What's in an A+!?

Madelyn ShaughnessyStaff Writer

High School means an ongoing struggle to  impress colleges with high grades, a great brag sheet and as many AP and Honors courses as one can handle.Students no longer take classes because they simply are interested in them but rather because they believe that the classes are what colleges want them to take.  They abandon who they are in order to impress universities.Recently there has been some controversy over what appeared to be a new set of “drop rules,” requiring students to switch their AP or Honors course before certain dates or else receive a “WF” (Withdraw Fail) on their report card and transcript.Students were shocked by these “new” rules, but something they didn’t realize was that the rules weren’t as recent as they thought.“The new rules aren’t new,” principal Laurel Fretz said.Fretz explained that they had been in the  Santa Monica -Malibu Unified School District High School Academic Planner and Course Directory booklet before she came to Samo.According to Fretz, these policies encourage students to think more carefully before taking on a challenging course, instead of switching when it’s too late and ending up with a ton of new work to catch up on.This also serves as a great life lesson, for there is not always going to be an easy out.We as students need to learn to take responsibility for our choices, understand the consequences and follow through on our commitments.However, in accordance with our choices and their consequences, many students feel that instead of encouraging them to stay in an AP or Honor’s course, these rules discourage them from even attempting to take on the challenge or to switch before they have given it a fair chance.“People should not be penalized for realizing too late that they took on too much,” junior Rochelle Rubin said.Some students find these rules unfair and detrimental.  Once making their decision, there is no way out without “hurting” their brag sheets for colleges.“It leaves you second guessing yourself with every move,” junior Nastasja Smith said.Students start questioning whether it is better to stay and fail or switch and get a “WF,” where neither one looks good for universities.But the question must be: what kind of student should a college consider a “desirable competitor?”  A student who switches down from an AP to get an A, or one who stays in the course no matter the grade?“Sometimes students and parents think it’s all about that letter grade, but more and more colleges are looking at students that stick with something instead of switching into an easier course,” Fretz said.“Believe it or not, getting a B or a C in a class is not the end of the world, and taking that rigorous course and sticking with it no matter how hard it is, shows that you have the personality not to just drop the course when it gets really hard.  Colleges appreciate that,” Fretz continued.The belief that A’s are the only golden tickets to success needs to be adjusted.  Our educational system is in danger of becoming a factory that churns out narrowly defined academic overachievers, instead of strong, self- governed and passionate individuals who show initiative and flexibility.This course drop policy not only changes the image of an ideal student but prepares the student for the future, where he or she must be confident in their decision-making and accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with their choices.mshaughnessy@thesamohi.com