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[mrkgoo]

Nah, High school doesn't prepare you for university, in terms of knowledge nor study habits. I now major in biology, and I remember our class having an arguement with our bio teacher about whether deepsea fish with bioluminescent lights existed - she was convinced we were trying to pull one over on her!

At any rate, if it's any consolation, Undergraduate does crap-all in preparing you for graduate studies. The only thing I can see developing is that your current level of study always seems to be the hardest, and the year before seems to be irrelevant. That is, when you're in High school, it seems oh so important, and you stress about grades this and marks that, but when you're at Uni, it all seemed to have meant little, and you worry about uni....then you go on, and the cycle continues.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

Hell no.

The first time I went to college, I was with about 20 or so of my peers. I was doing Graphic Design in a very tough program. I got a 3.5 overall in HS so I coasted by and got slammed with a 2.3. I took 18 credits, worked my ass off, and got a 3.0. I was so pissed off at the major. The teachers were egomaniacs that cared only about art that was the same kind as them. If it was done well, they were perceived as threats to their integrity as an artist. A good piece of artwork might fetch a 70-75%.

Engineering is much tougher. I got barely by first semester with a 2.03 and had to retake a class. This semester I pulled off a 3.17. During this time, I have done well overall but there are only six of my peers left. Most of them were kicked out and dropped out during the last two years. Many of them went back to community college. One of them includes the valedictorian of my class. Although it was more politically correct so they had six people, which was basically throwing together a group of any woman or minority who cared about school. A guy who got a 4.0, played three sports, and got a 34 on ACT was no match for someone who had a 3.3 average with a 26 ACT. Well, that girl in particular dropped out at the end of the year.

College is tough. Looking back, I wondered how I didn't get a 4.0 in HS.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Well...I was drinking fairly heavily in my senior year, so I feel the transition was sufficiently lubricated.

 

[yoshifumi]

high school didn't prepare me in the sense that i never studied for anything in hs and i did well, and in college i actually have to study.

it did prepare me with what i felt was a good overall knowledge base though.

 

[disabledHeliocentric]

Umm...no. I had to really take some time and hit the books outside of school.

 

[Mumbles]

For me, yes. Since I went to one of the better private schools in my area for HS, and had dyslexia and a horde of language courses to deal with, I really picked up how to study, and how much of it to do. The theoretical math courses I had in HS made my engineering classes look like cake, and the teachers could spot BS immediately, and would call you on it. I went from a B-/C+ average in the advanced courses in HS, to a 4.0 with 19-20 credits per semester in freshman year, and worked far less.

OTOH, I've also seen people who breezed through HS, did no actual work, and then when they get to college, it's obvious that they couldn't even write an tolerable essay. I saw a lot of clearly bright people get less-than-random results on multiple choice exams, because they were so worried about their test techniques that they went against the answers they had derived. I saw 4-5 hour "study sessions" that were mostly about doing one problem, and then copying everyone else's.

 

[levious]

You get what you put in...

and that means more than just getting a certain grade/score.

There seems to be a strong feeling of resentment towards high school. I'd chalk that up to the fact that anyone 18-20 is a little prick who thinks he knows everything he needs to - myself included. You learn better as you grow older hopefully.

I'm not surprised that Phoenix offered one of the few level-headed responses in this thread.

 

[Manders]

i didn't need any preparation. i am very smart.

 

[MIMIC]

The one I went to in 9th grade: Yes, to a degree.
The one I graduated from: hell the fuck no.

 

[Matlock]

Someone blasted him, saying he was lazy, that he didn't take responsibility, etc. Here's his reply.

To the editor:

I'd like to thank the community for their overwhelming support of my first letter which appeared in the May 16th edition of the News-Herald.

Many people reassured me that this situation with the school system has been evident for years; they thanked me for finally bringing the problem to the public eye.

I'd also like to clarify some misunderstandings concerning the previous letter. I do not think that majoring in music is easier than in math. That is not the reason I switched majors.

I changed my major because I am going to teach students who want to learn a subject, not because they are required to learn a subject. Also, I am not placing full blame on the high school for my "failure", as some people commented, in college.

A 3.118 is a very respectable GPA at such a prestigious and accredited college. Obviously, I am partially at fault for my unpreparedness.

Nevertheless, I am placing partial blame on the high school for not preparing me, in addition to all its students, nearly enough to excel in college. A high school should not be part of the problem.

I would like to go further into my suggestion for Advanced Placement classes. Schools around Harrison Hills that have AP classes include St. Clairsville, Buckeye Local, Edison Local, Indian Creek, Martins Ferry, Steubenville, Claymont, Conotton Valley, Dover, New Philadelphia and Carrollton. These schools' AP classes included English, Biology, History, Government, Art, Calculus, Physics and Spanish and other foreign languages; AP classes at the schools mentioned above have been available for quite some time.

What is the problem with Harrison Central High School? Almost all schools around them have many advanced classes, yet HCHS continues to be left in the dust. The high school needs to keep up with the Joneses, because the Joneses are far beyond what HCHS is trying to accomplish.

Also, a few critics have brought up the fact the Harrison Central does not have the funds to pay for all these AP classes. Teachers have to be qualified to their AP subjects and must follow a specific curriculum, which would in turn help the students in their study techniques and note-taking skills. Any extra cost would be minimal in getting the teachers' additional training.

Many people are failing to realize that my first letter was not a letter written to bash the high school and its teachers. The letter's purpose was a call for improvement of the high school's methods of teaching and to offer a more challenging curriculum to attempt to help future students.

In a response letter a few weeks ago, a student mentioned that "the best high school in the world cannot change a person's attitude." Being an effective teacher involves motivating his or her students and instilling confidence, a positive attitude and a will to learn.

I agree with the cliché, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." But you can put salt in the horse's oats.

Sincerely,

Alex Frazier

Haha, way to bitch out.

 

[Incognito]

my gpa in HS was a 73(out of 100). college level gpa so far is 3.7. needless to say, i didn't pay much attention to anything in the HS years... :lol

 

[Tarazet]

Someone blasted him, saying he was lazy, that he didn't take responsibility, etc. Here's his reply.

Haha, way to bitch out.

Fact: the curriculum in state-run high schools is designed to prepare you for state-run colleges. In my area especially, this was blindingly obvious. That was part of my decision to uproot myself and expensively relocate to Oberlin. Even though it ultimately didn't work out, I'm damned glad I had the experience of seeing a whole different level of talent, compared to what I was used to.