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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thanks so much! Super helpful. Do the counselors push kids to take AP and IB courses? I read that comment from one student and wondering if others would agree. Thanks again![/quote]

I have an upperclassman at Einstein.

Almost all of the NON AP and IB classes are Honors. Thus, the honors classes have kids from the very bottom of the class in them.

If your kid does not take AP and IB classes, they are severely limiting their college options. Their options will likely be limited to community college or super expensive private colleges that are not ranked high.

What are your ambitions for your kids? Why don't you want them to achieve at a high level academically?

To answer your question, no, I do not think Einstein has a peer cohort where lots of kids are gunning for Ivies etc and are super driven. But are you sure that is what you want? Because I think having an unmotivated peer cohort can make kids less motivated and driven. Studies have shown that.

Are your kids not very smart or good at school so you think sending them to a place with a less competitive environment will make them feel better about themselves?

Just trying to figure out what your goal is. Personally, I want my kids to be driven and succeed academically. You seem to not want that. What DO you want for them?[/quote]

What are your ambitions for your kids?[/quote]

I want them to be motivated and ambitious, take APs and IBs, get mostly As, and get into a relatively good (say top fifty) four year college that they enjoy attending. I want them to graduate in four years and get a job where they can support  themselves and live on their own. I want them to be a happy, get some exercise and get outside some every day, and do at least one activity or sport. [/quote]

But you can't ensure admission to a "top 50" college with "mostly As" and one activity or sport. To guaranty that sort of thing, you really need to be among the top students. And even they can get unlucky with admissions -- those tops schools have so many applicants.

That's why at schools where 80% or more of the parents are like you, the intensity becomes overwhelming for many kids. Because even if they are academically motivated and ambitious, they start to realize it still might not be enough. But they have the message from their parents that anything less is failure. They wind up either feeling compelled to just pile on as many achievements and activities as they can possibly handle, in order to be competitive, or they crack and give up and start fighting against the pressure. Neither option is really that appealing because they've been placed in a race that is incredibly hard to win, against people who are making all the same choices. Thus, the pressure cooker.

And if your child maybe has other priorities in life, like maybe they aren't achievers and are more interested in having jobs where they can spend a lot of time outside, or are interested in a field like teaching or nursing where attending a "top" school might not really be worth it financially. Or, god forbid, maybe want to go into a vocation that doesn't require a college degree and thinks that college might not for be for them at all, by putting them in a high school environment where what you describe is considered the only acceptable option, the only way to earn the respect of peers or to feel like you are doing okay, you could really harm their mental health and your relationship to them. Because not everyone is a mostly A student who is academically motivated and wants a certain kind of professional achievement, and is willing to do the things to get it.[/quote]

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