High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

wanderinggardener12 · 2012-11-26T20:51:28+00:00

It seems nobody is talking about this latest proposal from the Secretary of Education and the rest of the administration, which makes me wonder if I should eve…

Paul Miller8 Newcomer

4 messages
joined Jan 2013

#161 · Jan 31, 2013

Oof, you really left out one crucial detail before we dive in! 😢 Honestly, I’m getting so much unsolicited advice lately—people acting like they have all the answers, telling me, "Why bother complaining? You’ve got straight A's, you'll get in easily." But seriously, why should I even have to stress about whether I'll make the cut? If I've already proven my worth through hard work, shouldn't there be some kind of reward for that? And hey, since we're basically future colleagues here, where are you actually from? If we both play our cards right, we could be sitting in the same lecture hall in nine months. 🤷 Look, if you're feeling a bit private about where you live, no big deal—just tell me which high school you're planning to attend 😉 Are you heading to any other competitions soon? Physics, chemistry, maybe English lit?

fadedviper65 Newcomer

3 messages
joined Jan 2013

#162 · Jan 31, 2013

@Paul Miller8

I’m planning on attending Stuyvesant High School.😉
So far, I’ve competed in math, computer science, physics, and English. This year, I’m also heading into German, history, geography, and potentially biology and tech.🙂
I was called up for the regional level in computer science, physics, and English. I would have gone for math too, but since it was my first competition of the year, I just couldn't find my focus—especially since it was my first time competing in math.
I’d definitely enter the chemistry competition if I had a mentor, but my teacher isn't interested in leading any extra chemistry sessions. According to school regulations, she's only required to host one extra credit hour, and she decided to dedicate hers to biology.🙄 She claims it would be against the rules for her to teach me chemistry during her biology session, fearing she'd run into serious trouble if an inspector happened to drop by during that specific period.(🤣). Even though she says I'm the best chemistry student she's ever taught, she's adamant about not taking on any extra hours that aren't officially compensated.🙄

wanderinggardener12 Active MemberOP

71 messages
joined Jun 2012

#163 · Feb 22, 2013

fadedviper65 said:@Paul Miller8

I’m planning on attending Stuyvesant High School.😉
So far, I’ve competed in math, computer science, physics, and English. This year, I’m also heading into German, history, geography, and potentially biology and tech.🙂
I was called up for the regional level in computer science, physics, and English. I would have gone for math too, but since it was my first competition of the year, I just couldn't find my focus—especially since it was my first time competing in math.
I’d definitely enter the chemistry competition if I had a mentor, but my teacher isn't interested in leading any extra chemistry sessions. According to school regulations, she's only required to host one extra credit hour, and she decided to dedicate hers to biology.🙄 She claims it would be against the rules for her to teach me chemistry during her biology session, fearing she'd run into serious trouble if an inspector happened to drop by during that specific period.(🤣). Even though she says I'm the best chemistry student she's ever taught, she's adamant about not taking on any extra hours that aren't officially compensated.🙄

I can certainly empathize with your situation; you deserve better, as all students do, but you are directing your grievances toward the wrong person. Your teacher isn't at fault for refusing to work beyond her mandated contract hours. You should take this up with the Secretary of Education and demand that they compensate your teacher for any additional labor. Why on earth should she work for free? If someone wants to volunteer, they will likely choose their own activities and the specific people they wish to serve; perhaps they might volunteer to deliver meals to the elderly or the infirm. But is that what you or your parents are doing? Or perhaps you engage in other volunteer work for the benefit of those in need, which, naturally, is done without compensation.

Keith Nelson3 Newcomer

2 messages
joined Feb 2011

#164 · Mar 7, 2013

I was wondering how the enrollment process actually works under this new system if, say, a specific grade level has an intake capacity of 30 students, but only 24 applicants actually meet the required point threshold. In those instances, will they start pulling in students who fall below the cutoff, or will the class just end up being smaller than planned? (Assuming there are still open spots left over after the fall enrollment period, of course).

analogseal18 Active Member

75 messages
joined Nov 2018

#165 · Mar 8, 2013

It simply won't happen. That’s exactly how certain principals used to operate—cutting corners just to see themselves promoted, essentially. The minimum point threshold remains fixed, regardless of how many students actually show interest in a specific major.
(If you ask me, the bar is already set far too low as it stands.)

I have a question regarding those extra credit points awarded for completing music school. Up until now, you could earn them for four years of study, but now I'm seeing conflicting info—some places say six years, while others just require completion of the program. I'm asking because my daughter won't hit that six-year mark, though she will be enrolled in an accelerated program to finish her music studies concurrently with her standard middle school curriculum.

Jessica Chavez4 Active Member

67 messages
joined Jul 2012

#166 · Mar 8, 2013

So if a music program lasts six years, does that mean you’re expected to have completed your entire musical education in those six years?

Nicole Davis Newcomer

5 messages
joined Dec 2012

#167 · Mar 10, 2013

analogseal18 said:It simply won't happen. That’s exactly how certain principals used to operate—cutting corners just to see themselves promoted, essentially. The minimum point threshold remains fixed, regardless of how many students actually show interest in a specific major.
(If you ask me, the bar is already set far too low as it stands.)

I have a question regarding those extra credit points awarded for completing music school. Up until now, you could earn them for four years of study, but now I'm seeing conflicting info—some places say six years, while others just require completion of the program. I'm asking because my daughter won't hit that six-year mark, though she will be enrolled in an accelerated program to finish her music studies concurrently with her standard middle school curriculum.

The official Board Decision clearly states six years. Everything else you're hearing is just misinformation.

swiftbear86 Active Member

211 messages
joined Jun 2012

#168 · Mar 14, 2013

analogseal18 said:It simply won't happen. That’s exactly how certain principals used to operate—cutting corners just to see themselves promoted, essentially. The minimum point threshold remains fixed, regardless of how many students actually show interest in a specific major.
(If you ask me, the bar is already set far too low as it stands.)

I have a question regarding those extra credit points awarded for completing music school. Up until now, you could earn them for four years of study, but now I'm seeing conflicting info—some places say six years, while others just require completion of the program. I'm asking because my daughter won't hit that six-year mark, though she will be enrolled in an accelerated program to finish her music studies concurrently with her standard middle school curriculum.

My daughter was also on the accelerated track during 3rd and 4th grade.
She’ll still receive a certificate showing she completed elementary music school.
Just keep in mind that "elementary music school" implies finishing all 6 grades, not just playing an instrument for 6 years.😉
Even back in the day, you didn't get a diploma after year four, but you definitely used to get those extra points for the application process after finishing the 4th year.

Ashley Hall59 Newcomer

1 message
joined Jul 2013

#169 · Jul 16, 2013

So, I’ve been thinking about making a big move—shifting from the trade track over to the fourth-level commercial track—but the higher-ups are insisting that I submit a formal written request for further education, and honestly? I am completely stumped on how to even begin such a thing.😕😕, if there happens to be a talented writer out there who could help me draft this petition, I would be incredibly, deeply grateful.😁

hiddenjackal17 Member

10 messages
joined Apr 2018

#170 · Jul 17, 2013

Ashley Hall59 said:So, I’ve been thinking about making a big move—shifting from the trade track over to the fourth-level commercial track—but the higher-ups are insisting that I submit a formal written request for further education, and honestly? I am completely stumped on how to even begin such a thing.😕😕, if there happens to be a talented writer out there who could help me draft this petition, I would be incredibly, deeply grateful.😁

Iva, just a heads-up on how you're talking to everyone else here. Like someone already said, maybe you'd have better luck asking that question in a different subforum.

Raymond Wright4 Member

11 messages
joined Apr 2016

#171 · Jul 17, 2013

swiftbear86 said:My daughter was also on the accelerated track during 3rd and 4th grade.
She’ll still receive a certificate showing she completed elementary music school.
Just keep in mind that "elementary music school" implies finishing all 6 grades, not just playing an instrument for 6 years.😉
Even back in the day, you didn't get a diploma after year four, but you definitely used to get those extra points for the application process after finishing the 4th year.

That is absolutely correct... once the school is finished, it is recorded as 6 years regardless of the actual duration.

Kudos on the accelerated track; it simply proves the child has talent, which must be nurtured and rewarded.

Anthony Edwards21 Newcomer

1 message
joined May 2016

#172 · May 23, 2016

My son is finishing up 8th grade right now, and we’re staring down the barrel of high school enrollment. We’ve both pretty much agreed that he wants to head toward a medical vocational program—specifically aiming for pharmacy tech training at a place like a community college or a specialized technical high school over in Phoenix. The big question hanging over our heads, though, is whether he’ll actually get in. Does anyone out there have any insight into what the specific admission criteria look like or roughly how many points he needs to secure a spot? He did make the Honor Roll, which helps, I hope.
Thanks in advance.

Ethan Alvarez5 Member

13 messages
joined Jul 2020

#173 · Feb 14, 2022

Maybe those straight-A students can actually step up and show us they know something for once.👍

mellowskipper Regular

704 messages
joined Jan 2023

#174 · Feb 14, 2022

Can one of the professors please clarify how this extra credit for students with medical hardships actually works? I’m trying to figure out if this is a separate thing from the IEP process—as in, would it be more advantageous for a child to apply using this additional point system rather than going through the standard IEP route? Or is it just an add-on?

Sent from my iPhone 12 Pro via Reddit

Susan James Veteran

1K messages
joined Jan 2023

#175 · Feb 14, 2022

mellowskipper said:Can one of the professors please clarify how this extra credit for students with medical hardships actually works? I’m trying to figure out if this is a separate thing from the IEP process—as in, would it be more advantageous for a child to apply using this additional point system rather than going through the standard IEP route? Or is it just an add-on?

Sent from my iPhone 12 Pro via Reddit

Looking at how the enrollment turned out this year with all the IEP applications, I really think the district needs to address this massive inflation of points and tighten up the admission criteria.

The medical condition points seem to act as a tiebreaker—if students are tied at the bottom of the list, those points kick in. Personally, I think that’s pretty fair.

It is a shame, though, that the entrance exam doesn't carry more weight in the overall score.

Betty Wood54 Active Member

52 messages
joined Mar 2023

#176 · Feb 14, 2022

Ethan Alvarez5 said:Maybe those straight-A students can actually step up and show us they know something for once.👍

Wow, jumping from five points all the way to TEN. And since grades make up 80% of the total... I guess they really did tighten the standards, didn't they?

Ethan Mitchell4 Active Member

89 messages
joined Feb 2015

#177 · Feb 14, 2022

I’m a little confused—are they introducing some kind of high school exit exam, or is this just another entrance test for high school?
Honestly, this whole "graduation exam" concept seems pretty ridiculous to me. It feels like we're just trying to mimic how things work in America, even though it doesn't really fit our system.

Just look at the grades and the entrance exams for both high school and college; those have always been more than enough.

Michelle Nelson4 Regular

544 messages
joined Jan 2024

#178 · Feb 15, 2022

Betty Wood54 said:Wow, jumping from five points all the way to TEN. And since grades make up 80% of the total... I guess they really did tighten the standards, didn't they?

Exactly. ☕

And then you have to factor in that all the "top-tier" schools in cities like Chicago or NYC will probably start holding their own entrance exams soon. It’s going to be a total headache trying to apply to more than three or four places because the testing dates will inevitably clash... Now, if they had just implemented a standardized national exam, you could just take one test for everything and call it a day. Who knows—it’s hard to say. But that would be almost too simple. Plus, when kids are taking specialized entrance exams for just a few schools, it becomes a bit of a joke when someone claims they pulled a 5 in math but can't even tackle two basic problems. If entire classrooms were pulling 5s but couldn't pass a standard high school exit exam, then we might actually see who's doing their job and who isn't...

mellowskipper Regular

704 messages
joined Jan 2023

#179 · Feb 15, 2022

Susan James said:Looking at how the enrollment turned out this year with all the IEP applications, I really think the district needs to address this massive inflation of points and tighten up the admission criteria.

The medical condition points seem to act as a tiebreaker—if students are tied at the bottom of the list, those points kick in. Personally, I think that’s pretty fair.

It is a shame, though, that the entrance exam doesn't carry more weight in the overall score.

I guess I’ll have to dig a little deeper into these enrollment requirements—I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about how certain positions at Amazon are essentially being reserved for specific people. And yeah, if there is hyperinflation happening, it is—well, it's pretty disgusting, honestly. They really ought to revise the whole system.

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

Karen Richardson3 Active Member

177 messages
joined Jul 2012

#180 · Feb 15, 2022

Susan James said:Looking at how the enrollment turned out this year with all the IEP applications, I really think the district needs to address this massive inflation of points and tighten up the admission criteria.

The medical condition points seem to act as a tiebreaker—if students are tied at the bottom of the list, those points kick in. Personally, I think that’s pretty fair.

It is a shame, though, that the entrance exam doesn't carry more weight in the overall score.

I’ve been lurking in some of those local mom groups on Facebook lately just to keep an eye on where things are heading.
It feels like every single parent whose kid is labeled as "hyperactive and super smart, but just doesn't fit this standard school curriculum" is being told they need individualized learning plans.

Another big thing popping up—mostly with the little ones—is all this talk about "sensory issues." If a kid won't eat certain foods, suddenly it's a sensory processing disorder and they desperately need a therapist.

I’m actually starting to develop a bit of a grudge against your profession, 😁

When it comes to high school graduation requirements and college admissions, I've basically checked out. I watch my little one making progress with such minimal effort, and honestly, it feels like the whole system is just beyond saving.

To be real with you, I care way less about standardized testing or the grading inflation we see with honor students than I do about them bringing back practical stuff like home economics, actual technical trades, and real PE. I couldn't care less about the academic fluff they're cramming down their throats.

High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

🔗 Similar threads