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| Useful Rules Guide (URG!) Yes—if you read your district or school handbook, you’ll find that there are some rules you can use. Of course, I know that none of you on this site would ever exploit anything, so I am hereby entrusting you with time multipliers. Knowledge is good. :) In my school district, there is an obscure rule which allows students to test out of a class for credit. For example, if I would like to take computer science rather than government and economics, I can study material on my own, then take the final exam, hopefully pass, and free up my schedule considerably. In the end it is about knowledge and application of that knowledge in your fields of interest. If government is not your area of interest, opt out!
- At my school, this procedure is designed for required classes, but might also be used, upon approval, for electives (ie. Spanish and art). I have done this for four semesters of class, so far, with more to come. It's very efficient. If a subject is easy for you, test out and save the lecture for a class where a walk through is helpful. And tell Admin that Mary sent you, just for giggles.
- Retake a class if you get a C or lower. Only the higher class counts on your GPA. Many state scholarships require no C's, or no C's in core classes. Also, it is too soon to rule out broad areas of interest. The experiment is not over. Like last year’s love interests, what is attractive varies from year to year. This year you might just love it. Change out variables like teacher, book, study guide, and realize that the biggest variable is you. And what sounded dull one year may interest you the next year. And that searing pain you think is the foreshadowing of brain death? We all feel that way, but trust me: that feeling is virtually identical to brain growth.
- Many schools allow classes to be taken online. I have not tried this, and know some schools are tightening restrictions in this area, but it seems to me a great way of supplementing learning. Just get admin approval before you sign up. It can free up your schedule for other classes.
Many accelerated IB students and extremely motivated AP students have the option of graduating from high school in 3 years. If you are so inclined to do this, first SERIOUSLY consider whether graduating in three years makes sense for you, and then please let us know the results of your great experiment. The big plus is that the college credit received there has a great potential GPA associated with it. All those AP and IB scores typically transfer as credit, but not as an A. Also, there is much more course selection in college. It could also allow a chance to use state scholarship money in lieu of a senior year, and then you could apply as a transfer student to another university with an actual college transcript.
Consider the ACT. I learned about this too late. The ACT is achievement based and favors the industrious. The SAT favors the bright but not the hard working. The news comes too late for me, but the ACT is great for the science loaded and math not too shabby; it is for the work dog, not the show dog.
PSAT is the one test with actual money associated with the results. Nobody told me this, and I used PSAT time to study for the history test immediately following. Oops! Wrong move!
Some state universities, and a few private colleges, give great merit scholarships to students with high PSAT's. Look up the requirements for merit scholarships in your home state. I was surprised by the generous merit awards out there, even for those with low PSAT's.
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