<p>OK, I might be totally screwed, but I'm thinking of applying to A/E and a couple other schools next year, but I've got a couple bad grades. I slacked off this term cuz I was soooo bored cuz the work was dumbed down, so I got a B+ in English, and a C in LEADERSHIP (dumbest class ever..... just to make retarded kids gain confidence). Other than that, all "A"s, but will that sucky grade really screw me up?</p>
<p>What grade are you in right now?</p>
<p>first of all, leadership may be a boring class butthat is no reason to slack off in it. In fact, if you already knew the material (hence the reason you have been bored) you should have aced it anyway. Also, I don't think people who put other people down with such awful, hurtful words reallyhave any leadership ability or true confidence in themselves.</p>
<p>However, I don't think those "sucky" grades will hurt you... at all. Prep schools though competitive, realize most students are only 13, and still are adjusting to learning. They are going to put more of an emphasis on your contribution to their small community than most colleges would (for ex... ECs, and your interview will be important... especially the interview).
But if that C comes up in your interview... you better not be using any sort of tone or putting other people down, because prep schools don't want to have students causing problems with other students. I would suggest saying, " honestly sir/mz ___, I didn't not find the class interesting and struggled to maintain focus in the class because I was bored. This frustrated me. However it is required class and it does go on my transcript, and I can't let something like that affect me because I realize now that there will be times in my life where I will have to do things I will not enjoy, but I need to maintain my focusand get through them so I can move on to "greater things"
or something that shows you are a mature, responsible student (and a true leader always uses "I" statements)
Hope this helps... and good luck with A/E.... add some other schools you TRULY love to your list as well.</p>
<p>Please don't use the term "retarded" in such a derogatory way--it is very offensive to those of us who work with children with special needs</p>
<p>You may be brilliant but I am sure you are not perfect either
Choose your terms more carefully and don't be so arrogant</p>
<p>Sorry for that last offensive post. :( I just wasn't thinking that many mentally retarded people can still be talented in other areas. I apologize for my ignorance.</p>
<p>Jonathan K.- I'm going into 9th grade.</p>
<p>We didn't want him just to leave that forum; we wanted him to leave CC cuz hes a racist, rich little brat.</p>
<p>I was just in it cuz he ****es me off too.</p>
<p>And I finished 8th grade 20 days ago. Doesn't that make me a 9th grader?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>You haven't started ninth grade yet.</p>
<p>cdb, if I "****" you off so much, then why are you in the high school forum. That makes no sense at all.</p>
<p>Freakkk.</p>
<p>cdb9000 wrote:</p>
<p>Help </p>
<hr>
<p>OK, I might be totally screwed, but I'm thinking of applying to A/E and a couple other schools next year, but I've got a couple bad grades. I slacked off this term cuz I was soooo bored cuz the work was dumbed down, so I got a B+ in English, and a C in LEADERSHIP (dumbest class ever..... just to make retarded kids gain confidence). Other than that, all "A"s, but will that sucky grade really screw me up?</p>
<p>end of quote</p>
<p>"That sucky grade" isn't the thing that will prevent you from getting into a prep school, be it Andover, Exeter, or whatever school you seem to have a fancy for. (Can you tell us why A/E - is it the name cache?)</p>
<p>However, the way you present yourself in a forum such as this does not bode well for your interview.</p>
<p>I think responders here have perceived you as arrogant and a bit angry, and trust me, the top prep schools don't want to waste their resources straightening out a perceived attitude. And after a number of years, they can see through any applicant.</p>
<p>Not necessarily knowing the specifics about the "Leadership" class you fared poorly in, I can tell you that your grade will set off a red flag as far as attitude goes before you step into the interview room.</p>
<p>I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, as indescretion is something that is common among youth and arrogance (if that is your problem - it may be simple anger) arises from those who have not experienced being #2.</p>
<p>As to getting along in the forum, it has been said that a church is a refuge for sinners, not a palace for saints. People initially come to this forum looking for advice, learn from those who have experienced what they are looking for, and pass on their gained experience to those who come after. You may not like the background of others on the forum, but all of the "sinners" here are trying to better their situation, which is a group activity. So I suggest that trying to help the group will get you more help from the group. I think it would be good therapy.</p>
<p>MomofaKnight - thank you for sticking up for those with learning disabilities. In addition to my rising 9th grader (who will be attending a prep school that is NOT among the elite mentioned on this forum), I have a high-functioning autistic son who has more than enough intellegence to to to any prep school, but lacks the social development necessary to manage himself successfully (a part of his developmental disorder). </p>
<p>My rising 9th grade daughter has to work so much harder than my son in school, but is self-motivated and is a natural leader (people flock to her even though she is somewhat shy because of her dedication, compassion, and accountability). All 3 of the schools she applied to accepted her (the 2 which she turned down are very strong academic institutions). They liked her intangibles more than her mediocre test scores - something hopefully cdb9000 will develop very soon.</p>
<p>Autism isn't a form of mental retardation, is it? I always thought mental retardation was defined by an IQ below 70, but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Agree with goaliedad, the grade won't hurt nearly as much as the attitude will. In all honestly, it will hurt. There will be many times in life when you're board. At a top prep there's a huge range of talent. While I got a 99% math SAT, many of my peers make me look like a piker in math. They needed to have a good attitude while the teacher brought me along some days. And all of them did. Preps choose kids very, very carefully. More so than colleges IMO. You are a minor in their care, they take a hard look. Every kid is interviewed. Have a good answer for that grade.</p>
<p>Good point Suze
In my experience the last thing most boarding schools want is a problem student and attitude counts a whole lot, while my son's SSATs were pretty good (90th centile), his grades were in the B+ range--not bad, but just not off the charts, but his interviews were fabulous by report so he got in everywhere he applied including Andover and other "elite" schools</p>
<p>We were told by admissions that it was his attitude, interviews, recommendations that got him in-----</p>
<p>where did all the experienced kids who actually applied to prep school go? i know theres a few on here that actually went through the process, but we need others like exonianwannabe and stuff. guess they're all busy with their prep school careers.</p>
<p>I already went thru it once. I'm going to a decent school next year which I will not mention for the sake of confidentiality, but didn't get into Roxbury Latin or Hotchkiss and am still on the waitlist for Taft, but most likely will not be accepted.</p>
<p>I agree with the adults here... and I'm glad goaliedad was able to concisely say ... what I babbled about. honestly, I applied to prep school in 8th grade, got waitlisted at all but one, but didn't like that one. I went to public hs for a year then applied to 2 boarding schools and 2 day schools. At the time I was a bit obsessed with prestige and wanted to go to Choate. But my parents forced me to apply Miss Porter's, because they had heard good things about it. After I got in (and everywhere else as well), I went to visit and fell in love with it. </p>
<p>So the point there was that you can a) get into prep school as a new 10th grader... but pick your prep schools wisely... some only admit many more new 10ths graders than others. </p>
<p>The second point though was to look passed the prestige and find schools that you really love and that will really help you grow into a person. my college counselor always says this to her current class..."college is a match to be made not a prize to be won" this is certainly true for prep school as well.</p>
<p>Me too. My mom forced me to apply to MPS because she thought that an all-girls school would boost my leadership and confidence when I came out into the world...I'm glad I did, because even though it can't boast as high academics as Exeter, Andover, etc, it fits me better. I like the atmosphere, close-knit community, etc. Remember, guys, when applying, don't just go for the prestigious ones. Go to the ones that you feel fit you best and where you feel you can acheive.</p>
<p>Well, let me be the third in a row to say that my parents also forced me to apply to MPS, and I also love it. They told me when I was 8 years old that I was going there, and...I guess I just got used to the idea early on. Even when I was in eighth grade, I had some doubts and wanted to apply to Westminster, or stay at my middle school, which offered 9th grade for those who did not get accepted to their first-choices/apply/want to leave. But I am so grateful I left, because I had such a great year and wouldn't have traded it for anything.</p>
<p>Because I went to a school that offers 9th grade, I know quite a bit about applying as a sophomore, from my friends' recent experiences. Applying for a 10th grade spot will bring down your chances of admission at almost any school, but keep in mind that the pool of applicants is smaller, too.</p>
<p>Also... a little confidence-booster...MPS accepts about 3-4 sophomore day students every year. I know a girl who was accepted for next year and has decided to attend as a sophomore day student.</p>
<p>She also got a C in Leadership. :)</p>
<p>cdb9000</p>
<p>You are correct, autism is not a form of mental retardation, but it is a disability in that the brain does not process information in the same way as most people do.</p>
<p>Mental retardation deals with cognitive abilities - math, language and other intellectual learning.</p>
<p>Autism has several facets - primarily dealing with sensory perception (sight, sound, touch, taste, and hearing) where they are overwhelmed by experiences that most of us would find inconsequential or can tolerate experiences many of us would find unbearable. </p>
<p>Autism is also marked by a distinct lack of ability in social skills, which at times gets them labeled as "retarded" by those who do not understand. To simplify some of the current beliefs (the brain is truly too complicated to understand with our current technology), those certain parts of the brain that have trouble dealing with sensory perception also participate in the processing of social information - reading faces and intent (sensing anger, happiness, etc) and building actionable knowledge based upon what they see in people around them. Hence they may react inappropriately to many situations. They must learn (rote memorization) how to deal with the simplest daily situations.</p>
<p>Thank you for taking an interest in the difference between mental retardation and autism. I hope this has given you a little better understanding.</p>
<p>Looking at your other post, I am glad you have found an acceptable school to attend next year and wish you well in your studies.</p>
<p>If you are still looking to change schools for 10th grade next year, I would recommend that you look at what else you can deliver to a school besides improving their average test scores and GPAs with your own test results. There are lots of those students out there.</p>
<p>The ability to help others improve their lives (academically, socially, atheletically, artistically) is an excellent trait to demonstrate. If you are the president of the chess club, show how you've worked with the other members to improve their ranking scores. This is leadership. This is what gets you set apart from the other applications.</p>
<p>And this becomes more important as you move towards college application time. I went to Berkeley (many years ago) and I remember hearing that Berkeley's engineering school turned down many straight A students even with perfect 1600 SAT scores, because they had nothing else to offer the university to make them successful people in life, because the real world requires leadership - contributing to the betterment of a group of people by improving the performance of those around you.</p>
<p>I offer these words of wisdom because I think you can benefit from them. Take them as a gift.</p>
<p>Goaliedad, thanks for your wise posts. I saw the plea for experienced applicants, so if I may be of any assistance, feel free to PM or if you want just post me a question. I applied to Cushing, Groton, Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Choate, and St. Pauls. I wholeheartedly agree with the discussion on prestige. As a young, unwise applicant, I was infatuated with the thought of attending A/E, because of their prestigious reputation. When my parents told me about schools like Groton, I was curious. Little did I know, it would be the school for me. It embodies everything I hoped for and more, and essentially that's what the application process is for... finding a school that is right for YOU.</p>
<p>omg.. .three mps'ers in a row.. woohoo! hahaha</p>