- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
DD is a HS junior at a very academically competitive school. 9 th & 10 th grade, the work load was manageable - it was a are night if DD went to bed after 10 PM.
Junior year is a harsh dose of reality - Fall sport (field hockey); 2 honors classes; PSAT/PLAN/ACT Prep & a junior year thesis and a 100 hour community service requirement (to be done in the winter when there are no sports for her). On a great night she's in bed at 10:30; most night 11:15 and the tough nights 12:30. 4+ hours a night of school work isn't unusual so it's tough to get ahead of the homework cycle. There are many a morning she's finishing her home work on the 25 minute drive to school we have.
Is it hard - yep. Is it manageable - barely; but she lives at home, has no other responsibilities and hads mom & dad to fall back on if necessary. Mom helps out with mom things & dad proofreads writing assignments when asked, but our assistance is minimal.
Where dad helps out a lot is keeping up with the recruiting emails, updates, sending transcripts etc, since DD is being recruited for both fielkd hoickey & softball.
What comes out of this is the top 20%-25% of each graduating class all matriculate to the highly academic schools good students attend - some are athletes some not. The field hockey team is sending the captain to an Ivy for the 2nd consecutive year - that Ivy FH coach comes to see DD's team play as they now have a pipeline for players who can play & get through Admissions.
Most of the other athletes attend the very academic D III schools, with a smattering of Ivy's & Di's thrown in. Two soccer players in D's year just committed as a package to a very academic ACC school - big new on her campus - both are great kids and very talented players.
I'm sure you know it very well, but other posters here may not realize what a unique area you live in. In a state that has so many very strong public school districts, Morris County is always near the top. I wish that the rest of the country was willing to invest in education like you have. It's just a part of your culture there, and the results speak for themselves. Whereas the top 25% of your graduates are seeking and gaining admission to competitive colleges and universities, that number isn't even 1% where we live.
Thriving in such a competitive academic environment has your DD on a path to a very bright future. Well done.