UHG!
Looking for high school, college guidance.
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Can I just give money?
- Nov 18, 2013
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Your priorities are way out of whack. If she’ll be challenged more to succeed from attending the private school that’s the reason to go there. Who cares if her GPA drops a few tenths of a point if she’ll be better prepared to succeed in college.
I mostly agree with what you're saying...
Now as when I was in HS, if you want to be at the very top end of your graduating class, a solid dose of AP is required. I didn't take any, and although I did graduate in the top 10% from one of the better HS in the country, I wasn't really prepared for the rigorous college experience ahead of me. After a couple of years of trips, stumbles, and nearly losing my scholarship, I figured out how to succeed.
I do think that just getting through HS is probably easier than when I was a kid. However, I ensured that my kid's experience was more rigorous than mine. At most high schools, the AP track is the four-year university prep track, both kids took a range of AP classes, and they worked their butts off. However, I learned that AP US History is a superficial tour of less-important topics and persons. Older DD took AP English and was taught writing techniques that my wife and I thought were so useless that we had it out with the teacher, her boss, and her boss. We redirected younger DD through "on level" English in 11th grade, and then had her take college Comp I/II in her senior year at the local community college. That worked out fine, and she managed a 34 in Reading and a 33 in English on the ACT. AP Calc was the most relevant and useful. Both passed the AP Calc exam, both scored highly on the university math placement test, and both were fully ready for higher level university math courses.
There has been grade inflation both at HS and college, but college STEM classes can still be very challenging. I don't mind that, as long as it's fair. In fact, I encouraged DD to seek out a more difficult physics prof because he also had the reputation of cranking out students prepared for what comes next. However, at every school throughout time, there are profs who can be just flat-out unreasonable in how they handle their classes. It's not hard to spot...classrooms of academically talented students are suddenly staring at Ds and Fs. While there's plenty of inertia in academia, I think a difference now compared to when I was a college student is that universities are more mindful of student progress and graduation rates, and will eventually make changes.
- Jun 8, 2016
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What is their motivation? We don’t get promoted/raises for giving out bad grades..
You concur h.s. is easier now then when you were a kid and you tried to ensure your daughter did not get the easy route.
What is your motivation? Could that be the same as the professors.
- Jul 5, 2016
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My oldest daughter was/is a somewhat driven individual - did well in high school, participated in activities because she enjoyed them, got into a fairly selective university and earned a degree in Mech Engineering.
My youngest daughter is not driven. In high school, she left I would guess, between 1/2 and 1 GPA point on the floor because she didn't do her homework consistently. And she was sensitive to teaching methods and didn't respond well to certain teachers. Getting her to play softball was a struggle although by high school, she became personally invested so it was better.
She ended up getting into a less selective university and earned a degree in biochemistry. This university, while less selective, still provides open doors to the world for those students willing to make the effort.
So, the moral of the story is to not sweat things too much, especially because motivating teenagers can be very much like trying to push a piece of string.
What a high GPA tells me first and foremost is that the student is disciplined enough to put in a consistent effort and complete all assignments. This is true of high school and college, I think. Of course, in college, in some majors (e.g., electrical engineering), a high GPA also tells me that the student is scary smart, but I digress.
My youngest daughter is not driven. In high school, she left I would guess, between 1/2 and 1 GPA point on the floor because she didn't do her homework consistently. And she was sensitive to teaching methods and didn't respond well to certain teachers. Getting her to play softball was a struggle although by high school, she became personally invested so it was better.
She ended up getting into a less selective university and earned a degree in biochemistry. This university, while less selective, still provides open doors to the world for those students willing to make the effort.
So, the moral of the story is to not sweat things too much, especially because motivating teenagers can be very much like trying to push a piece of string.
What a high GPA tells me first and foremost is that the student is disciplined enough to put in a consistent effort and complete all assignments. This is true of high school and college, I think. Of course, in college, in some majors (e.g., electrical engineering), a high GPA also tells me that the student is scary smart, but I digress.
You would know better than I. Academia is full of PhDs with strange perspectives and methods...present company excepted, of course.
There are exceptions, and I know a couple personally, but many college profs simply aren't very good teachers. They may be brilliant in their field, but they are so far removed from being an undergrad that they have little understanding or empathy of what it's like to learn something complicated for the first time. As we know, being a great athlete in a particular sport doesn't all guarantee someone will be a good coach. I have an older cousin who is a flat-out brilliant mathematician and physicist. He studied and taught at all the very best schools, but I wouldn't go near him for calculus or general physics. Never married and no kids. He's a nice guy, but his experience as a very young and exceptionally gifted undergrad...a half century ago...was far different than 99%+ of college students.
- Jun 8, 2016
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Ok I agree with their being a bad instructor but you made it sound like they were purposely flunking kids..You would know better than I. Academia is full of PhDs with strange perspectives and methods...present company excepted, of course.
There are exceptions, and I know a couple personally, but many college profs simply aren't very good teachers. They may be brilliant in their field, but they are so far removed from being an undergrad that they have little understanding or empathy of what it's like to learn something complicated for the first time. As we know, being a great athlete in a particular sport doesn't all guarantee someone will be a good coach. I have an older cousin who is a flat-out brilliant mathematician and physicist. He studied and taught at all the very best schools, but I wouldn't go near him for calculus or general physics. Never married and no kids. He's a nice guy, but his experience as a very young and exceptionally gifted undergrad...a half century ago...was far different than 99%+ of college students.
I had one class where more than half the class failed..I got in trouble for that class. I had taught that class 5 or 6 times before in a similar manner but for some reason this class just seemed to give up halfway through the semester. In Engineering classes, where everybody knows each other, sometimes social dynamics play a part in how things unfold. If you have a “leader” or two who is unhappy with the class they can drag the rest of the class with them..This may have happened in this particular case..not sure. All I know is I was brought before an appeals board where they somehow determined I flunked the kids on purpose and that stink followed me around until the Dean at that time retired (there is still remnants from that 10 years later..)
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My soph year in college I was taking regular ol' Biology. The professor was super cool or he at least became super cool. Picture cowboy with an awesome mullet wearing cowboy boots and jeans. I had a D/F at drop date as did many other students. I was stubborn and didn't drop. After that he would drop hints as to exactly what to study and what would or would not be on the exams. I pulled out a B!!!! I always remember him bringing in a Madagascar Hissing cock roach. That was really cool.
