Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid can self-study for APs during the school year or over the summer. When life (or SJC) throws you a curveball, you need to figure out a new plan. This does not mean giving up and dropping out - it means taking classes online or at local privates during the summer. Be sure to get the classes pre-approved by SJC so they will show up on the official transcript. That’s what we did and it all worked out.

I find this comment frankly bizarre. Somehow you are fine that SJC blocked your kid from just taking the class at SJC, even though I gather your kid did well in an online class and did well on the AP test?

Wouldn't you throw that into SJC's face as proof their existing policies are wrong?

Why are SJC's exisiting policies wrong? Because you and a couple of other PPs don't like them? SJC is a private school. Their policies are well laid out in the handbook. Nobody is forcing you or anybody else to send their kid there. If public school folks are looking at private highschools, I HIGHLY recommend mapping out a 4 year plan for your kid based on electives/requirements/etc. And just because they have all As in a public school doesn't mean they are going to automatically get placed into honors classes. Be realistic about their abilities and realize that you are not going to be able to "talk" them into higher level classes at any of these schools.

If you decide maximizing APs is your goal, you should send your kid to a public. Because of religion requirements, that knocks out a chance to take an AP class for ALL kids. If you have a kid who wants to do art, or choir, or music, that knocks out another class that could be filled with an AP. Scholars kids also have a required senior seminar that means one less chance to take an AP class.

Anonymous wrote:If you are after a high gpa above all else, you should definitely choose public school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid can self-study for APs during the school year or over the summer. When life (or SJC) throws you a curveball, you need to figure out a new plan. This does not mean giving up and dropping out - it means taking classes online or at local privates during the summer. Be sure to get the classes pre-approved by SJC so they will show up on the official transcript. That’s what we did and it all worked out.

I find this comment frankly bizarre. Somehow you are fine that SJC blocked your kid from just taking the class at SJC, even though I gather your kid did well in an online class and did well on the AP test?

Wouldn't you throw that into SJC's face as proof their existing policies are wrong?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid can self-study for APs during the school year or over the summer. When life (or SJC) throws you a curveball, you need to figure out a new plan. This does not mean giving up and dropping out - it means taking classes online or at local privates during the summer. Be sure to get the classes pre-approved by SJC so they will show up on the official transcript. That’s what we did and it all worked out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To a person’s earlier point, how well are the graduates of SJC doing in college? HS is not just about gpa. It’s about preparedness for the next phase of life. It’s great to get into a Top 20, not so great to struggle and drop out. I rather my child hit academic stumbles in high school where you can coach them through the emotions as opposed to college when the stakes are much higher.

So from personal experience, I know no kids in the past few years from public’s who have dropped out of their great top 30 schools. I do know of a few SJC kids who have struggled and did not make it through their first year at school. These kids are all great fabulous kids whether they struggle at college or not but let’s not pretend that SJC has anything to do with that. A lot of kids struggle in college and that is ok. It is a big adjustment no matter what your HS GPA was. But SJC doesn’t prepare them for that anymore than any other school. There are just more barriers to get into the schools you want at SJC. So your logic doesn’t hold. parents need to be aware of that before signing up for a subpar path that their student gets locked into at SJC. I wish I had understood it better. High school is hard enough, college admissions are hard enough without the extra artificial obstacles imposed by the school that hold kids back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To a person’s earlier point, how well are the graduates of SJC doing in college? HS is not just about gpa. It’s about preparedness for the next phase of life. It’s great to get into a Top 20, not so great to struggle and drop out. I rather my child hit academic stumbles in high school where you can coach them through the emotions as opposed to college when the stakes are much higher.

So from personal experience, I know no kids in the past few years from public’s who have dropped out of their great top 30 schools. I do know of a few SJC kids who have struggled and did not make it through their first year at school. These kids are all great fabulous kids whether they struggle at college or not but let’s not pretend that SJC has anything to do with that. A lot of kids struggle in college and that is ok. It is a big adjustment no matter what your HS GPA was. But SJC doesn’t prepare them for that anymore than any other school. There are just more barriers to get into the schools you want at SJC. So your logic doesn’t hold. parents need to be aware of that before signing up for a subpar path that their student gets locked into at SJC. I wish I had understood it better. High school is hard enough, college admissions are hard enough without the extra artificial obstacles imposed by the school that hold kids back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

Anonymous wrote:To a person’s earlier point, how well are the graduates of SJC doing in college? HS is not just about gpa. It’s about preparedness for the next phase of life. It’s great to get into a Top 20, not so great to struggle and drop out. I rather my child hit academic stumbles in high school where you can coach them through the emotions as opposed to college when the stakes are much higher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid can self-study for APs during the school year or over the summer. When life (or SJC) throws you a curveball, you need to figure out a new plan. This does not mean giving up and dropping out - it means taking classes online or at local privates during the summer. Be sure to get the classes pre-approved by SJC so they will show up on the official transcript. That’s what we did and it all worked out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a sophomore this year and likes SJC pretty well. I wanted to comment on the requirements for honors/Ap English and also math if your 9th grader takes (or has to repeat from 8th grade) Algebra 1.

A B+ in non honors 9th grade English gets you grade level 10th grade English. You have to have an A in 9th to move into honors in 10th. (I think its a B if you start in honors) Then in 10th, you need an A to move into 11th honors, and a 95 or above, which is near impossible, to move to AP.

In math if you don't start in honors you need to be in the top 5% of all Algebra 1 students (last year that grade was about a 95) to qualify for summer Geometry and then be on track for honors Algebra II as a sophomore.

All a bit frustrating esp since teacher difficulty and grading policies vary depending on who you get.

THIS!!!! My kid is a Senior. We made a massive mistake choosing SJC and it is going to impact his options for college. I have an A student who struggled as a Freshman due to two back to back death the first month of his freshman year at SJC. SJC never allowed him to recover academically. Please parents realize that it they gate keep their classes for honors kids and it WILL impact your child’s future! My son was in accelerated math going into SJC. SJC forced (and I mean forced) him off of it. He wasn’t allowed into Honors classes with a B plus (about .7 point away from an A). He was not allowed to take more than two APs his Junior year. He is now is pre calc because he was forced out of the accelerated program. The college he wants so badly’s rep told him he didn’t have a shot and they won’t even look at him even though he is an A student because of his APs and Math over which he had no control because he had no control. The school is rigid, too big and doesn’t care about each kid wholelistically. They care about sports. Period. The resentment I have towards what this school has done to my kids future is deep. If they take your kid off the honors/college math path, get out!!!!! I have so much regret for my hard working good kid. It is devastating!!!!

I want to add your kid is better off in public where they can choose their path. His public school friends didn’t work nearly as hard as he had to try to get into the higher classes. They simply signed up for them. Their GPA’s are amazing as a result. They are all going to get into amazing schools. I am sick over it. I paid for them to screw my kid over. If you care about where your non athlete non scholar program kid goes to college, this school is not it!

This is the PP with a Sophomore....I hate to hear this and it has been my concern for my kid as well. I agree with you that while some teachers are nice the really doesn't care about your kid and the rules are strict. I can't believe that even with a family death they wouldn't work with your son. That is not acceptable. My kid is a hard worker, accelerated in middle school. Now off accelerated math and English. Also a good athlete but did not make the team in his sport. He is hoping to get back to some honors/AP but math will never happen once off, right? We came from public and have considered going back also but my kid decided to stay at SJC as we don't have a good IB school. I constantly worry about this exact situation. Do you mind me asking what level colleges your kid wants? Mine is focused on state flagship level schools, which of course vary but many schools he likes need a 4.0+ from public schools and he will certainly not have that at SJC. He is thinking that he can get away with a lower GPA in private but I am not so sure.

Your kid sounds exactly like mine. Good student. Good athlete. Good kid. But not enough for SJC to allow to shine in any capacity. I felt they actively held him back. My mostly A B plus Senior does not have a 4.0 at SJC because he was blocked from higher classes. I had your same nagging concerns and it was all justified. I also begged my kid to leave SJC even this year but it was too late. He is applying to all the same pool of schools everyone else is, southern state flagships, mid sized private schools. Despite his hard work, college reps are telling him that it will be for nothing. Please sit your kid down and explain this to him. He is a Sophomore and he can still set his path right at a different school that cares about him. It will impact his college admissions.

I was telling my husband this same thing. I feel like SJC has taken more than it has given. I did plenty of research ahead of time, or so I thought but clearly I was not asking the right questions, or reading the right reviews. I do hope that your son ends up with at least some of the options he wants, he does sound so similar to mine. Maybe reaching out to college reps now would be eye opening. I am not sure how to navigate that but you are right that there is still a little time to jump ship and even though it would be messy it may be worth it.

I would give anything to do this all over again and force him to leave SJC. Learn from me. I didn’t ask the right questions. I paid attention to the wrong reviews. He even tried to start clubs and was blocked. If I can save one kid at SJC from what my son has gone through, it will be worth this post. Don’t let this school hold your kid back because they will actively stand in the way of your child’s success. They will block him from being all he can be in favor of their athletes and scholars program. And your kid will compete with those exact kids for the same college spots even though they will be blocked from the classes they need to compete. SJC does not develop kids like ours. We exist to prop up their scholars program and athletes. Either pay more for an elite private school that will invest in your child or go to public for free where he can take as many AP and homors classes as he wants and maybe even play his sport. Going to SJC has no doubt hurt our good student good kid’s chances at his dream schools. I dread this entire year.