If everyone went to college after they finished high school, then the colleges would be overcrowded. High school is the last stop on the free and required educational journey. So, not everyone can go to college. But how do colleges decide on who does get the privilege to attend a post high school educational facility?
Schooling is a very interesting concept. You go to school to learn and become smarter. But what are grades for and how do they help learning? Well grades don’t necessarily help with learning but they make separated “classes” of students. There are the academically poor students, then the middle class (average students) then there are the smart kids, and at the very top are the students who go above and beyond a 4.0 GPA and take weighted classes. Now in most colleges, they accept entry based on three topics, one being GPA, or grade point average. Without grades everyone would be equal. The idea is to cull out the weak and make sure they are not receiving the same benefits as people who do not try as hard or do not learn as easily. Colleges do have admission limits and over packing students can jeopardize the schools reputation and/or learning capabilities.
Some kids do not learn as easily as others and that is unfortunate. Usually the students with higher grades will get into the academies over students with lower grades. As each college reaches its limit the fewer students it can take in.
To make some students stand out, high schools started a AP program, or Advanced Placement. The goal of this program is to offer smarter and more intellectually minded students get a taste of what college will be like. These courses are 5.0 weighted with lets students earning an A in that specific course exceed the 4.0 GPA. This is what creates the top-most class of students.
The AP weighted courses stress out a lot of students. Receiving a B in an AP class is the same as an A in a normal high school class. But the students in these classes most likely have not had too many experiences with receiving a B and to them, it may seem like failing. Obviously the intended effect of these courses is to stress out students and make their high school years full of bad memories, but it does teach students to accept challenges and learn how to conquer them.
One concern in high school is that if everyone takes the same courses, then the less intelligent students will hold back the students who learn at a faster pace. This is true and is another reason AP courses were started. In an AP class there is no longer “popcorn reading.” If we get assigned a literary work to read or analyze it is done at home. The teacher doesn’t check in on how the book is going. The AP courses are much more independent.
In math, there is less teacher involvement in the AP courses. Although the teacher gives the lesson and answers questions students may have, the course flies by in a fast rhythm. The daily agenda is correct homework and learn something new.
In a lot of cases, grades don’t mean exactly what they say. If a teacher gives his/her class a lot of homework, then the grade will be affected by the mass amounts of homework. With homework, you can bring it home and get help from people so homework does not necessarily show the real learning advancements of a student. And if homework is a large part of a student’s grade, then the grade will be affected. Another example of why grades aren’t always reliable I that some teacher are harder than others. Not every teacher can be the exact same grader so grades will fluctuate depending on teacher difficulty.
The SAT is another way to weed out the not as smart students from the students with erudition. The SAT is a standardized test that colleges focus on. Throughout America, students are required to take the test to enter a college. It is not just a test that you take. Most students start studying for it sophomore year by taking PSAT (Practice SAT’s). Throughout the school year, multiple SAT tests are offered to high school students. It is a very prestigious test and with an important test comes stress and anxiety. Although the SAT is available to be taken over again if you are not satisfied with your score, it still is very nerve-wracking to take the test that will in-turn, decide your future in education. There are many opportunities and method of studying for the big test. At school counselors can help find websites on the internet for finding SAT study questions and also test taking skills.
To keep test takers from just guessing answers, the SAT is a rare test that subtracts points for getting the wrong answer. This makes the test more difficult and also discourages students from guessing. This is beneficial to some kids who just know the answer to lots of questions but to students who have used a guessing method throughout high school, they are at a disadvantage. There are two sections on the SAT. One section is mathematics and the other section is English.
Colleges also look at extracurricular activities like sports are volunteering when they are looking at students applying. Those three screening processes help the colleges determine what students get the opportunity to attend their choice of college. I think these screening processes are also beneficial to the students because they learn important life lessons are ways to manage time. Stress is a very big problem in today’s society and if people learn at a young age how to handle it, they will have an easier time dealing with it in the future. The AP courses not only show the admissions workers that you are a student that challenges yourself, but also teaches you college material that will be beneficial in the long run.
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