Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple of things.

Your counselor at the end of school will check a box saying whether you took the most rigorous course load (which includes intensified). This really only matters for top schools.

Main benefit of intensified is what a PP said. Better peer group and learning study skills and being a bit more challenged prior to attempting to take APs. Going from gen ed to AP will be a serious jump.

Re: your first paragraph… how does this work? They only check the box if the kid took every single AP class they could? Like, if they took one non-AP or one non-intensified version of a class, they don’t check the box?

It's not one box, it's a scale -- top is "most rigorous", next is "very demanding" and I don't know what's below that. My kids were at W-L, not IB program, took 8-9 AP/IB classes and were rated "very demanding", according to their counselor. She said for W-L most rigorous is the IB diploma or the equivalent in #of AP/IB. FWIW, neither was aiming for super selective schools. One applied to UVA and did not get in. The other applied to W-L (with not as good grades as #1) and was wait listed.

IMO the point of taking intensified classes is to be doing more challenging work so you are prepared for later AP classes but taking all intensified is probably a lot for most kids. In 9th one of mine took regular biology (mainly because he didn't want to do the required science project) and the other took regular Algebra 3.

I’d like to know what is considered “most rigorous” for Yorktown where they only have AP and some DE. And frankly, isn’t that scale and what it takes to be in each category something that should be transparent?

I get my kid is only going to be a freshman next year but if a decision would knock them below “very demanding” I’d like to know that.

I agree it should be transparent. From talking with other parents at W-L our counselor was unusual in being up front about it. We got really lucky, I loved our counselor (both kids have 504s so we interact more than we otherwise would). DD said last year her that her friends starting going to her counselor for help that they weren't getting from their assigned counselor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple of things.

Your counselor at the end of school will check a box saying whether you took the most rigorous course load (which includes intensified). This really only matters for top schools.

Main benefit of intensified is what a PP said. Better peer group and learning study skills and being a bit more challenged prior to attempting to take APs. Going from gen ed to AP will be a serious jump.

Re: your first paragraph… how does this work? They only check the box if the kid took every single AP class they could? Like, if they took one non-AP or one non-intensified version of a class, they don’t check the box?

It's not one box, it's a scale -- top is "most rigorous", next is "very demanding" and I don't know what's below that. My kids were at W-L, not IB program, took 8-9 AP/IB classes and were rated "very demanding", according to their counselor. She said for W-L most rigorous is the IB diploma or the equivalent in #of AP/IB. FWIW, neither was aiming for super selective schools. One applied to UVA and did not get in. The other applied to W-L (with not as good grades as #1) and was wait listed.

IMO the point of taking intensified classes is to be doing more challenging work so you are prepared for later AP classes but taking all intensified is probably a lot for most kids. In 9th one of mine took regular biology (mainly because he didn't want to do the required science project) and the other took regular Algebra 3.

I’d like to know what is considered “most rigorous” for Yorktown where they only have AP and some DE. And frankly, isn’t that scale and what it takes to be in each category something that should be transparent?

I get my kid is only going to be a freshman next year but if a decision would knock them below “very demanding” I’d like to know that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple of things.

Your counselor at the end of school will check a box saying whether you took the most rigorous course load (which includes intensified). This really only matters for top schools.

Main benefit of intensified is what a PP said. Better peer group and learning study skills and being a bit more challenged prior to attempting to take APs. Going from gen ed to AP will be a serious jump.

Re: your first paragraph… how does this work? They only check the box if the kid took every single AP class they could? Like, if they took one non-AP or one non-intensified version of a class, they don’t check the box?

It's not one box, it's a scale -- top is "most rigorous", next is "very demanding" and I don't know what's below that. My kids were at W-L, not IB program, took 8-9 AP/IB classes and were rated "very demanding", according to their counselor. She said for W-L most rigorous is the IB diploma or the equivalent in #of AP/IB. FWIW, neither was aiming for super selective schools. One applied to UVA and did not get in. The other applied to W-L (with not as good grades as #1) and was wait listed.

IMO the point of taking intensified classes is to be doing more challenging work so you are prepared for later AP classes but taking all intensified is probably a lot for most kids. In 9th one of mine took regular biology (mainly because he didn't want to do the required science project) and the other took regular Algebra 3.

Anonymous wrote:A couple of things.

Your counselor at the end of school will check a box saying whether you took the most rigorous course load (which includes intensified). This really only matters for top schools.

Main benefit of intensified is what a PP said. Better peer group and learning study skills and being a bit more challenged prior to attempting to take APs. Going from gen ed to AP will be a serious jump.

Re: your first paragraph… how does this work? They only check the box if the kid took every single AP class they could? Like, if they took one non-AP or one non-intensified version of a class, they don’t check the box?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s largely about the appropriate challenge level for your kid. That might be intensified classes across the board, intensified in some classes, or no intensified classes. No one does their kids any favors by electing for a mismatch between abilities and rigor. Choosing the easier route to maximize chances of higher grades freshman year isn’t setting your kid up for success with AP classes down the road.

I don’t agree with this. HB Woodlawn does not offer intensified and none of the kids seem to have issues moving to AP classes.

(a) how do you know none of the kids have issues?
(b) you're going to disagree based on a sample the size of self-selected HBW students? Most of whom have been in the HB program since 6th grade and are not adjusting to a new - and large - school with unknown teachers etc?

"Appropriate challenge" is absolutely the priority. That said, OP, keep in mind that intensified classes really aren't advanced and overly challenging. Your child needs to learn to manage their anxiety, even if it means professional counseling; but if they are an average or above average student, they are going to be very bored very quickly in gen ed classes. And as someone noted above, jumping from gen ed to AP is a bigger leap in work pace and quality than jumping from intensified.

Also, teachers are supposed to make recommendations for AP classes (sometimes, not always). They are usually hesitant to do so when the student isn't already taking more rigorous classes. Again, not always relevant.

Finally, everything I'm hearing from parents (across the country, not just here) is that courseload matters. Does it matter more your senior year? Absolutely. But it still matters. Personal experience with one of our kids: courseload absolutely matters even for your "not top" colleges. Colleges are looking for a strong college prep pathway. Appropriate level of challenge for your child.

Anonymous wrote:It’s largely about the appropriate challenge level for your kid. That might be intensified classes across the board, intensified in some classes, or no intensified classes. No one does their kids any favors by electing for a mismatch between abilities and rigor. Choosing the easier route to maximize chances of higher grades freshman year isn’t setting your kid up for success with AP classes down the road.

I don’t agree with this. HB Woodlawn does not offer intensified and none of the kids seem to have issues moving to AP classes.

It’s largely about the appropriate challenge level for your kid. That might be intensified classes across the board, intensified in some classes, or no intensified classes. No one does their kids any favors by electing for a mismatch between abilities and rigor. Choosing the easier route to maximize chances of higher grades freshman year isn’t setting your kid up for success with AP classes down the road.

A couple of things.

Your counselor at the end of school will check a box saying whether you took the most rigorous course load (which includes intensified). This really only matters for top schools.

Main benefit of intensified is what a PP said. Better peer group and learning study skills and being a bit more challenged prior to attempting to take APs. Going from gen ed to AP will be a serious jump.

^ by the way, this discussion came up around my straight a student who has an anxiety disorder. Not a kid who can’t “handle“ intensified classes.

Anonymous wrote:weighted GPA

Intensified classes are not weighted. Our high school counselor told us that if a kid is struggling to adjust freshman year, there’s no point in taking intensified classes. In her experience colleges do not look at that in all and it’s not worth your child struggling as they’re trying to get their feet under them coming from a no homework middle school situation.

Go all on AP classes then. Take IB electives like Film for a well rounded experience. Those students still get into top colleges, and the workload can be most demanding. It’s up to the student to set the level rigor.

weighted GPA

Anonymous wrote:Nope, AP classes are open to all. The benefit is just the general benefit of academic rigor, plus kids in intensified classes are generally better behaved.

Oh, worry, I didn’t see the question about colleges. I am not totally sure about that (might be a good question for the college forum, those people know their stuff) but I know that GPA is much more important than rigor for college admissions. Way better to get an A in a non-intensified class than a B in an intensified class (not talking about AP classes, of course).

Nope, AP classes are open to all. The benefit is just the general benefit of academic rigor, plus kids in intensified classes are generally better behaved.

Does anyone happen to know if you need to take intensified classes to qualify for AP classes etc. We are new to the area. My daughter will not qualify for IB as they did not do languages in her middle school. She will be a rising ninth grader. I understand that colleges want to see that your kids are taking the hardest courses but it is hard for me to grasp that the colleges are really checking to see what your kid is taking freshman year. I could be totally wrong. I am just trying to understand. Sorry in advance