High school courses selection

[shuntaro603]

I am really stressed the past few days. (by the way I get stressed easily) I am a high school freshman. I will become a sophomore next year. I feel that I am not taking enough AP courses ( advanced placement). I think only in United States they call that AP. Anyway, can anyone give me some suggestions?

By the way anyone know any good summer programs?Preferably in Massachusetts. I want to improve my math so I will feel confident to take AP math in my junior year.

 

Thank you in advance.

[Mysterious Gurl]

I know how u feel about stressing. I stress and teachers notice.

 

Just try to relax the best you can. By the way I'm british so can you explain to me what a freshman and sophomore is? I havn't a clue although I have heard the terms.

 

what sort of things are u into? maybe there is a course that studies that specific topis?

 

 

Good luck

[CrystalDawn]

Okay first thing, don't worry about your classes so much take what you know you can pass because the course does you no good unless you can pass it. As far as ap math I don't think it would be a good idea unless you a very very good in math. Yes ap courses make it easier to get into college but they are no help unless you pass them. Also try to take at least one class you enjoy. That way the class you enjoy will give you cofidence and school won't seem so bad...........Freshmen is a student in there first year of high schoo. A sophmore is a student in there second year, A Junior is a student in there third year and a seinor is a student in there forth and last year of highschool

[shuntaro603]

Freshman is 9th grade, or in US, the first year of High school. Sophomore is 10th grade. There are 4 years in High school, 9-12th grade.

Thanks for your replies by the way.

[Roasted Carrots]

Best advice I can give is to scheduale an appointment with your cousoler and talk with your parents about what classes you're thinking of taking. I'm an honor student who tends to overscheduale, and while taking AP and Honors courses will challenge you and help you excell, they are Stressful and there will be *tons* of homework.

 

Have your counsoler help you do a 4-year plan with you. This isn't set in stone or anything, but it helps you to see that taking, say Precalc Junior year will help prepare you for Calculas Senior year instead of just diving into Calculas your Junior year.

 

Be sure to spice up your scheduale with easy and fun classes, especially if you're loading up on the honors and AP courses. I'm specifically waiting to take a harder course during the summer (our school offers classes for oringinal and make up credit) so I can relax more. This frees up a space so I can take a fun course or an easy course, like Gym. Save Gym for a later year if you can...it's a stress-free course and you could use the break when you have harder exams.

 

Two more things: Your parents and your counsoler's advice is well-meant, but their advice is not the final say. If you really want to take an honors math course and they advise against it, I say take it anyway. If you prepare for your classes, do the homework and touch-base with your teachers, you'll be fine in any scenario. If the concept just isn't coming, you can always drop down to regular from honors.

 

Second thing: Don't take all these weighted courses because you feel like you "have to or you'll fall behind" or because everyone else is. Do AP in the courses you excell at, take regular courses in the subjects you struggle in. Colleges are looking to see if you have challenged yourself, not that you stayed up until 3 a.m. every night scrambling to do your homework.

 

Look over your options and have a plan or working scheduale set in place. Talk it over with your parents and bring them to the meeting with your counsoler. Don't decide on anything at the meeting, mull over it a few days if you have the time. Talk with your friends.

 

It's a big decision and it deserves to be made carefully, but don't stress yourself out about it. You can always switch classes or even drop them the first couple weeks of a new year.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[sisterlynch]

Advanced placement courses, I would only concentrate on those that you know that you can do well at. Don't take math AP if you prefer science or history or English. If math comes easily to you, then you should look into some summer classes that will make you think and work harder at what you really enjoy. You could take a computer class, or take a class that you just would like to get out of the way. Sometimes young students can take junior college classes.

[annie24]

Oh dear.... So, I went to an academic high school, and I took a total of 8 AP exams. I passed them all, but I nearly went crazy from the stress. In high school, people act like, "if you don't take 17 APs and you don't get a 4.7, you'll never go anywhere in life."

 

Not true. Not true. You get to college, and you find that it's a "clean slate." It doesn't matter if you just barely got in, or you were the high school valedictorian or prom queen - you start all at square one. Listen, don't kill yourself over school work while you are so young. Like the others said, find something you love and work on that.

 

Don't push yourself too hard. When I look back, I wish that I had taken things a little easier. Actually, I wish that I had taken some of the college classes instead of the APs - I think I would have learned more.

 

If you are interested in a summer program, I would look and see if MIT or Harvard or Tufts or BU or Boston College have some kind of "high school student internship program." They may have some kind of summer program for high school students - I think that would be a great way to learn more about college life and have a great time meeting new people while you're at it.

 

You're only young once. Don't waste it going crazy over integrals and derivatives.

[FuriousSam]

Let me ask you this: Did your grades matter from grade school now that you are in high school? When you make it to college, do you think your grades will matter from here? Once you start working, do you think your gpa from college will matter? To some degree yes, but it is not as important as you think. I am not telling you to slack off and barely pass your classes, but you have to understand that once you make it pass a certain point, some things are less important than you think they are.

 

You said that you like math. When I was in high school, I joined math team. What we did is that we had weekly competitions where problems in real life settings came into play and we had to solve them. Maybe you should look into something like that. As for AP Math, there's three different AP Math courses the last time I checked, do you know which one you want?

[Runesoul]

Do you enjoy learning? and I don't mean having unwanted facts shoved down you throat. The AP courses are supposed to help foster your reasoning abilities, so to an extent you are more independent.

I'm taking quite a few AP or pre-AP courses, and I think (this is not arrogance) that I could teach myself just as well or better than most of the teachers.

So I guess what i'm trying to say is if you actually want to learn facts that could be useful to you later, then do it by all means. And don't let the homework or the AP test scare you. Get a Princeton Review Book for the class you are in (I think they have them on most books).

I have one on the AP World History class I'm in and it really helps me a lot.

 

My ramblings, hopefully they provide some sort of insight.

Runesoul

[shuntaro603]

Thank you guys for the replies, I am not gonna stress over this anymore, thanks a lot