Anonymous wrote:My DS is in 9th grade at a private school, not DC area but another metro region. School is rigorous but also has a real mix of kids, and I wouldn't describe it as ultra-high pressure though there are some really smart students. DS is in all honors classes and doing well, but working hard, he is definitely being challenged. We're looking ahead to the rest of high school and trying to get a decent sense of where he might end up, curricularly, and trying to figure out what is a good fit for him, will maximize his college chances, and give him a decent school-life balance. I would say he is a bright kid (as we often say about our kids
), and he is quite strong in most subjects without wildly excelling at any. Just a good all-around student, but not a math whiz or writing prodigy or anything like that. I have no idea what he will end up studying and becoming professionally, though could see him in some social science, like economics, political science, that sort of thing. But it's really tough to tell. Currently he loves physics and history. His school offers the "big" AP classes but not the same variety as many public school districts do.
For math he's on track to end with AP Calc AB, because his school requires AB as a prerequisite to BC, and he is currently in Honors Geometry. Is maxing out at Calc AB these days considered not all that great? I really have no idea. He *really* doesn't want to take summer math, and I'm not inclined to force him and worry he just wouldn't take it in, but am genuinly confused how important it is to end with AP Calc BC. I think he will almost certainly take AP Physics and either AP Chem or AP Bio, or maybe both. Could take AP Stats. Also APUSH and AP Spanish. He has some solid extracurriculars he's passionate about and has a job, but again, not a superstar on the extracurricular front, just a nice thoughtful kid with activities he genuinely enjoys and is working to nurture.
We're not imagining tippy top schools--honestly I have no idea what schools we're imagining--but I don't want to close off options and it seems like it's smart to think about the "track" he's on and whether it should be modified in any way, just to keep options open. I welcome any advice particularly about the math question. Thank you!
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