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I think the biggest problem with this kid of crap going on is that when applying to colleges, those who went to schools with little to no AP classes would have average GPA's while those who went to schools with tons of AP classes had 5.0's. It was very upsetting to be rejected from UNC 10 years ago because of my puny 3.8 gpa without any AP classes due to my school not offering any. I should have been proud of that kind of GPA, but instead I was made to feel like a moron.
I also had no idea that math selection started in 6th grade. It was a shock to find out I was in "average" group come high school because my parents and I never even knew there was an option to advance in middle. Parents really have to pay close attention to what is going on if they want their kids to have the best chance to success. The OP needs to fight for this if its what his child really wants to do. Its the only way anything gets accomplished in these schools systems.
I think the biggest problem with this kid of crap going on is that when applying to colleges, those who went to schools with little to no AP classes would have average GPA's while those who went to schools with tons of AP classes had 5.0's. It was very upsetting to be rejected from UNC 10 years ago because of my puny 3.8 gpa without any AP classes due to my school not offering any. I should have been proud of that kind of GPA, but instead I was made to feel like a moron.
College admissions check the GPA against what it is "out of", i.e. 3.8 out of 4.0 vs 3.8 out of a possible 4.9 or whatever. I had every AP class that was available at the time (back in the early days of AP classes, 3 decades ago), but my high school didn't give extra GPA points for them so it was still a maximum of 4.0.
Course selection is also taken into account, so they would have noted your course load in addition to the GPA. Someone with a 3.8/4.0 and AP classes would definitely be considered above someone with a 3.9 out of 4.7 and only a couple of advanced classes.
Good idea. And I'd check into dual enrollment w/ a community college. Depending the circumstance the state use to allow dual enrollment for certain classes and you'd get both HS & college credit.
Also, I've read somewhere (I think!!) that the NC School of Math and Science offers online classes to students from around the state who aren't able to get a certain advanced class at their school.
FYI:
The State Board of Community Colleges’ policy regarding dual enrollment as cited in NCAC 2C.0301 permits high school students to enroll in a community college course under the following conditions.
1.must be at least 16 years of age,
2.and, must be recommended by the chief administrative public school officer and approved by the president of the community college; and,
3.must obtain certification from the principal that the student while enrolled at the college, is also enrolled at the high school, is taking the equivalent of at least one-half of a full-time schedule and is making appropriate progress toward high school graduation, or is attending one-half of the school day, and is making appropriate progress toward graduation; or (in the case of courses offered in the summer) must certify that such student took at least three (3) high school courses or attended one-half of the school day during the preceding year and made appropriate progress toward graduation.
4.must achieve required placement scores.
College admissions check the GPA against what it is "out of", i.e. 3.8 out of 4.0 vs 3.8 out of a possible 4.9 or whatever. I had every AP class that was available at the time (back in the early days of AP classes, 3 decades ago), but my high school didn't give extra GPA points for them so it was still a maximum of 4.0.
Course selection is also taken into account, so they would have noted your course load in addition to the GPA. Someone with a 3.8/4.0 and AP classes would definitely be considered above someone with a 3.9 out of 4.7 and only a couple of advanced classes.
Right well, I had a letter from the DEAN of the college I wanted to go into and was still rejected right away. I'm positive my application wasn't even looked at, just sorted through by gpa. ANYWAYS. I still think the whole system is messed up. I don't know how to fix it, but maybe sorting schools by interest instead of where you live could be a start? I would have been so much better off if I could have actually taken classes that reflected what I thought I wanted to be at the time instead of fillers like library science.
colleges use class rank to compare students with and without AP classes. but it's probably true that AP classes help. I also think the SAT plays a much bigger role than they say. there are pleny of high achievers without great SAT scores yet year after year schools have higher trending SAT's and quite a bit of separation from each other
some parents are actually convinced that it's harder to get into Carolina from a county with good schools and lots of good students than it is from a county with few good students. there are defintiely a lot of great students in Wake Co. that don't get accepted
colleges use class rank to compare students with and without AP classes. but it's probably true that AP classes help. I also think the SAT plays a much bigger role than they say. there are pleny of high achievers without great SAT scores yet year after year schools have higher trending SAT's and quite a bit of separation from each other
some parents are actually convinced that it's harder to get into Carolina from a county with good schools and lots of good students than it is from a county with few good students. there are defintiely a lot of great students in Wake Co. that don't get accepted
Those parental beliefs would be accurate. There is value in having risen above the norm when compared with riding the tide. Colleges know what they want in THEIR student body and admit accordingly. What parents think should be the admissions criteria is once again often seen through the prism of their child.
We've encouraged our kids to try out different things in high school...med science, programming, etc. It's been a great way to get their feet wet without a big-bucks, college commitment. Where else can they get those experiences and decide what they want to do when they grow up? Kids need to be kids as long as possible. We think balance is key. Our kids are enjoying doing high school sports and band. It may be naive, but we believe there will be plenty of time for them to get advanced education Learning shouldn't be a competition...and it sure shouldn't replace "life."
^ I agree with that in a general sense with comparison to other countries, (for instance it doesn't seem to matter much if Japanese children are a year ahead in math). though the reality is that college entrance is competitive, but, especially in NC, there are so many great colleges that just about wherever a kid lands will be a good opportunity. App. St. has great business and education schools, for instance.
Wake County schools receive more than $21 million each year in private revenue, a News & Observer review of hundreds of tax returns filed by nonprofits shows. But the resulting money isn't distributed equally.
Some Wake County schools are blessed with parents who can contribute substantial amounts of money to enrich their children's education. Others in less-affluent areas cannot. At a time when the amount that schools spend on each child is dropping, some school leaders worry that students at some schools will suffer because parents there are less able to give.
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Learning shouldn't be a competition...and it sure shouldn't replace "life."
