Reply to Is National AP Scholar impressive for top 20 schools? DS will have taken 17 APs by graduation

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Challenging academics are only impressive if you an URM at a T-20. Then the colleges will swoon and gush over it. If you are Asian on the other hand, then it gets you the "grind" label along with " so typical and uninteresting" thrown in as a gratuitous insult. If you don't have it though, you may be questioned as a lazy Asian.  If you are white, then they just chalk it up to your "white privilege" of being able to attend a suburban white school.

That's the sad state of T-20 admissions today

[/quote]

I would think anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or any other background, who took 17 AP classes would be in danger of getting the "grind" label. [/quote]

You can’t contemplate that a bright child might want to challenge themself with more rigorous courses?  That regular track courses were too easy for them?  Stretch yourself to think beyond your rigid little world.[/quote]

My world is neither rigid nor little, and that's part of why I typically have a negative reaction when I hear of kids competing to take the most APs in their high school.  I would wish for the kids who are smart and disciplined enough to pull this off to spend their time going more deeply into subjects that excite them or spend more time on non-academic pursuits.  I'm not sure how many kids are even able to figure out what areas really interest them if they are saddling themselves with the amount of homework that AP classes typically have.  Maybe there are some kids who truly love all subjects equally and and find all their AP classes deeply satisfying.   But many kids who are racking up these kind of numbers are doing it either because they want to be valedictorian or think it will impress admissions committees.  There are certainly far worse things to do with your life, but there are many better things you could be doing too. [/quote]

[b]You’ve made a snide comment about grinders [/b]which is rude and dismissive of children that want to challenge themselves academically. As you say, HS students are typically not going to have clarity around what they want to study in college so if they want to challenge themselves why not spread their coursework around to available APs?  You say that perhaps their time would be better spent focusing on an area of academic interest (which talks against the idea of generalization and exploration) but it’s not like HSs offer hundreds of electives.  You say that perhaps they should focus on non-academic interests but consider that the child’s primary interest may be academic.....not everybody wants to be a sports star.  And finally, consider that not everyone shares your priorities and while you’re at it contemplate why you feel compelled to judge teenage children on some crappy message board. You sound like a gigantic bit**.[/quote]

I've done no such thing.  I have pointed out, fairly I think, that any kid who takes an unusually high number of AP classes runs the risk of getting labeled that way by some.  All their hard work may not be viewed as positively by admissions officers as someone who took fewer APs but showed real passion or deep mastery of certain subjects or extracurriculars.  As I stated above, perhaps there are some kids who are taking extreme numbers of these classes because they love doing it, and they are not at all motivated by how they think it will look to colleges.  If so, more power to them, and their work will be its own reward.

I am not sure why these would be viewed as controversial statements or why you feel the need to engage in personal attacks.[/quote]

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