lot more people like you once you get to university.