Do top colleges "punish" kids for taking fun electives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For kids who are aiming at top colleges and truly have a shot, they can take their "fun" elective during lunch. Very common at the school were I teach.

If your kid truly does not have a serious shot at these schools, I wouldn't bother.

Our school doesn't allow this.

And it shouldn’t! That is ridiculous! People need breaks. It is a terrible lesson to teach kids. Also, if the school doesn’t allow it, the kid isn’t expected to do it. The colleges will know the kid can’t take an elective during lunch and will think it’s ok to take it during the regular school day.

That same goes for APs. If your school limits them, your kid gets the advantage of a reasonable schedule while still having a “rigorous” schedule. Why do parents push schools for more and more APs when it only means their child will have to pack more into their schedule? All of this insane pressure on kids is being caused by insecure, overbearing parents!

[Anonymous]

No, they din’t, or, at least, not all of them do. My son graduated with 5 APs (the school offered around 20) and some post AP classes, just enough to check “most rigorous” box, plus his main EC showed that he is up for the challenge intellectually, and is not a slacker. He also had ballroom dancing and theater on his transcript. Got into a school from the top 10 on USNWR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame that young teens are so career-oriented that they can't explore the Arts or practical/fun skills.

My kid did take Yoga for PE credits once. And I wanted her to take the school's Financial Literacy offering (to learn about credit worthiness, for example, and student loans and buying a car). Unfortunately, she was steered away from it since the counselor thought she was "too smart.." Apparently, they perceive that class as a way for math-challenged kids to meet the graduation requirement.

That is wrong, don't you think? Practical skills come in handy in life.

I do. But I am the parent who is baffled why college prep students need BC Calc unless they are applying for math, engineering, physics or the like. But AP stats is considered a mark against you. I guess Calc is rigorous? But I’d prefer rigorous and useful.

+1 My DD wants to do something in environmental science. She's on an accelerated math track and will do Calc AB in junior year so she could take Calc BC in senior year but I'd rather she take AP Stats. That will give her an introduction to the math that will be more important for her in college. At least she'll have the ability to take both. It annoys me that kids who are in pre-calc in 11th have to take Calc in 12th to have "rigor" instead of taking stats, which is probably more useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they "punish" kids so much as they reward kids who have demonstrated the ability to handle challenging academics. Sure, a kid who has fewer academic classes on their schedule MIGHT be able to handle the work, but there is no proof of that so schools would rather go with the kid who has demonstrated the ability rather than speculate about a kid who has not.

Also, for some kids, AP European History IS a "fun" subject. My kid would certainly be more interested in that over band or drama.

If parents are concerned about kids being overloaded, they need to push back on their high schools, school boards, and state departments of education to limit the number of APs kids can take and to mandate a certain number of "soft" electives to graduate. For example, if no one can take more than 4 APs a year, then everyone would be on the same playing field and this would be the "most rigorous" schedule available. As long as this is not the case, the most ambitious and hard working kids are going to max out their schedules. In the meantime, it is up to you as a parent to decide if you want to allow your kid to participate in this arms race.

Well said. I have long wished the schools (FCPS, in our case) would limit AP classes. But since they don’t, we long ago removed our kids from the road to nowhere. They take a few APs in their favorite subjects and we call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame that young teens are so career-oriented that they can't explore the Arts or practical/fun skills.

My kid did take Yoga for PE credits once. And I wanted her to take the school's Financial Literacy offering (to learn about credit worthiness, for example, and student loans and buying a car). Unfortunately, she was steered away from it since the counselor thought she was "too smart.." Apparently, they perceive that class as a way for math-challenged kids to meet the graduation requirement.

That is wrong, don't you think? Practical skills come in handy in life.

I do. But I am the parent who is baffled why college prep students need BC Calc unless they are applying for math, engineering, physics or the like. But AP stats is considered a mark against you. I guess Calc is rigorous? But I’d prefer rigorous and useful.

+1
None of my (humanities track) kids took calculus, preferring instead to take Stats - a far more useful class for them. It didn’t seem to affect their college acceptances either.

[Anonymous]

Exactly.

I feel bad for these famiiles who believe they "have" to do things one way. Don't fall for that thinking.

Our counsellor said the only kids who "have" to take AP Calc are those who want to go into Engineering.

Most of these rumors come from mingling among neurotic, status-conscious parents. Just relax. Let your kids be who they are, and believe that they will find an academic home that works for THEM (not your neighbor's kid, not their teammate or your co-worker's child...YOUR CHILD). Their path does not have to follow some pre-scripted formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, they din’t, or, at least, not all of them do. My son graduated with 5 APs (the school offered around 20) and some post AP classes, just enough to check “most rigorous” box, plus his main EC showed that he is up for the challenge intellectually, and is not a slacker. He also had ballroom dancing and theater on his transcript. Got into a school from the top 10 on USNWR.

What are post AP classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame that young teens are so career-oriented that they can't explore the Arts or practical/fun skills.

My kid did take Yoga for PE credits once. And I wanted her to take the school's Financial Literacy offering (to learn about credit worthiness, for example, and student loans and buying a car). Unfortunately, she was steered away from it since the counselor thought she was "too smart.." Apparently, they perceive that class as a way for math-challenged kids to meet the graduation requirement.

That is wrong, don't you think? Practical skills come in handy in life.

I do. But I am the parent who is baffled why college prep students need BC Calc unless they are applying for math, engineering, physics or the like. But AP stats is considered a mark against you. I guess Calc is rigorous? But I’d prefer rigorous and useful.

+1
None of my (humanities track) kids took calculus, preferring instead to take Stats - a far more useful class for them. It didn’t seem to affect their college acceptances either.

This doesn't help unless you say where they got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly.

I feel bad for these famiiles who believe they "have" to do things one way. Don't fall for that thinking.

Our counsellor said the only kids who "have" to take AP Calc are those who want to go into Engineering.

Most of these rumors come from mingling among neurotic, status-conscious parents. Just relax. Let your kids be who they are, and believe that they will find an academic home that works for THEM (not your neighbor's kid, not their teammate or your co-worker's child...YOUR CHILD). Their path does not have to follow some pre-scripted formula.

Except the vast majority of kids who attend top 25 schools took Calc BC in HS, even if they are liberal arts majors.

[Anonymous]

No, it means their kids are happy and well settled at colleges that work for them.

This poster does not have to impress you in order for their advice to be valid.

Stop with the snobbery already. It really is not a competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they din’t, or, at least, not all of them do. My son graduated with 5 APs (the school offered around 20) and some post AP classes, just enough to check “most rigorous” box, plus his main EC showed that he is up for the challenge intellectually, and is not a slacker. He also had ballroom dancing and theater on his transcript. Got into a school from the top 10 on USNWR.

What are post AP classes?

. Classes that have an AP as a pre-rec. Multivariable/linear the only one I know of in most schools. tJ has a number in CS, math and science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can an unhooked kid kid still get into a top college if they limit their APs to the core classes (including foreign language)? Do top schools expect to see applicants taking their electives in things like AP Stat, AP European History, etc, or can they actually take fun electives like drama, culinary, music tech?

Why are those things school classes? They seem more like extracurriculars.

Drama and music are very valuable high school classes.

[Anonymous]

Poster 17:16 needs to look up “association does not imply causation”

You learn that in stats, not calculus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame that young teens are so career-oriented that they can't explore the Arts or practical/fun skills.

My kid did take Yoga for PE credits once. And I wanted her to take the school's Financial Literacy offering (to learn about credit worthiness, for example, and student loans and buying a car). Unfortunately, she was steered away from it since the counselor thought she was "too smart.." Apparently, they perceive that class as a way for math-challenged kids to meet the graduation requirement.

That is wrong, don't you think? Practical skills come in handy in life.

I do. But I am the parent who is baffled why college prep students need BC Calc unless they are applying for math, engineering, physics or the like. But AP stats is considered a mark against you. I guess Calc is rigorous? But I’d prefer rigorous and useful.

+1 My DD wants to do something in environmental science. She's on an accelerated math track and will do Calc AB in junior year so she could take Calc BC in senior year but I'd rather she take AP Stats. That will give her an introduction to the math that will be more important for her in college. At least she'll have the ability to take both. It annoys me that kids who are in pre-calc in 11th have to take Calc in 12th to have "rigor" instead of taking stats, which is probably more useful.

AB followed by BC?? That isn’t what was intended. Take one of them and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame that young teens are so career-oriented that they can't explore the Arts or practical/fun skills.

My kid did take Yoga for PE credits once. And I wanted her to take the school's Financial Literacy offering (to learn about credit worthiness, for example, and student loans and buying a car). Unfortunately, she was steered away from it since the counselor thought she was "too smart.." Apparently, they perceive that class as a way for math-challenged kids to meet the graduation requirement.

That is wrong, don't you think? Practical skills come in handy in life.

I do. But I am the parent who is baffled why college prep students need BC Calc unless they are applying for math, engineering, physics or the like. But AP stats is considered a mark against you. I guess Calc is rigorous? But I’d prefer rigorous and useful.

+1
None of my (humanities track) kids took calculus, preferring instead to take Stats - a far more useful class for them. It didn’t seem to affect their college acceptances either.

But were they aiming for top 10 without hooks???