Reply to Parents of seniors - what should my 9th grader be doing now to ensure a solid college application?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do not rush math. Both my kids were skipped a year ahead in math in 9th grade. In hindsight, this was a bad move. Schools were not impressed by AP calc classes a year or two early with Bs.  Better to be “on time” with As.

Do not take AP world history. Not worth the ding to their GPA unless they LOVE history.

The trick is to max out APs without taking the ones that might hurt your GPA. “Most rigorous” but not really.

Don’t have any life changes or experiences that interfere with getting As. Selective colleges aren’t forgiving about mistakes after 8th grade. Even if the kids’ father commits suicide in 10th grade. True story. They want grit and tears PLUS the 4.8 GPA.  (Why are kids so stressed and anxious? Such a mystery)[/quote]

I have never understood parents pushing their kids to be advanced in math.  When I lived in MD, parents would be in the school screaming that little Susie deserved and belonged in "1 grade level ahead math" because she'd been doing Kumon since she was 2. However, during the "test at school" she didn't test at a level to be put in advanced math.  But little Susie knew how to memorize math facts, but didn't really understand them or think at an advanced level.  I watched several kids get put into the advanced math due to parental pressure and those kids struggled and were not happy in math class.  I suspect they would do much better if they had been at their actual level and allowed to actually learn.  
Math is so important to so much in life and so many careers, why would you not want your kid to be working at the level that is appropriate for them? Math is so cyclical, if you don't have a strong foundation, Algebra 1 and beyond is going to be a challenge.  Why rush it?

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I’m PP and I agree. My kids were placed by their schools through school testing and teacher recommendations, though, not me. It wasn’t awful and my kids did like math, but they also got Bs  in AP math and colleges want As. No one cares when you took it. I think it’s fine at the lower grades if they enjoy it and do well, but dial back in 9th grade. There’s enough to do.[/quote]

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