<p>Well I am freshman in HS and am really struggling with Honors Algebra 2, the second quarter ends in a week and I am seriously thinking about changing out to the regular class. I currently have like a 72% avg in that class and was wondering what would look better on my transcript a withdrawl from Honors Algebra 2 and a transfer to regular Algebra 2 (still 1-3 years ahead of 90% of freshman) where I know I can get a 95% or higher or just to gut it out in honors and take the C? I am in 4 honors (5 is max) pre/ap classes right now including Hon Al2</p>
<p>Unless you are absolutely sure you can’t get a higher grade (this is only Alg 2 after all), then I’d have to go with withdraw.</p>
<p>Be aware that math gets considerably more difficult than Algebra II.</p>
<p>I’d think about the overall issue that you’re that far ahead in math when you don’t seem to have adequate preparation. Where do you go from here? You must have had strength in math to have been moved ahead, so I’d be most concerned with recapturing that strength. Talk to your counselor about all of your options. Depending on the school and what’s available, maybe drop Algebra 2 for the year, get some tutoring and go back into honors next year.</p>
<p>You may be well ahead of freshmen at your school, but if you’re aiming at top colleges as your user name suggests, your competition will be lots of kids who took AP calc sophomore year and made it through linear algebra and MV calc in high school.</p>
<p>I know math gets much harder then AL2, but our honors AL2 class is unreasonably hard, meaning that there are 5 As in the course of 80+ kids which includes sophomores, not a single freshman has above a 86% and kids who have gotten 98s and 100s there whole life in honors math courses are struggling to get a 80%. I am going to talk with my guidance councilor, but I just want to know how much that “W” on my transcript will hurt me.</p>
<p>If your transcript just says “WP” (withdrawal/passing) if you withdraw rather than the 70, then I’d have to go with withdrawing over the risk of taking a giant hit on your grade.</p>
<p>A lot of underclassmen at my school tried to take classes that were up to three years above their level. Move down to the lower class. I know colleges look for course rigor, but dropping to something a little bit lower (maybe non-honors algebra 2 or the honors algebra 1) shows responsibility, and getting good grades in the lower class shows that you mastered the material.</p>
<p>The bottom line is this: do you want to show colleges what you DO know or what you DON’T know?</p>
<p>If you have strength in math, there’s really going to be little difference in how you perform as a freshman or soph if you have proper background. The issue is, where are you going to get that background?</p>
<p>Your case is not usual, middle schools often push kids good at math through quickly without giving them the foundation they need. I’d be afraid you’re getting off track to excel in math through high school by just moving down to the regular class. If your HS has options, I’d explore them along with finding a way to remediate the foundation to allow you to continue to excel in math.</p>
<p>I’d be wary of dropping the class. While a 70 is eh, you risk being put in classes that will not be a challenge whatsoever. I had a situation similar to yours in 8th grade. As customary of the Honors math track, I was put into Advanced Pre-Algebra. While this is only Pre-Algebra, my teacher was terrible, and her teaching style did not work for me. I attempted to switch out, but was unable to because of teams. In 9th grade I was placed into Math A rather than Math A/B, and found the class ridiculously easy. I never studied and doodled during the class, and had a 99 average. Sadly, the same has continued throughout high school, and math has turned into one of my easiest, most unchallenging classes.</p>
<p>So consider what level you would be placed in if you switched out. Would you be stuck with the stereotypical high school student (lazy, non-caring, never did hw, barely passing, etc.) as I was, or is the regulars track at your school half-decent?</p>
<p>Withdraw.</p>
<p>“5 As in the course of 80+ kids which includes sophomores, not a single freshman has above a 86% and kids who have gotten 98s and 100s there whole life in honors math courses are struggling to get a 80%.”</p>
<p>Only 5 As? Kids who are used to near perfect struggling to maintain a B?</p>
<p>That sounds really bizarre. Is the teacher just horrible? If a 70% is going to drop your GPA tremendously to the point of you not being able to raise it to where YOU want then I would drop it. If you don’t neccessarily care about GPA being near 4.0 then you need to push yourself to ace the class. If the teacher is that bad then you can get in regulars, push yourself outside of class, and then get back into honors next year.</p>
<p>Whatever you do it’s easier said than done.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply MirrorImage, yes our teacher is a good teacher but she just grades very hard, (ex. my friend missed 10 points on a 9 point problem no joke I saw the test LOL) and she doesnt slow down and just speeds through the course and expects you to get it.</p>
<p>Actually, math does not necessarily get considerably more difficult after Alg. II. My son received a C in honor’s alg II. He then went on to get an A in honors geometry, a B in honors precalc, and a B in AP AB Calc. He feels that Algebra II was the most difficult.</p>
<p>^^^^^
true fax.</p>
<p>The problem with Algebra II is that there is a LOT of stuff, and most of it you just have to memorize (because you don’t have the tools to actually derive any of it).</p>
<p>I took honors Geometry in 8th grade and found it pretty easy, but Al2 is really hard for me. Anyways my guidance counciler meeting is scheduled for nxt week Ill we what she has to say on the subject.</p>