New Semester... Fresh Starts

I have been neglecting my blog.  I could give you all kinds of excuses and justifications about why and all of them would be true and valid, but the reality is, I need to do better.  And so this starts my moment of refocus where I intend to blog more and use this as the communication tool that I have designed it to be for all of you.

The good news is that my refocusing aligns with you having that exact same opportunity to start fresh.  Tomorrow begins the 2nd semester of your school year.  We are half way through the year already... crazy!  It means new classes for some of you.  And it means a fresh start for all of you.  Your grades completely start over again.  You have A's now in every class - your goal is to keep it there... or at least as close to that as you can manage.  Your slate has been wiped clean - no more trying to dig out of the holes from first semester - take advantage and make this your best semester yet!

As you make your fresh start, there will inevitably be many students who come by requesting to make changes to their schedules.  You have this week to be able to add a class to your schedule so you will need to make your mind up quickly.  But, I'd like to point out both the advantages and disadvantages of adjusting your schedule at this point.

If you are struggling in your classes and it isn't just because you haven't put forth the effort that you know you should have been demonstrating, then you NEED to make a change!  Let's adjust your schedule to make it more manageable.  We want you to be successful in the classes you are taking.  So if you are feeling overwhelmed and overloaded, come see me so we can figure out what you can adjust in your day.

However, if you are a senior and just wanting to change your schedule for an easier final semester or because you are mentally "done" with high school, we really need to talk about that decision and I will strongly encourage you against making that switch.  Every year we receive messages from colleges about how senior schedule changes can impact their admissions decisions.  For example, one I received recently said, "Students who have applied to (college) and are requesting a change to their senior schedule should let us know by visiting their (college) status page where they can complete the schedule change form.  Strength of curriculum is an important factor in our admissions decision and a change to a student's senior schedule could potentially impact their final admissions decision."  Now, this school had a portal page where you could upload that information.  Other colleges will ask for you to put your schedule change and reasons in writing for them to review.  Other colleges you can simply call and share your schedule change with your admissions advisor at the school.  But, unless you are doing poorly in your classes, you should think carefully and review your choice with your parents and your intended colleges before you start dropping classes from your schedule.

If you have questions about the decision making related to schedule changes, feel free to let me know!