Worries about School

[Emme888]

:laugh:


Alright I know what you guys are thinking, school-summer, no way!
I'm tottaly not doing that.


Well, I have this problem...I signed up to do 8 hour period days instead of the normal 7 periods a day(A normal 7 hour day is from 7:45 to 2:45). So instead of school starting at 7:45am it'll start for me at 6:45am.

I'm already freaked out about my GPA. I'm in the top 7% of my class, but I want to move up. Now since I'm taking more classes it'll increase my risk of not achiving 4.0, so then I can't move up in class rank.

I know it's not a big deal for many, but for me it's a problem. I wasn't challenged in 7 period class days, but 8 period days might make me lose my future dream GPA(when applying for college and scholarships).

So my question is: Was it a bad choice on my part to do 8 period days? And if I didn't what would I have done to keep myself somewhat challenged in school?

P.S- Sorry bout it being so long^_^

[Harry]

You got greedy and wanted higher than 7%, you get what you deserve.

[Emme888]

I'm only doing it for a challenge, Plus it'll help my apllication for college.

[Harry]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Emme888 [/i]
[B]I'm only doing it for a challenge, Plus it'll help my apllication for college. [/B][/QUOTE]
Unless you're #1 they dont' care where in the top 10% you are.

[Charles]

Ah, be careful when overloading yourself, because you become burned out in the long run. Pacing yourself is important, I think. But, I'm assuming that you're taking subjects that you're actually interested in taking, as opposed to placeholders.

It's always important to mix your schedule up with subjects that you enjoy and ones that you have no experience with, but are interested in taking nonetheless. That way, you can get your feet wet, so to speak, and expand your horizons. So, if you're not feeling challenged, you might want to spice up your course selections a bit.

Either way, couldn't you drop the more intensive schedule if you begin to struggle? Usually, there's a cutoff date involved--and I don't think it will affect your GPA if you realize that you're in over your head and revert back to the seven period day. In the long run, experimenting with this schedule might be beneficial to you, if there's a safety net involved. By actually trying it, you'll know if it was the right choice. I would encourage you to test into more difficult classes--but judging by your dedication, I'd say that you're already involved in advanced placement. If not, that's probably the route for you.

In the end, I wouldn't say that it was a [i]mistake[/i] putting one more class under your belt. Just remember that during the selection period, colleges favor applicants who excel at a certain activity or craft--such as art, sports, etc, etc. So, you might want to explore extracurricular activities or clubs (if you don't already). Putting together big projects such as a school play, or tutoring those who are falling behind might be the positive challenges you're looking for.

I'm sorry for going on like that, but I'm really trying to cover every base here.

Edit: And Harry, I've noticed a lot of one liners coming from your way lately. I know that it's not necessarily outside of your style, to post borderline nasty messages but please put more effort into your posts if you're going to post at all, instead of chiming in with brief, ignorant jabs. Posting useful insight for a change would be welcomed.

[Harry]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Charles [/i]
[B]
Edit: And Harry, I've noticed a lot of one liners coming from your way lately. I know that it's not necessarily outside of your style, to post borderline nasty messages but please put more effort into your posts if you're going to post at all, instead of chiming in with brief, ignorant jabs. Posting useful insight for a change would be welcomed. [/B][/QUOTE]
If you feel the need to see long winded posts of mine that could be summed up in a whole sentence then alright. Also my comments aren't ignorant in this thread. Unless she (I'm assuming it's a she) is going to harvard, colleges won't care if she's in the top 7% or 6%. Maybe if she was in the top 5% but that would take a lot more than a summer school course.

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Harry [/i]
[B]If you feel the need to see long winded posts of mine that could be summed up in a whole sentence then alright. Also my comments aren't ignorant in this thread. Unless she (I'm assuming it's a she) is going to harvard, colleges won't care if she's in the top 7% or 6%. Maybe if she was in the top 5% but that would take a lot more than a summer school course. [/B][/QUOTE]

I'm speaking in general, here. My comments didn't stem from this thread, alone. As far as this thread is concerned, I'm mainly referring to the "you're greedy, and you get what you deserve" comment (although your second post is incorrect as well).

I don't see any value in some of these brief, negative responses; they're unwarranted, immature criticism. The member's post made them sound ambitious and concerned--not greedy. Of course, that's all a matter of opinion, but my concern here is that you have a bad habit of not following up with any insight whatsoever or adding to the discussion in a positive way.

[Brasil]

Be very careful, Emme.

Putting too much strain on yourself is very dangerous. I know from experience.

Here are a few things I learned in college (Charles would probably agree with me...lol)

1) NEVER NEVER NEVER schedule an 8 am class. You'll never go to it. Believe it. When 7 am rolls around and you're supposed to wake up, History Of The Roman Empire will look less and less inviting. One hour more of sleep always sounds good...but it's not.

2) Heavy courseload will put a lot of stress on you. Whether it's four papers and 5 exams to write/study for, or a couple of 3 hour classes in a row, or trying to struggle through tech week (READ: staying up till 1 am finishing the set, finishing the play bill, finishing the show posters), while writing those four papers and while studying for those 5 exams, you'll get burnt out REALLY quick. I actually had to go through the tech week/four papers/5 exams last fall. It wasn't fun and I freaked regularly.

3) Usually, colleges see AP courses and go "wow!", but I only took one AP course and got a C+ in it, but was actively involved in theatre, music, and art, and my instructors wrote shining recommendations. Heavy courseloads don't necessarily guarantee you'll get into the college of your choice. I didn't take heavy courseloads in my Senior year of High School (hell, I had 3 study halls that year...I just goofed off the in TV Production studio) and I still was accepted into Rutgers without a second glance.

I recall back in high school, the stigma was "college is big and unfeeling, and only cares as long as they have our money." That's not true. Rutgers-Camden is excellent in that it's a small school, and everyone is very approachable.

I've made friends with all of my professors and have two guaranteed recommendations for a Teaching Assistantship program in Grad School, and I've just finished my Sophomore year. My family had one of my professors over for a barbeque last summer. Dr. Mull is good friends with my dad. My family has a history at Rutgers-Camden, I guess.

You say you're in the top 10% of your class. That's perfect. I seriously doubt any college is going to reject you if you stay at a 7 period day. It sounds like you're an excellent student and you have nothing to worry about.

Good luck and best wishes,

PoisonTongue

[Emme888]

Thanks Charles for the support, and To Harry, I am a female, and I'll take your opinions into consideration. I really was worried, so thanks for the help. Charles, you're right, I'll check into a safety net. My true goal is going to try and break into the top 5%, but I don't know if it'll happen. Thanx though, and any other advice would be deeply appreciated.

[Guest The Vietnamese]

Yur hella smart, why do u want to be the smartest person in school? lol that's not cool. Here at my school, you can have up to 8 classes but the extra 2 classes are just extra credit classes, so if u fell them, it wouldn't even matter. You can just a 500credit project and then stop working for the rest of the year and not only will it not hurt yur grade, but you'll get that 500 credits for the project. But then again, hardworking doesn't necessarily mean yur smart

[Emme888]

I'm smart(i think), I'm going into 10th grade and taking some 11th grade classes and I'm in ELP(it's a program where if you score in the 90% or higher on this Standard Test you get excepted into this class where it's suppose to challenge you more). I just want to be prepared is all. I try hard, because I know were I want to go in life I'll have to work 10x times harder in life.