9th Graders Questions

Q: Is one semester of early college one year of high school? Does it feel like that?

1. It may be in terms of academic quality/quantity, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it! The semester goes by really really quickly, often I leave classes feeling like I know less than when I started. 
2. On paper, yes. In reality, no. I think that it all depends on what kind and how many classes you are taking. You can’t just compare the two without taking that into consideration. 

Q: What is the workload? Is it less or more than middle school?

1. It’s MUCH less than middle school. Sometimes I wonder how I survived ninth grade. However, in early college your focus will be on quality, not on completing busy-work like grammar questions and vocabulary fill-in-the-blanks. 
2. Definitely less busy work but more of the assignments and tests matter because of that. Again it depends by class as well. My astronomy class for example had three midterms, a final, a project, and two essays/presentations at only three units while my five unit Spanish class had a couple of midterms and a final. 

Q: When do you get to start choosing your own classes?

1. I started choosing them second semester of my sophomore year. I knew for me personally taking the pre-reqs for Bio101A was the goal which affected my entire schedule from the beginning. I would definitely have an older peer with similar interests to you or pursuing a similar major track give you advice on your class sequence though. (and of course Mr. John!)
2. You only really get to explore once you hit senior year and complete your A-G requirements

Q: How many classes do you need to complete the requirement and how many do you get to take by choice?

1. You are usually taking 2-3 requirements per semester sophomore and junior year and only 1-2 senior year. That means in sophomore and junior year you are taking 2-3 classes by choice and in senior year most of your classes you choose based on your interests. You do have to make sure they will still be impressive on your college application and show colleges you are eager, curious, and challenging yourself.
2. You need to complete all of Alsion’s required courses and then the rest should more or less be related to your interests. 

Q: Do you have more freedom in early college? If so, in what form?

1. You definitely have more freedom in early college in terms of picking a schedule you think will be best for your class goals and mental health. This can be a challenge and definitely takes adjustment however. Not needing to be at school 7 hours a day everyday also makes it easy to not know how much and when you need to study to stay on track because the structure and stability you have in middle school is gone.