The pressure on teachers to grade generously is going to be immense. 4.0 will be meaningless.

For me, it's the 1980s Carnation breakfast bar 😉

I wasn't thinking about homeschoolers so much when I made that comment. But the reason many take APs in the public school is to have the "most rigorous" courseload, compared to peers. The college credits in that situation is often a secondary consideration.

I keep thinking about the shy kids too. Testing is an area where one can demonstrate strengths without...leading a club, for example.

It might be fine. My daughter (zero comp sci experience, so probably needed a "dumbed down course") took AP Comp Sci A her senior year of high school through AP Homeschoolers. It led to her rocking lots of comp sci at Princeton and TAing many classes. 🙂 She's currently working a remote comp sci job while waiting for grad school apps to process.

The public school system here has created an entire "school" where high school students take college classes exclusively. It's very popular, but my observation is that it really has not improved the reputation of our local university. It's not like it's the most brilliant kids who can't get their needs met in a traditional school are taking the classes. It's more like regular high school classes on an alternative schedule.

I don't think any Ivy League universities even have that requirement

I tend to agree. It seems to me that among the various things used to flesh out a student's application and help a student stand out, test scores are one that is more cost effective and generally accessible. Sports...expensive, especially if done to the level that one stands out among peers, and high risk of injury. Volunteer hours...awesome character development, but can be tricky for a kid without reliable transportation and heavy duties at home. Essays...seems you will run into the same "prep" issues that people complain about with standardized tests. Dual enrollment...free in some states but not all, and not all courses available online, so transportation can be an issue. Competitions for awards...generally $$$$ and time that a student with responsibilities at home may not have.

It's a really atypical requirement.

I think the vast majority of college bound kids are not taking AP classes for the credits so much, but for meeting the standard of taking the most rigorous courses offered at the school. The Common App asks a question about rigor specifically, and how the student's rigor compares to others at the school.

Yikes, that is quite the requirement. Not sure I have heard of that level of required validation anywhere before.

The redundant exam did help my daughter the year that we absolutely could not find a World History AP testing location without flying a couple thousand miles. I get what he is saying, because the number of tests a top student typically has to undergo is silly. But, ugh, the logistics of AP exam location. Editing to clarify, my daughter took the World History SAT subject test instead of AP exam, because it was absolutely not available in our area the year she took the course as a homeschooler, and we live in a geographically remote state.

Lanny, I am sorry to hear the start of semester has turned out to be so complicated for your daughter. I know she is grateful to have you supporting and helping. I was glad to see you post! Was hoping Covid had not hit you in Colombia.

I'm guessing it is not super common to be officially diagnosed as an adult. That said, there are certainly many many undiagnosed adults out there. I wish it was easier to get information and help. I had never thought deeply about my father's brilliant but...difficult...personality, until his psych nurse wife mentioned that he was almost certainly on the spectrum. Lots of things made sense to me at that point. I see it all over the family now, including two of my daughters (mild, and to different degrees).

Ha, we literally received one just last week!

It's harder to find AP testing sites than it is SAT subject test sites. Having to go AP is not an advantage. My high school junior is pleased, though the Math2 she was supposed to take in June would likely have been fine for her. This situation would have certainly been an advantage for my oldest daughter who had an interesting set of experiences and classes but terrible test anxiety. She missed out on opportunities because the subject tests were a no go for her. My second daughter certainly gained a boost from the several she took. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. They will still need a way to differentiate between the endless numbers of 4.0 students. I suspect essays will take on even more importance. I was personally a student who haaaated writing essays but rocked standardized testing.

Sorry to hear that, Janet. Tough time for our creatives.

Haha, I made myself sign in on the computer this morning (broke my ankle last week) after my high school junior joyfully texted me the news. Wanted to see the discussion on CC and WTM. :-) This may be a disadvantage for her. Hard to say. Subject tests (or lack thereof) certainly hurt my oldest daughter's chance at Georgetown for sure, but she just did not have it in her to do them. Subject tests definitely stregthened my next daughter's apps. Positive or negative, it does simplify our spring, which is a good thing under the circumstances.

Intuition is a gift. Not in the supernatural sense, but in the ability to broadly read people and situations. The intuitive can get us asking the questions and searching out the evidence. They also befuddle those who lack that ability.

Do you need a standardized test for some reason? Or are you just considering this practice for the junior year PSAT? If it's the latter, I am not sure that taking a different standardized test at home will be terribly useful. I'd be prepping for the PSAT (or SAT) itself, with timed practice tests specific to that exam.

I got the first dose today. It's fairly plentiful at my husband's facility, and I called and got a same day appointment. The procedure was quick...walked in and received dose at scheduled time. Nothing to report right now, all is well. They had us wait for 15 minutes after injection before leaving. I am a somewhat reluctant vaccinator, but am assuming it will likely be difficult for us to fly or enter Canada without proof of vaccination, which is a big deal in our location.

Hugs to you. This teen/young adult stuff is rough. You don't need to say if this is the case, but throwing this out from our experience: if there is mental health stuff going on, documentation might be useful if you need to explain a period of poor grades/dropped classes.

Throwing out our experience with my then-advanced math student, now Princeton-grad electrical engineer. She was precalc (9th), AP Calc AB (10th), dual enrollment Calc 2 and 3 (11th). For senior year, she did AP Stats and AP Comp Sci (technically a math course). Both of those were through AP Homeschoolers. Not much student interaction, I suppose with the PAH option, I suppose.

My electrical engineer daughter did physics first, in ninth grade. I don't know about that particular program. I would inquire about what the expectation is as far as math for that curric.

He should e mail each school explaining the issue, and follow up with a call if necessary. You could help him compose the e mail.