Rising 8th grader - Summer Geometry honors

[Anonymous]

Hi friends,

Many of my child AAP rising 8th grader friends, are taking Geometry Honors in summer.
1. Does it help in TJ admission?
2. Will Geometry grade be consider for TJ admission?
3. Does it boost GPA for college application?
4. What is the reason why someone would take summer course instead taking i normal year?
4. We did not feel like taking the course ( my DC is interested in TJ and very good in study ) but now second guessing and afraid concern that my DC will be at dis-advantage for TJ admission.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

No, you only need Algebra H for applying to TJ. There is no boost on your transcript for taking Geometry.

It only boosts GPA for Graduation if kids get high grades because it is a high school course.

I have don't know why kids take a course like this in the summer, my kid is a rising 6th grader. I do know that RSM has a Geometry sequence that is a 3 year program. I could see kids who who are two years into the sequence being in a good position to complete Geometry during the summer without sacrificing learning foundational material because of exposure. The only child I know who is doing this is one who wants to attend TJ and a bunch of their friends are doing it. It kind of feels like there is peer pressure to be farther ahead in math classes. The kid does enjoy math and is good at math but his reason is that his friends are doing it. He has also been taking the RSM sequence.

[Anonymous]

And then you want to take Algebra 2 in 8th?
Summer Geometry is only a good idea if the student has already learned geometry and needs to review and polish. 6 weeks is too fast to learn the material from scratch.

If your kids is ready for this, I'd expect them to have done extensive math study outside of school, perhaps demonstrated advanced ability in Mathcounts or AMC or online contests. If they haven't already lesrned geometry, then I'd expect them to be very advanced in algebra, so that school algebra 2 honors would be a breeze and then can spend time beefing up their geometry at home during 8th.

If a student's math knowledge and ability is way ahead of their schooling, summer Geometry can fix that.
This usually is for rising 9+ grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And then you want to take Algebra 2 in 8th?
Summer Geometry is only a good idea if the student has already learned geometry and needs to review and polish. 6 weeks is too fast to learn the material from scratch.

If your kids is ready for this, I'd expect them to have done extensive math study outside of school, perhaps demonstrated advanced ability in Mathcounts or AMC or online contests. If they haven't already lesrned geometry, then I'd expect them to be very advanced in algebra, so that school algebra 2 honors would be a breeze and then can spend time beefing up their geometry at home during 8th.

If a student's math knowledge and ability is way ahead of their schooling, summer Geometry can fix that.
This usually is for rising 9+ grade.

It’s kid dependent. Those things don’t have to be true for the kid to succeed, but they will definitely help.

I know a kid who did it successfully without any of that, but I would not do it for my specific kid.

You have to realize summertime is an emotional and psychological reset as well.

If the kid has never taken geometry before it’ll be at least 8-9 hrs per day. If kid has prior knowledge, it’ll still be 4 hours per day because of lectures and homework.

It’s not worth doing for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Those kids and more specifically, their parents are trying to get a leg up to get into TJ. TJ admissions has caught on and won't admit all of them. Most of them would do better by just taking geometry in 8th grade. Then they struggle to do the same in HS. There are very few math geniuses but everyone wants to look like one. It's a race to nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those kids and more specifically, their parents are trying to get a leg up to get into TJ. TJ admissions has caught on and won't admit all of them. Most of them would do better by just taking geometry in 8th grade. Then they struggle to do the same in HS. There are very few math geniuses but everyone wants to look like one. It's a race to nowhere.

Your argument doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t take a math genius to take Algebra 2 in 8th. The math geniuses are not taking Algebra 2 in 8th, they’re probably taking linear algebra or differential equations or something even higher.

[Anonymous]

One of DD’s friends is doing this. It’s a good way to ruin the summer and burn a kid out. There is not a lot of teaching, and a whole lot of homework. I think she’s spending 6-8 hours a day on this.

[Anonymous]

I thought kids took Geometry over the summer as rising 9th graders so that they could take Algebra II in 9th grade. These are kids who took Math 7 or 7H in 7th grade and took Algebra I in 8th grade. Not the kids who took Algebra I in 7th grade. You're a year off, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those kids and more specifically, their parents are trying to get a leg up to get into TJ. TJ admissions has caught on and won't admit all of them. Most of them would do better by just taking geometry in 8th grade. Then they struggle to do the same in HS. There are very few math geniuses but everyone wants to look like one. It's a race to nowhere.

Your argument doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t take a math genius to take Algebra 2 in 8th. The math geniuses are not taking Algebra 2 in 8th, they’re probably taking linear algebra or differential equations or something even higher.

No, that is my point but these families think they need to separate themselves from the rest of the pack anyway by accelerating as much as they can even though they are not math geniuses.

[Anonymous]

Op, to answer your question about tj: it’s my opinion that it doesn’t give you an edge to take a2 in 8th.

In our school very few a2 kids were accepted this year. Maybe for those particular ones who were admitted it tipped the scale, but there is now way to know if it made a difference or not. so many others didn’t make it. I think there were about 50 8th graders who asking a2, and I think no more than 5 of those has offers. And there is no telling if A2 was the reason for them getting in.

[Anonymous]

^ grammar errors because of autocorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, to answer your question about tj: it’s my opinion that it doesn’t give you an edge to take a2 in 8th.

In our school very few a2 kids were accepted this year. Maybe for those particular ones who were admitted it tipped the scale, but there is now way to know if it made a difference or not. so many others didn’t make it. I think there were about 50 8th graders who asking a2, and I think no more than 5 of those has offers. And there is no telling if A2 was the reason for them getting in.

50 8th graders taking A2 ?? No way, I don't believe this.. not even at Carson

[Anonymous]

Taking math over summer is never a good idea. 1 years worth of material in 1 month?

Whats the rush?

And no - will have zero impact on TJ admissions.

My kid is a rising sophomore at TJ and took Geometry as a freshman ( it was a bit boring but he didnt see the need to accelerate)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, to answer your question about tj: it’s my opinion that it doesn’t give you an edge to take a2 in 8th.

In our school very few a2 kids were accepted this year. Maybe for those particular ones who were admitted it tipped the scale, but there is now way to know if it made a difference or not. so many others didn’t make it. I think there were about 50 8th graders who asking a2, and I think no more than 5 of those has offers. And there is no telling if A2 was the reason for them getting in.

50 8th graders taking A2 ?? No way, I don't believe this.. not even at Carson

This is probably Longfellow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking math over summer is never a good idea. 1 years worth of material in 1 month?

Whats the rush?

And no - will have zero impact on TJ admissions.

My kid is a rising sophomore at TJ and took Geometry as a freshman ( it was a bit boring but he didnt see the need to accelerate)

Summer math is great. Cramming a year of sequence into 6 weeks is terrible.