Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC is great. Take everything you read on DCUM with many, many grains of salt.

+1. DCUM is not real life.

This. DCUM gonna DCUM. Every day, every way.

Definitely reach out to the PTA— there may be a listserv or other informal info they can share.

Anonymous wrote:MCPS critic here: the high schools are probably the only section of 12 years that you can navigate successfully if child is bright, tests well, or is an athlete and gets lucky with crowd she finds. (If entering in middle school that’s where MCPS suffers: elementary right now ‘hair on fire’ bad.)

Just note: get your own college counselor - high schools are massive - child will get lost.

One word though to the boosters who say everything is overblown: Damascus.

I think most families manage their own college search but if you do need help the counselorsituation are busy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC is great. Take everything you read on DCUM with many, many grains of salt.

+1. DCUM is not real life.

+100

This should be the catchphrase for this site!

MCPS critic here: the high schools are probably the only section of 12 years that you can navigate successfully if child is bright, tests well, or is an athlete and gets lucky with crowd she finds. (If entering in middle school that’s where MCPS suffers: elementary right now ‘hair on fire’ bad.)

Just note: get your own college counselor - high schools are massive - child will get lost.

One word though to the boosters who say everything is overblown: Damascus.

It’s a great school for most kids. People spend millions to get into the housing pyramid. Don’t believe what you read here. Plus living in Bethesda is safe and convenient for teens who need more independence and mass transit options around the city.

The moco school district is too big and bureaucratic and political. That’s frustrating for many parents and teachers and probably needs to change. But that doesn’t overshadow this great opportunity for your son.

Anonymous wrote:9th grade boy. Moving into area and have housing for BCC. Reading such mixed reviews - and the "state of decline" is worrisome. We can't go to private this year but is is really that bad?

Oh, goodness. Ignore the current crazy thread. Everyone with some sanity is letting that one go on because it keeps the negative folks occupied and gives a chance for other threads with honest questions to be answered.

Every high school in MCPS had typical plusses and minuses. The most important thing to know is that there is opportunity for academic excellence in all of them, but your kid has to take advantage of it. I agree with PP who said to map out 4 years of courses tentatively - you can do that with your counselor. I'll list a typical advanced pathway below. One thing to pay attention to is that BCC has the IB Diploma Programme beginning in 11th grade, which you want to be on the right pathway to have the option to join if desired at the time. You can find course registration information here: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/bcchs/counseling/

Typical college bound is 4 years of English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, (state req'ts), (elective track). There are differences between high schools and differences between students, but I'm listing a typical 9th-12th pathway for advanced students at a school without IB. Substitute IB courses for AP if you choose IBDP. # required credits for graduation in ()

English (4) - Honors English 9, Honors English 10, AP Language, AP Literature
Math (4) (depends on where you start, but MCPS advanced is Algebra 1 in 7th) - Honors Algebra 2, Honors Precalculus, AP AB/BC Calculus, AP Stat/MVC
Science (3) - Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Physics, AP Science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Environmental Science)
Social Studies (3) - AP NSL Government, AP US History, AP Modern World, AP Elective (Psychology, Economics, Human Geography, etc.)
Foreign Language (2 or other "completer") - Language level 2, Language level 3, Language level 4, AP Language (to earn Bilingual Diploma)
Misc required credits (4) & Electives (2) - Physical Education (1), Health (1), Tech (1), Arts (1)
- lots of variation on these. Health and Tech can be taken as summer school classes to free up schedule. Counselors like getting the 4 required ones done in 9th and 10th. Some kids do a lot of tech, some a lot of art, some a lot of music. If you are doing IB, you need to look at the 6th subject offerings and what they satisfy.

Anonymous wrote:BTW some possibly useful advice— consider mapping out, or at least trying to tentatively map out, when your kid will take all their required courses.

There are a surprising number of requirements (including volunteer hours) and a lot of kids like to get as many as possible out of the way early but at least you don’t want to be surprised.

As of a few years ago at least the only AP 9th graders could take is NSL (gov’t). That class isn’t crazy hard but those kids then take AP US history in 10th grade which can be pretty demanding.

There are lots of clubs/sports (including a few like crew or sailing which are club sports you can look into over the summer).

This is good advice for any HS. Talk to the PTA and school as some have sessions over the summer for sports and music. And, map out the classes as a lot of kids take things like health ed in the summer to allow for better classes in the school year. They also need a new physical this summer if they want to do fall sports.

BTW some possibly useful advice— consider mapping out, or at least trying to tentatively map out, when your kid will take all their required courses.

There are a surprising number of requirements (including volunteer hours) and a lot of kids like to get as many as possible out of the way early but at least you don’t want to be surprised.

As of a few years ago at least the only AP 9th graders could take is NSL (gov’t). That class isn’t crazy hard but those kids then take AP US history in 10th grade which can be pretty demanding.

There are lots of clubs/sports (including a few like crew or sailing which are club sports you can look into over the summer).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC is great. Take everything you read on DCUM with many, many grains of salt.

+1. DCUM is not real life.

+100

Anonymous wrote:BCC is great. Take everything you read on DCUM with many, many grains of salt.

+1. DCUM is not real life.

If he's a smart kid, he'll do fine. If he's an average kid and struggling a bit, get a tutor.

BCC is great. Take everything you read on DCUM with many, many grains of salt.

M'am. This is the most obnoxious thread. If you read those other threads, what do you mean by "is it really that bad?" and what information are you looking for that's going to adequately answer that question for you?

"Bad" is subjective to each person. We don't know you, your family values, what hard lines you will or won't tolerate. A bunch of anonymous posters cannot answer this question for you.

9th grade boy. Moving into area and have housing for BCC. Reading such mixed reviews - and the "state of decline" is worrisome. We can't go to private this year but is is really that bad?