High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

Jacob Sullivan91 said:They had a 100% overlap because my cousin and I took them at the same time... we even realized the exams were identical, which felt totally insane at the time. That was the first year of the new credit system. And the year before that, I'm pretty sure it was the same. Beyond that? No clue...

What kind of credit system are we talking about? 😬
I’m referring to the last millennium, back when you had to take entrance exams for both high school and university.

Sarah Hall53 said:Wait, hold on—you actually started college during those first years of the credit system... and you're seriously claiming to be the most experienced one here on this topic? 🤣

I mean, you might eventually get there—but only if you're looking at like a ten-year gap between finishing high school and actually starting college. It’s a long stretch, honestly. 🤣

Exactly 😁

silentmason4 said:I think I’ve completely lost my train of thought here. Where did Peppa say she took her high school entrance exams? And didn't Jacob Sullivan91 take hers right after college?
Honestly, I can't for the life of me remember how those high school applications worked. If Jacob Sullivan91 didn't take a gap year between high school and university, then you'd usually be applying to two different high schools at once before you even finished middle school.

Both for high school—where you could apply to two places—and for college.

Sarah Hall53 said:Wait, hold on—you actually started college during those first years of the credit system... and you're seriously claiming to be the most experienced one here on this topic? 🤣

I mean, you might eventually get there—but only if you're looking at like a ten-year gap between finishing high school and actually starting college. It’s a long stretch, honestly. 🤣

Yeah, I went to school back in the old Austro-Canadian days before enrolling in college... 😬

I honestly feel like everything you guys are talking about is brand new stuff... 😬 It’s like we're moving backward here in the States. 🕺

Anyway, right at the turn of the millennium, you basically had to pick one specific track for both high school and college or you were out of luck.

Michelle Nelson4 said:It feels like several different things are getting tangled up here. I remember going through entrance exams for high school, college, and even university, and back then, we weren't dealing with any of this modern credit system or Bologna nonsense—it was a completely different structure entirely. 😛
And honestly, there wasn't such a thing as a standardized group exam for everyone; you just showed up wherever you wanted to test. For those in the math and physics programs at the state university, they actually offered a second attempt, but if you were studying chemistry or biology, you were pretty much out of luck after the first try. I can't quite recall if the teaching certification tracks had a third chance or not, but it’s a bit fuzzy now. 🤔

The entrance exams weren't shared across disciplines, but for instance, all the medical schools held their exams on the exact same day, so you couldn't exactly try for one in Chicago and then fly out to try for one in Boston or New York on the same weekend...
Now that you've added more detail, I'm not even certain if the ETF and the FBI had their exams scheduled for the same day 🤔, I just know that you could transfer your credits over to the FBI if you managed to clear the threshold at the ETF but fell just short of the cut-off line

wearybison8 said:The entrance exams weren't shared across disciplines, but for instance, all the medical schools held their exams on the exact same day, so you couldn't exactly try for one in Chicago and then fly out to try for one in Boston or New York on the same weekend...
Now that you've added more detail, I'm not even certain if the ETF and the FBI had their exams scheduled for the same day 🤔, I just know that you could transfer your credits over to the FBI if you managed to clear the threshold at the ETF but fell just short of the cut-off line

Even back in my day, nobody wanted anything to do with the FBI. Now? Seems like it's actually getting a little bit of hype.

Jacob Sullivan91 said:Yeah, I went to school back in the old Austro-Canadian days before enrolling in college... 😬

I honestly feel like everything you guys are talking about is brand new stuff... 😬 It’s like we're moving backward here in the States. 🕺

Anyway, right at the turn of the millennium, you basically had to pick one specific track for both high school and college or you were out of luck.

Regarding the whole enrollment process for high school and university, I honestly think we should look back at how things were done in the last century and bring back entrance exams.☕
The current system—where high school placement relies solely on middle school grades combined with various accommodations for dyslexia and similar things🙄 and where college admissions hinge entirely on standardized testing—has turned out to be an absolute mess.

In my experience during college entrance exams, I saw plenty of students who had perfect GPAs but couldn't quite clear the hurdle of the actual exam.

Just scrap the whole points system entirely—bring back entrance exams and call it a day.
I suppose that would probably suit elementary school teachers just fine, too. No more parents breathing down their necks or staging some kind of crusade; just pure, unadulterated knowledge.

It would’ve been perfect for us, honestly—but my parents would absolutely lose their minds, and then you’d have all those child advocacy groups breathing down our necks. Apparently, high-stakes testing is just too much stress for kids these days... cry me a river, I guess.

mellowskipper said:Just scrap the whole points system entirely—bring back entrance exams and call it a day.
I suppose that would probably suit elementary school teachers just fine, too. No more parents breathing down their necks or staging some kind of crusade; just pure, unadulterated knowledge.

We should probably keep some weight tied to GPA, or perhaps offer direct admission for those who sweep the podium at national competitions in core subjects. I'm not an advocate for completely erasing everything a student worked toward during their K-12 years.
In my view, the old balance was much more logical—maybe a 40/60 split between grades and the entrance exam.
If you weren't a straight-A student, you could still find your way into your preferred school or college as long as you showed competence in the required subjects.
The current setup feels remarkably disjointed.

wearybison8 said:Regarding the whole enrollment process for high school and university, I honestly think we should look back at how things were done in the last century and bring back entrance exams.☕
The current system—where high school placement relies solely on middle school grades combined with various accommodations for dyslexia and similar things🙄 and where college admissions hinge entirely on standardized testing—has turned out to be an absolute mess.

In my experience during college entrance exams, I saw plenty of students who had perfect GPAs but couldn't quite clear the hurdle of the actual exam.

In what way was it such a disaster? I mean, instead of a single entrance exam, you just use your SAT results to apply to various universities and rank them by preference. Of course, each individual college maintains complete flexibility to decide which specific subjects they require and how they choose to weight those scores for their own programs.

Jacob Sullivan91 said:Yeah, I went to school back in the old Austro-Canadian days before enrolling in college... 😬

I honestly feel like everything you guys are talking about is brand new stuff... 😬 It’s like we're moving backward here in the States. 🕺

Anyway, right at the turn of the millennium, you basically had to pick one specific track for both high school and college or you were out of luck.

Around 2010, you could submit all your paperwork to a single school, but you were allowed to rank two—or maybe even more—different programs by priority within that specific institution.

I believe things stayed pretty much the same without any massive shifts (aside from perhaps how extra credit worked; I recall back then good conduct might only grant you one point, so the maximum score was maybe 61) for a few more years. Then, if I remember correctly, around 2013, they implemented that centralized online application system where everything goes through a state portal. That’s when they changed the scoring method too, you know, by factoring in grades from all four years of high school and using GPA averages (so my max score for a four-year program would be 80).

The national standardized testing and the whole process of applying via the student enrollment portal—where you can apply to multiple colleges and list them in order of preference—I think that kicked off around 2010.

Sarah Hall53 said:It would’ve been perfect for us, honestly—but my parents would absolutely lose their minds, and then you’d have all those child advocacy groups breathing down our necks. Apparently, high-stakes testing is just too much stress for kids these days... cry me a river, I guess.

And let's be real, this isn't even stressful. We're talking about kids aged five to eight.

wearybison8 said:We should probably keep some weight tied to GPA, or perhaps offer direct admission for those who sweep the podium at national competitions in core subjects. I'm not an advocate for completely erasing everything a student worked toward during their K-12 years.
In my view, the old balance was much more logical—maybe a 40/60 split between grades and the entrance exam.
If you weren't a straight-A student, you could still find your way into your preferred school or college as long as you showed competence in the required subjects.
The current setup feels remarkably disjointed.

Ali Peppa, that’s exactly the point—you see these kids walking around with a 4.0 GPA, yet they struggle with basic algebra or high school fundamentals. It's a bit absurd, I guess. But honestly, if someone actually puts in the work and earns a legitimate 4.0, their hard work shouldn't just vanish because of some entrance exam. That wouldn't be fair, maybe.

Personally, I think the national standardized testing system is actually a fantastic concept, though it could use a little fine-tuning. If we moved away from those rigid A and B scoring tiers and just reported results as a straight percentage—while clearly defining the passing threshold before anyone even sits for the exam—it would be much more efficient. 😁 Once you make those tweaks, it becomes an incredible tool for students heading into specialized degree programs.

I also fully support the current flexibility that allows students to apply to similar universities across the country without any hassle; it really encourages mobility. For instance, a colleague’s daughter moved from her hometown to study in San Diego, another student headed from the East Coast over to Seattle, and others have made moves to St. Louis or Savannah... In my day, everyone was practically fighting for a spot in New York City, and once they got there, nobody ever left! Usually, they might spend a year out West or in the Midwest, but by sophomore year, they were all scrambling back to the big city.

Did I get this right? Is the passing grade actually determined by how the kids in that specific generation performed on their final exams?
So it's possible for the passing mark to be 35% one year and then jump to 40% the next?

mellowskipper said:A friend of mine mentioned that her kid’s seventh-grade class is supposed to have some kind of presentation in June regarding high school enrollment and admissions—basically a walkthrough of the different options. My daughter claims they haven't heard a single word about it yet. I suppose I'm wondering if this is just something handled by their specific principal—who is quite proactive, I guess—or if it's being organized at the district level. Does anyone happen to have any insight on this?
Back before the pandemic hit, we used to have those middle school career fairs and dedicated open house days for the various high schools. It would be nice to see those brought back now that everything is finally back to normal.

Around here, professional guidance is basically only for kids aiming for AP tracks or specialized vocational paths; there’s absolutely nothing for the kids who don't fit into those specific boxes, kind of like my eighth grader.
Back in seventh grade, he actually went up to his teacher to ask for info on high schools, and he was basically told, "You'll have plenty of time for that in eighth grade."
And then suddenly, out of nowhere, for the last two weeks, people from different schools have been dropping by for presentations. And it’s not even just the schools you'd expect to see. 😁
They get a couple of teachers, maybe a counselor, and a few students who graduated from that same Elementary School showing up to give the pitch.
It’s actually not bad; it really opened my son's eyes to some majors he had just glanced over on the list, especially now that he hears there are scholarships, transfer options, and extracurriculars that actually interest him alongside the coursework...

Honestly, I am just counting down the days until he clicks through all this and the whole ordeal is over, so I can finally free up some mental bandwidth to deal with my sixth grader, who is way less academically driven and currently stuck in a massive state of indecision. 😬

I honestly don't know if it works like it does back at the big state universities—where they kind of set the bar or the requirements around January, and then we’re all just left in the dark about what the actual enrollment numbers will look like. We basically just have to sit around and stare at last year's interest levels and try to guess how this current crop of students is going to shake out, all while trying to figure out if any of the recent administrative policy changes from the school board actually impacted the outcome.

mellowskipper said:Regarding the CIA, I know for sure because I actually looked into how that school handles the first shift, they definitely need points, though the threshold is pretty low—around 60, I think—plus an interview with the principal. Generally, based on this forum and a few others, kids and parents seem pretty happy with that school.
Though my kid isn't really interested in prep schools, so maybe we'll put them at number 6 on our list.

Mine has to go through professional orientation regardless because of her IEP, but she'd still love to attend those fairs and open houses.
By the way, do you happen to know what that professional orientation actually looks like? Is it knowledge tests or more of an interview? Do they involve the parents? And does the assessment and opinion from the hospital staff where the evaluation was done—specifically regarding ongoing follow-ups—actually carry any weight?

They usually go through aptitude, interest, and personality tests, which take about an hour to ninety minutes.
Then there's an interview with a psychologist (with just the kid in the room).
Parents aren't officially interviewed, though they often push to share their thoughts, and people do listen to them.
However, the final decision shouldn't be swayed by what the parents want.

The findings and opinions from any specialist following the child definitely matter, mainly because certain recommendations can act as contraindications—if someone expresses a specific preference, it might be immediately crossed off the list if it's not a good fit.
For some kids, it really does narrow down their options to just a handful of schools, so it makes sense to give them extra credit for enrollment or set aside those three reserved spots that schools hold specifically for students who don't have many other places to go.

Peter Rogers said:Around here, professional guidance is basically only for kids aiming for AP tracks or specialized vocational paths; there’s absolutely nothing for the kids who don't fit into those specific boxes, kind of like my eighth grader.
Back in seventh grade, he actually went up to his teacher to ask for info on high schools, and he was basically told, "You'll have plenty of time for that in eighth grade."
And then suddenly, out of nowhere, for the last two weeks, people from different schools have been dropping by for presentations. And it’s not even just the schools you'd expect to see. 😁
They get a couple of teachers, maybe a counselor, and a few students who graduated from that same Elementary School showing up to give the pitch.
It’s actually not bad; it really opened my son's eyes to some majors he had just glanced over on the list, especially now that he hears there are scholarships, transfer options, and extracurriculars that actually interest him alongside the coursework...

Honestly, I am just counting down the days until he clicks through all this and the whole ordeal is over, so I can finally free up some mental bandwidth to deal with my sixth grader, who is way less academically driven and currently stuck in a massive state of indecision. 😬

Those kids should be called in.
You can also request testing on your own.

Or this

Susan James said:They usually go through aptitude, interest, and personality tests, which take about an hour to ninety minutes.
Then there's an interview with a psychologist (with just the kid in the room).
Parents aren't officially interviewed, though they often push to share their thoughts, and people do listen to them.
However, the final decision shouldn't be swayed by what the parents want.

The findings and opinions from any specialist following the child definitely matter, mainly because certain recommendations can act as contraindications—if someone expresses a specific preference, it might be immediately crossed off the list if it's not a good fit.
For some kids, it really does narrow down their options to just a handful of schools, so it makes sense to give them extra credit for enrollment or set aside those three reserved spots that schools hold specifically for students who don't have many other places to go.

Those kids should be called in.
You can also request testing on your own.

Or this

I had absolutely no clue the FBI was even involved, but it’s pretty wild to me that their closest branch is all the way out in San Antonio.
😲 Honestly, when you're dealing with an organization tied to the IRS—you know, an actual government agency—shouldn't you expect this kind of info to be accessible to every single student?
It's actually making me a little heated right now.
Kids living in California, along the Coast, up in Appalachia, or down in Florida are basically being left out in the cold.

So, how is a kid even supposed to sign themselves up? Do they have to trek down to an IRS office or find some psychologist, or what's the deal?
Because at the Elementary School, that's not an option. They just tell you that the orientation is strictly limited to certain programs.

rowdypanther12 said:Did I get this right? Is the passing grade actually determined by how the kids in that specific generation performed on their final exams?
So it's possible for the passing mark to be 35% one year and then jump to 40% the next?

That’s exactly how it worked when I was heading off to college. I remember crushing an elective course with about a 70%, but still walked away with a C because the national test scores were just straight-up disastrous. 🐔

mellowskipper said:Just scrap the whole points system entirely—bring back entrance exams and call it a day.
I suppose that would probably suit elementary school teachers just fine, too. No more parents breathing down their necks or staging some kind of crusade; just pure, unadulterated knowledge.

Sarah Hall53 said:It would’ve been perfect for us, honestly—but my parents would absolutely lose their minds, and then you’d have all those child advocacy groups breathing down our necks. Apparently, high-stakes testing is just too much stress for kids these days... cry me a river, I guess.

I’m curious, where exactly are these imaginary parents and child advocates coming from?
Aside from the teachers who openly admit they hand out As just to get parents and inspectors off their backs (basically to prevent them from showing up in the first place), I don't know anyone who actually supports the current system.
And I know a pretty wide circle of people.

From what I see here, the only thing parents seem to disagree on is whether this entrance exam should be universal or if individual schools should have the freedom to design their own. They worry about kids being stressed by taking six different exams in five days. Well, whatever—stress is part of life.
But honestly, that’s still less stressful than not knowing if you'll actually get into the school you want because some other kid barely scraped by with a passing grade and snagged a spot ahead of you.

Given the total circus that the state standardized testing has become, and seeing how universities—which actually care about students having actual subject mastery rather than just meeting population quotas—have successfully implemented their own entrance exams, I’m all for letting each school set its own standards and pick the students it wants.

If we’re talking about corruption (which exists and will always exist), it seems way more likely that someone at an elementary school would give kids a copy of a universal test to "study" for, simply because they don't want to deal with the fallout when those kids struggle in high school due to their lack of knowledge. It's much easier than a high school teacher having to deal with unprepared students later on.

Most elementary school teachers are genuinely concerned about how their students will fare in high school. If they weren't, they’d put more effort into what they teach and what they require for an A. And I’m not just talking about handing out easy grades or rounding up a B+ to an A just because a kid has one good day. I mean the sheer amount of material required to actually earn an A. Right now, you can have straight As all year and have almost zero actual knowledge.

It’s one thing with subjects like history or geography, which tend to build on themselves in high school. But take math, for example: if you don't master the basics, you're stuck. You won't be able to follow math, physics, or computer science, especially once you hit high school.
And don't even get me started on the lack of knowledge in American History dating back to the Reagan era... I won't even waste my breath on that.