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][quote=Anonymous]PP here. Forgot to add, make sure your child takes at least one of the following: 1 year of Chem, 1 year of bio and 1 year of physics. Preferably honors & AP. [/quote]

NP. I realize graduation requirement doesn't always equal what is advisable for competitive college admissions. What if student is def not going into STEM, should they still take Physics, Bio, Chem, and Calculus? DC will start a school that requires 2 years of lab sciences including Biology, but beyond that students can take 'fun' electives in science or load of up on other subjects of interest, whether arts or history. [/quote]

Our child is not math focused whatsoever (much stronger in language arts as well as performing and visual arts).  Her private school only requires three years of math.  She’s a rising 9th grader so we haven’t mapped things out, but I’ll be curious to see what happens.  Would most colleges frown on only three years of math course work?[/quote]

In my kids' public school system (MoCo MD), four years of HS math isn't optional -- it's mandatory. That doesn't mean that the kid who hates math will be forced to take multivariable calculus, but they will have to find a math class to take every year. That could be statistics or quantitative literacy (budgeting, investing, etc.). I'd imagine your private school has to have similar offerings, but I would still plan for your child to take math all four years.

You're still at such an early stage of college planning, but it's not too early for you (and other parents of rising 9th graders) to get a grasp on what your HS graduation requirements are and what the course options are. For each of my three kids, we've sat down with a spreadsheet to register for courses for freshman year and sketched out a plan (even if not fully fleshed out) for all four years to satisfy graduation requirements and figure out how to protect interests/electives. Each year when course registration rolls around we update it. For example, my oldest wanted to be in jazz band all four years but that meant taking health and his tech ed requirement during the summers. He didn't want to continue his foreign language after three years because he wanted to fit in two years of CS instead. Etc. Even if there is flexibility as interests change, it's still important to see how the pieces/parts fit together and sketch out a roadmap upfront.[/quote]

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