Reply to APS HS Intensified Classes?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our APS HS counselor told us that colleges do not see the difference unless they are AP classes- meaning- think of the 10000s of applications they get- they are not looking through them 1 by 1 to see if someone is in honors vs intensified vs whatever word that particular school system uses. And how would you compare an honors class in rural MS vs one in APS? They don't have time for that.  I'm not going to name the counselor but they said they let the parents think it makes a difference b/c the APS parents are nuts and want to feel like their kid is on the most intense path possible. That being said - they counselors DO put a note in the application that says if your kid is taking the "most advanced path" but since that is subjective, they write that for many kids even if every possible class isn't intensified/AP.

And to be transparent- my kids do take AP and intensified classes. One kid dropped an intensified class freshman year and that's why we had this discussion with the counselor. [/quote]

I don’t think that APS counselor gave very good advice. Have you ever looked at a transcript?  It says “intensified.”  And admission officers’ jobs is to know the school systems in their assigned area. They know the difference. [/quote]

Do you think they’re looking at thousands of applications and tallying up on a piece of paper how many have seven intensified classes versus eight?  [/quote]

You don’t understand how college admissions work.[/quote]

Not that PP, but I think she’s right… of course they care about rigor, but intensified classes aren’t even weighted in APS, and it’s my understanding that admissions folks care more about an overall trend of rigor vs whether a kid took one particular intensified class in 9th grade.

A friend whose kid just went through the college application/acceptance phase told me the same— it’s the bigger picture, not the minutiae of one class here or there. [/quote]
I also understand that it's important for kids to take the more challenging course "track" so they are ready for AP classes, IB, and other more difficult classes.  I wouldn't encourage my kid to plan to jump from a regular English track to AP English Lit.  Intensified classes help students be ready.[/quote]

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