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What is the typical number of credits one needs to graduate high school?


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Sorry, I didn't search well when looking. I've been looking at a screen all day today.

I'll read the linked threads. Thanks for linking them. No need to rehash it.

Also thanks for all the input.

 

The state laws here don't help. The requirements for graduation are not very rigorous.

 

 

Maine State High School Graduation Requirements

  • English units: 4
  • Math units: 2. "It is highly recommended that all students have exposure to basic algebraic concepts and skills."
  • Social studies units: 2. 1 unit American history and government and 1 unit social studies.
  • Science units: 2 (incl. 1 unit lab)
  • P.E./Health units: 1.5. Notes: .5 unit health education and 1 unit p.e.
  • Arts: 1
  • Foreign language: 0
  • Electives units: 0
  • Other units: Students must also demonstrate proficiency with computers, though no units of computer study specified in state policy. Students may satisfy the computer proficiency requirement in grade 7 or 8.

 

TOTAL # units: 16

 

 

If one were in a hurry, one could have enough credits to graduate in 2.5 years.

 

If I remember correctly 30 years ago when I graduated high school in a different state one had to have 24 credits.

 

What is the typical number of credits one should aim for on a college prep course? There absolutely no reason to graduate her after 2.5 years if she completes the requirements, yes?

 

The college website says the school requires the SAT and two subject tests or the ACT, but I've not found mention at all of required high school subjects.

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The college should have a list of classwork required for admission; I am surprised there was none, as all the schools we looked at did have this information.

 

Our local public 4 year uni requires (which does not mean that most students only have those required courses!):

  • English: 4 units, one of which may be speech or debate; two units emphasizing composition or writing skills. Acceptable courses may be English 9, 10, 11, 12; English Literature; Speech; Debate; Journalism; etc.
  • Mathematics: 4 units (Algebra I and higher). Acceptable courses may be Algebra I, Algebra II/Intermediate Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus, Math Analysis, etc.
  • Social Studies: 3 units. Acceptable courses may be World History, American History, Government, Principles of Democracy, etc.
  • Science: 3 units, one of which must be a laboratory course. Acceptable courses may be Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, etc.
  • Fine Arts: 1 unit. Acceptable courses may be Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Painting/Drawing, etc.
  • Foreign Language: 2 units, same language.

 

1 unit = 1 year

 

More selective schools will want to see 4 years of science, 4 years of social sciences, and 3-4 years of the same foreign language.

 

The issue of number of credits has been discussed recently, two threads are here:

http://forums.welltr...lege-bound-kid/

 

http://forums.welltr...e-is-less-more/

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What is the typical number of credits one should aim for on a college prep course?

 

 

4 years English (includes literature, composition, and grammar)

4 years math (algebra I and up)

4 years science (at least 3 lab sciences)

4 years of social studies: American history, world history, world geography, economics, u.s. government

1 year P.E.

1/2 year health

1/2 year personal finance

2-4 years foreign language

1 year visual/performing/fine arts

1 year computer science (intro to computers or computer programming)

Electives

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Chucki, this was a hot topic just recently in this thread: How many credits for a college-bound kid. The upshot was very similar to your comments in your post -- so many variables between individual school districts, state high school requirements, and the universities themselves, that there is NO standard. Pretty much, in that thread, people were suggesting everything from 22 to 32 credits (or more!). I also strongly suggest reading this follow-up thread: S/O: How many credits to graduate -- Is less more?

 

At the risk of this thread turning into a replay of that first thread linked above (lol), FWIW, below is how I think of it. BEST of luck in coming to your own conclusions! ;) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

Typical COLLEGE ADMISSION Requirements (from looking at numerous college website admission pages):

4 credits = English

3-4 credits = Math (Alg. 1, Alg. 2, Geom, and a 4th class requiring Alg. 2 as pre-requisite)

3-4 credits = Science (with labs)

2-3 credits = Social Studies (1 year being American History)

2-4 credits = Foreign Language (same language)

1 credit = Fine Arts

Minimum required for admission = 16-20 credits (average = 4-5 credits/year)

(College expectation that the student will likely have more credits, showing their interests, electives, etc.)

 

Average *high school graduation* requirements = 22-24 credits (average = 5-6 credits/year)

(Note that this is what varies SO radically among all the responses, of type of credits to graduate, and how many credits the high school grad ends up with. However, most high schools have a "college bound" track, and if you roughly follow that, your student should not have any problems with admission to the majority of universities.)

 

Above average / high achieving student = 24-28 credits (average = 6/7 credits/year)

(Competitive for scholarships and/or more eligible for selective schools.)

 

Students doing dual enrollment or working at a very advanced level = 28+ credits (average = 7/8 credits/year)

(Competitive for top tier schools.)

 

For top tier schools: I'd suggest 26 (or more) credits for top tier schools, and definitely some high scores on several SAT II tests and 3-4 AP tests. And stand out with interesting activities, projects, travel, community service/volunteering, etc.

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Sorry, I didn't search well when looking. I've been looking at a screen all day today.

 

I'll read the linked threads. Thanks for linking them. No need to rehash it.

 

Also thanks for all the input.

 

 

No need to apologize! No reason you should have been aware of those threads. :) And... good luck! :)

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Thanks, Lori.

 

And stand out with interesting activities, projects, travel, community service/volunteering, etc.

 

While I have your attention for a second, would you mind giving a short list of examples for these? Dd pursues her interests each afternoon after school - dance, music, drama. We have some time in the summer for some projects. We also like to travel and explore, but funds are limited. We are often in Canada if that makes a difference.

 

(I read the volunteering threads this weekend so I know what to look for there.)

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interesting activities, projects, travel, community service/volunteering, etc. .... would you mind giving a short list of examples for these? Dd pursues her interests each afternoon after school - dance, music, drama. We have some time in the summer for some projects. We also like to travel and explore, but funds are limited. We are often in Canada if that makes a difference.

 

(I read the volunteering threads this weekend so I know what to look for there.)

 

 

You've already got a good variety of activities going with the dance, music, drama, and personal exploration. :)

 

I was thinking of various things that the parents on this Board have shared that their students have done, so that's something to just keep an eye out for as you read posts and "glean" or use the ideas as a springboard for something your own students might be interested in.

 

For example, someone's son was really interested in science, and connected with the local university professor, ended up volunteering time and worked with the professor in a sort-of high school internship. DC of Nan in Mass do peace walking in foreign lands. A student who participated in our state's mock government program (Youth & Government) wrote a bill and got it picked up by a state legislator and passed into state law. Some high school and college students got together and worked to find funding, jump the administrative hoops, etc. and then they did the work and installed a Disc Golf Course at a nearby park -- something that was their interest, but also benefitted the community.

 

Very general ideas (often done over the summer):

- start own business

- initiate / lead a community service project

- travel via a short mission trip

- science fair project

- interesting / large scale personal project (ex: build a boat) (Projects: What are your boys doing?)

- completion of the Congressional Award(maybe Canada has something similar??)

- senior project (For those of you requiring projects for high school completion, what are you doing?)

 

Anything that shows leadership, initiative, responsibility, creativity, involvement in the community -- start with what your students' interests are, and brainstorm how that can be used to help others, better your community, challenge/educate your student, etc. -- those are the types of things that make students stand out and make them desirable to universities.

 

Here's a past thread with loads of ideas: What extracurricular activities for the high school years. A lot of these extracurriculars help develop leadership, responsibility, public speaking, confidence, participating in or even initiating projects, etc. Something there might spark an idea of something your students could take and run with and make it uniquely their own.

 

 

Does that help at all? Warmest regards, Lori D.

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The college should have a list of classwork required for admission; I am surprised there was none, as all the schools we looked at did have this information.

 

 

 

Hah! I found something. I skimmed over it yesterday. On the special page for homeschoolers it says:

 

___'s. own recommended high school curricula (four years of English, math through pre-calculus, two years of history or social science, three years of natural science with one year of laboratory science and three or four years of one foreign language).
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