Reply to High expectation and no stress-- which high school in mcps is best ?

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Reply to "High expectation and no stress-- which high school in mcps is best ?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think sometimes it is hard for parents whose kids struggle with academics to understand that it isn't the same for all kids.  Just like your son/daughter can play multiple varsity sports as a sophomore with no problem, other people's sons and daughters can handle multiple APs with little stress.  They don't necessarily need to spend hours on homework, because they "get it", just like some kids in sports don't need private coaching/expensive summer camps/etc because they have that natural ability.   Every child has their strengths and interests --- they might not be yours.

The post about how colleges disregard kids who take 4+ APs a years is ridiculous.  The strongest schools take the kids that take the most challenging classes.  Admission stats show this.  Even anecdotally, I do interviewing for both a large top 25 state school (not UVA) and an ivy, this is one of the main criteria (the out of state applicants are tying to get into the honors program or a merit scholarship)[b].  If I know that at the child's HS the typical for the top students is multiple APs[/b], the applicant is not going to stand a chance unless they are the child of an alum or extraordinary in some other way (rarely sports - that's a different route and handled primarily by coaches). 
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This is why parents want schools they don't stress APs because colleges pit kids from the same school against each other to get into top schools. It creates a cut throat environment. If it is typical for kids to take 4Aps at your school, you better take 5 APs. You are fooling yourself if you think most kids are not stressed in this environment. You are also naive if you don't know that most those kids have tutors and take on toxic stress to get through it. There may be some that aren't but the majority are... And why do they to it because of people like you. Admissions officers have little time to really get to know a student, so they triage, and good kids are dumped... Just because you don't have a good way to measure success.

Now you have thousands of kids taking tons of APs ... Why... To impress you. And guess what many still don't .... They end up in the same college they would have ended up if they took just a few APs with a much better high school experience.

So really the problem is not just the counsellors at top HSs pushing kids into APs for ranking.  YOU are more of a problem with our society today, preying off the fear of kids and parents that if they don't pour money into AP testing they won't appear to be "good enough" .... It pays the bills though, SAT prep, AP exams, .... so who cares if a few kids kill themselves in the process.

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I'm guessing this is the PP.  I'm not an Admissions Counselor, never said I was, I said I do interviews.  The interview is the opposite of a checklist.  It's a chance for a student to tell me their story.

Listen, reading through these threads it's clear that your child struggles academically and doesn't enjoy the challenge of understanding higher level material at this point in his/her life.  Let your stressed out child play three sports and take regular track classes.  He or she will have a happier high school experience and still have a happy and successful life.  Let go of the idea that your child has to go to a top school or even UMD (which I personally think is a strong school), there are lots of great colleges out there.

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I suspect you are one of the younger interviews. Some are a little more seasoned and see the big picture. NOT a checklist. You know when you are looking at a URM... there is a checklist... born in the country/born out, 1st generation vs 10th generation, what country, what race, etc. NOT a checklist...okay. You no longer have any credibility.

Sell the fear... "must not be able to handle it" and "won't go to a top school"... this is the fear that you sell to parents, so they can pay all that money into the SAT and AP industry. My child double majored at a top 25 school, in two sciences... and took Algebra freshman year. GASP! Why because I knew it didn't matter.  He took 1 AP freshman year, 1 sophomore, 2 junior and 1 senior year.

Let go of the idea that kids can't be successful (or get in) unless they take 4APs a year. You are probably missing some very successful students with your very limited thinking. I would have been very happy if he had gone to Maryland, that was the message I always sent to him, not .... oh pity you won't even get into MD.

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