Does anything before 9th grade matter?

[Anonymous]

Pre high school doesn't matter unless you are continuing into HS. Presumably if a kid started something at 5 or 6 they should be pretty good and maybe award winning in whatever it is. For example my DC started soccer at 5, played high level travel throughout HS and is a high school varsity captain. The fact that he played rec soccer at 5 got him here but isn't something he's mentioned on his application. There really isn't room on the common app for that anyway. Also left off learning an instrument because he quit before HS, along with several other activities/awards in elem and middle school.

[Anonymous]

Grades in math, science and foreign language matter; even in schools where those courses aren't included on the high school transcript (i.e., most independent schools), the student's record in middle school will determine course placement in high school. This becomes important because applicants who have taken the most challenging courses their schools offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So can I tell dh and dc definitively that nothing (including not only extra currics but her grades in 7th and 8th) can be used (for or against) dc's chances of getting into college?

I suppose you could say that. But perhaps it would be more constructive to frame it as "doing extracurriculars now helps you grow as a person and learn to manage your time split between many different obligations, so you can excel as you go on in life and in high school." Although I think it's unhealthy to fixate on this stuff in 7th and 8th grade, if he must, if you plan to apply to selective admissions/private high schools, you can say "this will help with your high school applications, though, which helps with college applications." Or if you are not going to have to apply for high school, you can say that middle school is a safe time to explore new things that you might screw up and not be great at, but you could learn from.

The reason why no one cares about how many extracurriculars you did prior to 9th grade is that they are concerned with what you are doing currently in your life, not that you used to be a great flute player but stopped playing in high school. But also there comes a point where it's just not important. How many people list their SAT scores on a job application?

O.k., there will be a limit to how long it will matter to anyone else that you were a fantastic flute player, captain of the football team, student government president...not something your corporate employer will base a hiring/promotion decision on.

However, we are talking about a college app, not a professional career resume. For an 18 year old high school senior, what they did in 9th grade matters...that's something to keep in mind for all of those who are considering quitting long time pursuits at the middle school level. If they can continue for just one year longer (through 9th grade), they'll be able to put that accomplishment on their college resume. Of course, it's quite possible that a college will only care about the most recent extra curricular activities that an applicant has been involved in, I really don't know...but probably 4 years of student council beginning in the 9th grade will look better than 10 years of band ending in the 9th grade, that's true enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grades in math, science and foreign language matter; even in schools where those courses aren't included on the high school transcript (i.e., most independent schools), the student's record in middle school will determine course placement in high school. This becomes important because applicants who have taken the most challenging courses their schools offer.

Thank you so much for the helpful responses. Just a few final questions:
1) how do I get this universal application;
2) If my dc is taking Calculus in the 8th grade, will that, in and of itself, be reported? or weighted?
3) What is weighted vs nonweighted?
4) finally, in general if you take an AP class do you have to take the AP? And are APs automatically reported to colleges or can you omit the ones you tank if your grade is good.

Again, Basis has all kids on a 2 year world history "AP" course for 7th and 8th, and because they allow you to accelerate in math we are looking at Calculus AB or BC before high school.

Thanks so much,
this has been very educational

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anything a kid does before 9th grade matter? Can you list it on your college applications?

Obviously if you have served in a church choir since you were 5, you can put that on your resume and state when you began, but a week of community service (church sponsored) during 8th grade or being on the debate team - does it have a place on a college application? Again, if you won the science fair in 7th, or a national essay contest maybe. But run of the mill community service or student leadership?

I am having a dispute with dh about this. In my day, unless your college essay was about something in your early years that changed your life and involved an extra curric (working at Martha's table making you realize that the ground is not an even playing field), your extra currics pre 9th grade did not matter and there was not even a place to list them on the applications.

Could you all who are farther down the line let us know?



Thanks in advance

The things that will play a role in our DCs college application that happened prior to 9th grade.
1) Spanish classes taken in MS are HS level classes the grades and credit follow DC to HS.
2) The math classes, Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors classes are HS classes DC took in MS and those grades will also follow DC to HS.
3) The Scouting stuff both DCs did prior to 9th grade count toward Eagle which eldest DC got as a sophomore, and younger will probably also get as a sophomore (ask me in a year).
4) The Musical instrument lessons and orchestras and practices that added up so that DC could make DHO freshman and sophomore years (too early for Junior year).
5) Younger has been "reffing" sports games since 8th grade. So he will include that as his start year when showing how long he has be a referee.


Things like that.

[Anonymous]

The things that will play a role in our DCs college application that happened prior to 9th grade.
1) Spanish classes taken in MS are HS level classes the grades and credit follow DC to HS.
2) The math classes, Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors classes are HS classes DC took in MS and those grades will also follow DC to HS.
3) The Scouting stuff both DCs did prior to 9th grade count toward Eagle which eldest DC got as a sophomore, and younger will probably also get as a sophomore (ask me in a year).
4) The Musical instrument lessons and orchestras and practices that added up so that DC could make DHO freshman and sophomore years (too early for Junior year).
5) Younger has been "reffing" sports games since 8th grade. So he will include that as his start year when showing how long he has be a referee.[\quote]

Your list is extremely helpful. Sorry to be obtuse, but when you say the Honors Algebra etc will "follow DC to HS" does that mean that he will have to include those middle school transcripts? Or just that the next obvious step is precalculus

[Anonymous]

Kids actually take Calculus before HS? Wow.

[Anonymous]

And AP World History in 7th and 8th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grades in math, science and foreign language matter; even in schools where those courses aren't included on the high school transcript (i.e., most independent schools), the student's record in middle school will determine course placement in high school. This becomes important because applicants who have taken the most challenging courses their schools offer.

Thank you so much for the helpful responses. Just a few final questions:
1) how do I get this universal application;
2) If my dc is taking Calculus in the 8th grade, will that, in and of itself, be reported? or weighted?
3) What is weighted vs nonweighted?
4) finally, in general if you take an AP class do you have to take the AP? And are APs automatically reported to colleges or can you omit the ones you tank if your grade is good.

Again, Basis has all kids on a 2 year world history "AP" course for 7th and 8th, and because they allow you to accelerate in math we are looking at Calculus AB or BC before high school.

Thanks so much,
this has been very educational

Re the AP classes, you don't have to take the AP in the spring and you don't have to report the results to the college. DC didn't take two AP tests (of four DC was taking that year) after DC chose a college and realized the college wouldn't grant credit, or even allow DC to skip the prerequisites and go right to an upper-level class, for these particular AP classes.

You don't need to report the results on your college App, or get the testing company to send the results to colleges you are applying to. This is because the AP is really designed for people seeking credit at colleges. Bear in mind, though, that lots of applicants send in their scores when they apply - if the AP class was taken before senior year and the scores are 4s or 5s. The idea is to convince the college that you not only got an A at the High School of Easy Grading, but you also got a 5 on the national test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The things that will play a role in our DCs college application that happened prior to 9th grade.
1) Spanish classes taken in MS are HS level classes the grades and credit follow DC to HS.
2) The math classes, Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors classes are HS classes DC took in MS and those grades will also follow DC to HS.
3) The Scouting stuff both DCs did prior to 9th grade count toward Eagle which eldest DC got as a sophomore, and younger will probably also get as a sophomore (ask me in a year).
4) The Musical instrument lessons and orchestras and practices that added up so that DC could make DHO freshman and sophomore years (too early for Junior year).
5) Younger has been "reffing" sports games since 8th grade. So he will include that as his start year when showing how long he has be a referee.[\quote]

Your list is extremely helpful. Sorry to be obtuse, but when you say the Honors Algebra etc will "follow DC to HS" does that mean that he will have to include those middle school transcripts? Or just that the next obvious step is precalculus

The grades on the HS level courses show up on the HS transcript even though they were taken in MS. In Fairfax County, those are foreign language courses and math courses starting with Algebra. You, as a parent, have the option of "erasing" the grades on theHS courses taken in MS, but it also erases the credit and the student will have to take them again in HS or take a different language. After Algebra I, there is Geometry, then Algebra II, then PreCalculus/Trig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grades in math, science and foreign language matter; even in schools where those courses aren't included on the high school transcript (i.e., most independent schools), the student's record in middle school will determine course placement in high school. This becomes important because applicants who have taken the most challenging courses their schools offer.

Thank you so much for the helpful responses. Just a few final questions:
1) how do I get this universal application;
2) If my dc is taking Calculus in the 8th grade, will that, in and of itself, be reported? or weighted?
3) What is weighted vs nonweighted?
4) finally, in general if you take an AP class do you have to take the AP? And are APs automatically reported to colleges or can you omit the ones you tank if your grade is good.

Again, Basis has all kids on a 2 year world history "AP" course for 7th and 8th, and because they allow you to accelerate in math we are looking at Calculus AB or BC before high school.

Thanks so much,
this has been very educational

Re the AP classes, you don't have to take the AP in the spring and you don't have to report the results to the college. DC didn't take two AP tests (of four DC was taking that year) after DC chose a college and realized the college wouldn't grant credit, or even allow DC to skip the prerequisites and go right to an upper-level class, for these particular AP classes.

You don't need to report the results on your college App, or get the testing company to send the results to colleges you are applying to. This is because the AP is really designed for people seeking credit at colleges. Bear in mind, though, that lots of applicants send in their scores when they apply - if the AP class was taken before senior year and the scores are 4s or 5s. The idea is to convince the college that you not only got an A at the High School of Easy Grading, but you also got a 5 on the national test.

In Fairfax County, if you want the extra point for the GPA bonus you have to take the AP test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids actually take Calculus before HS? Wow.

Basis is a Charter school in DC. It just started its second year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And AP World History in 7th and 8th grade?

This is at Basis in DC. It is Charter school in its 2nd year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids actually take Calculus before HS? Wow.

Basis is a Charter school in DC. It just started its second year.

yes I realize my kid is an oddball - both because BASIS DC allows this, and dc has gotten good grades in the very advanced math track, which means precalc in 7th. Dh (scientist and good at math) sees nothing wrong with it, and dc is thriving and not staying up late. The program integrates geometry and trig into Algabra and Calc respectively. They don't start tracking in English til 8th grade, so my main concerns are the APs in Calc AB or BC (no clue which) for 8th and this 2 year AP world history class where you take the APs in 8th

PS I went to a private school here, graduated in late 80s, and thought the bar for 5s in APs was incredibly low - got them in every one I took but they were all artsy fartsy - Latin, US History etc. We did not study for them. Have they gotten more difficult?