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TurtleCreek...
HP ISD also offers MS class with HS credit....
Like most ISDs it's for math, foreign language, health and speech
From the HPMS website
Quote:
How many eighth grade students are currently enrolled in the following courses for high school credit?
Based on 2006-07 enrollment of 8th graders only (510 students total):
Foreign Language? 275 students (54%) Health and Speech? 412 (81%)
Algebra I? 136 students (27%) Geometry? 21 students (4%)
If you're in PISD, the only class that you can take that will count towards your HS GPA is Honors Algebra, in 8th grade. If you're super duper special, and took H.S. Algebra in 7th grade, then the H.S. geometry that you'll take in 8th grade will also count.
None of these will have that much long-term bearing on your GPA - high schoolers have the same opportunity to take the same honors classes. Taking those two extra honors classes in middle school just saves a credit or two on your schedule in high school - most of the time, kids will take AP Statistics or AP European History or something else to fill in the gap.
I don't have much to add, but consider taking PE at a community college for dual credit to make more room in her schedule for more weighted classes. You can only take dual credit after turning 16 - and it's free.
If she is going to an Ivy league school, none of the credits from a community college would transfer. Just went through that with my daughter for Princeton and Columbia. She was thinking about taking a couple of courses over the summer to keep her busy.
In PISD, you can also get HS credit for middle school Spanish (or French, if you're at one of the "chosen" schools that offer French at the middle school).
Tricks to maximize GPA in PISD:
1) Take required courses like health and Foundation of PE online - they don't count in your GPA.
2) Drop all electives - even though it's possible to take Honors Orchestra at Plano West/Plano Senior, the GPA damage at the 9-10 level will have been done.
3) If possible, try to get "placed" into a higher level language class. That is, take the first year or two of a language OUTSIDE of PISD, typically at a summer resident program. Do NOT transfer these credits back to PISD. Then, BS the teachers and admin into allowing you to register for 2nd or 3rd year German, Latin, whatever - without getting credit for the earlier years on your transcript. Net effect - more honors and AP classes, no first-year regular credit.
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Having said all that, I wouldn't waste my time trying to maximize your daughter's GPA. I noticed 2 things from the courses listed that she will be taking:
1) She is taking Geometry in 9th grade. That means she's on the "regular" honors math track. As unexpected referenced, There's a whole sub-group of kids who tested out of 6th grade math in order to take Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th grade. At Rice, there are even some who take Geometry in 7th grade (!). Point being, those kids will arrive at AP-level math courses one year earlier. Your daughter CAN"T catch up to them at this point - they will always have a higher maximum potential GPA.
2) She's not taking Humanities. That implies that she's not in the PACE program at PISD, unless she just chose not to take the course. Point being, if she's not part of the PACE crew, the GPA game is one she's not likely to win.
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Now that I've been a Debbie Downer, let me give you some useful advice:
If your daughter wants to be a physician, the undergraduate school is NOT THAT IMPORTANT. Lots of parents, especially foreign ones, seem to think their kids need to go to the Ivy League, Stanford, etc. to have a shot at med school - probably because that's how it works in their home countries. Some aren't even aware that medical education in the USA is a 3-step process: Step 1 is the undergraduate school, Step 2 is medical school, Step 3 is residency.
Your daughter can go to just about any undergraduate school in the country, and as long as she has high grades in biology, chemistry, and so on, and does well on her MCATs, she should be able to gain admission to medical school.
My neighbor's kid went to UNT - she's a doctor. I went to a second-rate liberal arts school - a dozen or more of my classmates are doctors. HS classmates of mine went to Midwestern state universities - they're doctors.
Top line: She doesn't have to sacrifice her interests, hobbies, personal life, etc. at age 14 in order to become a doctor. As long as she does what she does as well as she can, it should work out.
Could agree more with you...esp refeerence to undergrad work and DRs.
Quote:
Top line: She doesn't have to sacrifice her interests, hobbies, personal life, etc. at age 14 in order to become a doctor. As long as she does what she does as well as she can, it should work out.
Exactly...I place a much higher priority on being a well rounded Happy heatly kid than just having "tunnel vision" towards grades and "maximising the GPA". And I know she may "want ot be a doc now...But remember she is only 14 and 14 is still a kid. I know MANY friends who are Docs who did not decide to become a doc until 2nd or 3rd year of undergrad. (Some after undergrad)
How many people today are doing the job or career you wnated at age 14? I know I am not!
Thank you All for taking the time & effort. It is sincerely appreciated.
Unexpected & Loves 2 Read, in reply to your question is seems to perform fairly well. My daughter is in Algebra 1 this year and will be taking Geometry next yr at high school. Spanish 1 is completed at middle school and next yr she will be taking Spanish 2 Pre - AP.
Her scores with averages of semesters & weighted average , at 8th grade she is currently roughly around the following :
Math- algebra 1 - ( 92 - 94 %) it is varying this 6 weeks but we can take it as 92 for average
Science- 95 %
History : 98 %
Spanish -1 : 100 %
English : ( 95- 98) average 96 %
P.E 100 %
Orchestra 100 %
Her scores were much better in 6 th & 7th, but this is her scores currently.
TAKS : Math & english are commended (she generally makes 1 mistake in English and 4 in math, looks like she made it her standard these middle school years)
Waiting on Science & Social . This yr was the first, she said she will be in commended for sure in both
MAP testing scores : 266 in math, Science : 230, English 245
Tiny Extras: Private violin classes, she is very good in Oil Paints & goes for oil painting classes & is a good classical dancer too & performs at least 10 times in a year. In NJHS last week she got recognized for the voluntary hrs she put in , she came in 5th for that.
Turtle Creek, I am hoping she will be in the top 10 % at least. She is not a superb violinist but a pretty good one, started in 6th grade , also can you pl elaborate on this ? I totally missed it .
( doesn't fill her upper-class schedule with "study halls" and "free periods").
Thank you for suggesting the UT course & research job.
Unexpected, thank you for the insight in the Medical Science/Clinical rotations courses, like everyone else I was also going to put her in them , as evryone seems to be doing and saying it is good if you do it.
Compsciguy, though my daughter has set her eyes on top ones I am at least thinking Emory / Vanderbilt in the least.
Pepper131, that is a brilliant idea I never knew this can be done.
Thank you Andyatmcandy, for the good advise I will make her read your post , as well with the others, coming from a recent graduate your words will carry more weight I think.
Nsumner, thank you for passing the info , will PE courses really matter? I was thinking of going with Pepper131 ideas for PE
We had opted for the following :
Summer : Comm APPS
courses in 9th :
Human Geography ( AP)
Biology( Pre-ap)
Geometry (Pre-ap)
English 1 ( Pre-ap)
Spanish 2 ( Pre-ap)
Orchestra
PE ( 1 semester individual, another group PE)
Now after going through your posts I am thinking of dropping PE entirely in the school year and if possible have an other AP , may be world history. I dont know how 2 Ap's will work, since it is history I am thinking my daughter can pull it off but reality wise pl suggest me if I am not thinking right. I think if she has to do an Ap 9th is the time may be as per her schedule ?
Sorry, I am so long just want to pass on as much info as I can since I am getting such good feedbacks & suggestions. Thanks Again !
My daughter is just finishing up AP world History. She is a sophomore and a Varsity Tennis player NHS student etc..
It's ALOT of writting! All tests are Eassy's and then they have timed Essay's in class. LOts of HW writting and research and Lecture POD casts etc...
We don't have the AP exam results yet as they just took them last week.
Your Daughter will find out that there is a HUGE difference betwwen the workload of Pre-AP and AP.
Mine currently has a 90 in the AP class. Previous years in all Pre-AP her lowest grade in a History or SS class was a 98!
I really would hate for her to jump in "overloaded" in her first year. Having a very adverse result. These schools Plano esp are VERY competitive. MOst of the kids in the TOP 10% will have no grade lower than 95-98.
She is your kid you know her etc... But I have seen alot of kids get so wrapped up in the academics that thay have no life outside of school and classes.
Yes, there is a significant drop off from Pre-AP to AP.
If you're trying to get the highest GPA possible and your daughter could be in contention for top 10 in her class (not percentage... but total), then you're going to want to take as many AP classes as possible which would include dropping classes like P.E. and ones that don't offer AP.
I used to get the same exact grades of nothing lower than 95s all the way through sophomore year. Then, I got my driver's license.... and we all know what happens then.
If she's wanting to get into UT or A&M (or even Rice or Baylor Med for that matter), it's not too difficult and this whole ordeal doesn't need to be exhausted too much (not saying they don't matter, but going for that 5.0 GPA isn't as significant. If she's trying to get into Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc... then yes all of this matters, and she'll need to get as high on that 5.0 scale as possible (as well as extra-curricular activities).
Do you know where she wants to go to college?
It's a difficult situation because you don't want to be in overload mode so soon. I took 2 AP classes my freshman year... and it was a struggle. I, like the above poster mentioned, got easy A's in pre-AP classes and haaaard earned A's (or Bs) in the AP classes. The drop off is highly noticeable.
So, it really just depends what kind of college your daughter wants to go to. I'm assuming it's ivy league, or you wouldn't be here worrying about it too much...
btw, I graduated 2002, my sisters graduated 2007, all of us went to top 10 schools.
All of us played sports all four years, and all of us graduated in the top 10, but this was not Plano West - it was Plano East. That being said, I think it's totally reasonable to graduate in the top 10% by consistently making A's in all your classes. Low A's will do just fine.
There's two separate issues here: getting into a top private school, and getting into med school.
If your daughter wants to shoot for a top private school, the most important thing she needs to remember is to do one thing really, extremely well. I see too many kids getting caught in the rat race of doing as many extracurricular activities as possible - NHS, student council, orchestra, prom committee, yearbook staff, etc.
From a college admissions perspective, it's better to do one activity, and just dominate it. Want to do NHS? Fine, be president, start some amazing charity that gets press coverage that you can write about, or do the bare minimum, and focus on something else. Like science? Get a really good science fair project and do well on it. Make connections at UTD/UT-Southwestern to use their facilities. I hope you get the idea.
Start SAT Prep now. Everyone goes to Karen Dillard's in Plano. It'll become like a second home. Also, apply to a lot of schools. A lot of college is a crap shoot.
College admissions at the top private schools is scary right now. I've interviewed over 20 kids the past two years, and I expected at least 3 - 4 of them to get in, and none of them have. It's incredibly tough right now, and seems to get more and more competitive every single year.
Your daughter seems stronger in the history/english area than the math area. Take advantage of that. There's a lot AP classes that can lead to "unusual opportunities". AP European History, AP Art History - most kids won't take these, but Plano West will offer them.
Also, when it comes down to picking AP Bio vs. AP Chem in high school, don't let her take AP Bio. AP Chem will be far more useful in college.
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