Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Hey, I am a 7th grader going into 8th, and wondering what I can do at this time. It's summer and I would much rather be planning ahead for the future Instead of wasting valuable time, which I have alot of free time. Maybe I can take some classes earlier if possible, or study some things early with all the free time I have to get somewhat ahead.

Up to date I have been Independently teaching myself German with some free online courses. I also have a year and a half experience(actually quite good so far) with the alto saxaphone and continuing lessons at the local music shop. Will it benefit me to learn this and other stuff in advance?!? Like for sax music/arts in HS, and learning german as a second language to have some knowledge on it. Sticking with sax and german a sec. language would be the smartest thing to do I guess.
(
This para. is just for a example about what I am trying to explain or something like that...hehe).

I guess this post was frustation about where to start and what to do to prepare. I hope I explained everything clearly. Any help would be greatly apprectiated...I AM OBVIOUSLY OBSESSING!!!!!but It never hurts to plan things ahead of time...bah! HELP!!! /confused, /frustated, /overwhelmed

EDIT: Basically I am saying what can I do now to accell in/for the next few Important years...well I still have my doubts about how accurate I am expressing myself in this post to what I really mean. I think I need to take a chill pill, my eyes are twitching and foot is shaking, LOL.

By Haithman (Haithman) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 09:18 pm: Edit

dood your only going to 8th grade!!!!!! You sound smart so just do good so you can get into honors or G/T classes in 9th grade. Live life and stop stressing over college that much. I just finished 9th grade and in about December i started stressing over college, but i realised that i have 3 more years and i have no idea what lies ahead and plans change. My advice is to do good and start worrying about college towards the middle or end of 10th grade.
Go play some playstation!!

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 09:18 pm: Edit

There, probably a dozen people here that are going to suggest that your start taking tests, certain courses, studying for SATs and a bunch of other things you probably don't want to hear about---but I am not one of them.

If you enjoy reading, and I hope you do, read a lot of decent books just for your pleasure. Continue teaching yourself German, and playing the sax. Do some fishing this summer and release what you catch. Even if you don't catch anything, you'll remember this summer.

By Number9 (Number9) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 09:58 pm: Edit

Steve, where are you learning German at, what site?

I started independent language learning in middle school like you...

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 11:05 pm: Edit

deutsche welle, its kinda corney though(but still good). Goethe Insitut... more specifically that lina and leo thing in the beginning... ahh I think its the grundstufe 1 equiv.:

"Lina und Leo" is a German course for self-learners on the beginner's level. The learner takes a trip through Germany with an architecture student, Lina, and Leo, the parrot. In the course of 15 lessons, the trip stops at 15 cities. Each lesson starts with an introductory story and a scene at one of the city's well-known sites. Numerous exercises provide the opportunity for interactive learning and discovering Germany. The course is approximately equivalent to the Goethe-Institut's "Grundstufe 1" program.

http://www2.goethe.de/z/50/linaleo/start2.htm

These are the sites I remember looking at before taking a little break.
This is some I looked at before, now that I'm back in the "swing of things" I'll probably find some more stuff out there, maybe not free though.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 11:39 pm: Edit

I've also been trying to learn the C++ programming language because of my interest in becoming a game programmer. I got "C++ from the ground up" book.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 11:41 pm: Edit

Hopefully once summer is over I can actually take some "real" classes.

By Number9 (Number9) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 11:46 pm: Edit

Damn! Steve you're a lot like me!

I got into German and C++, I bought "C++ Programming For the Complete Beginner"

You should start with BASIC or something first, C++ is very hard to dive into without another language. I've tried jumping in, and it was unsuccessful, I might attempt again.

I've been working with digital audio now.

By Number9 (Number9) on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 11:47 pm: Edit

Ja, I never took any formal German classes either. My school is too cheap/small to offer it, so I took French, and tried learning German and Russian on my own.

Its hard to find a good book at the library for German since the recent grammar reform.

By Crnchycereal (Crnchycereal) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 12:58 am: Edit

Dude, seriously, don't stress too much. You're going into EIGHTH GRADE! It's simply not worth it to stop worrying about colleges now. Just relax and have a laid-back summer. Read, play the sax, whatever. But do NOT start doing SAT prep and do NOT start researching as much as possible about what to do to get into the best colleges. There's much more time for that later. Just spend time with your friends and whatnot. It's one of the last summers that you'll be able to do that without having to stress about colleges, trust me.

By Andymcgav (Andymcgav) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 11:14 am: Edit

God are all of the seventh graders doing this now? Harvard is going to get 70,000 applications!!!

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 11:48 am: Edit

So, nothing I can do to free up some things in HS?

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 12:03 pm: Edit

One of things that worries me is my LD. It ****'s up my ability to do alot of math(mostly basic, visual spatial), which I would like to get ahead in my weak areas. I seem to be strong on the reading section of the FCAT though. Going to be taking algebra 1 next yr.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 02:04 pm: Edit

any other advice? I like hearing peoples opinions.
What do you do when your crappy new charter school is falling apart, and doesn't offer good classes, how do you get credits? And, what are some of the most challenging courses to take in HS from your guys experience.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 10:30 pm: Edit

ummm...bump

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 10:55 pm: Edit

steve: it looks like we're gonna get a long pretty well . i'm also obsessed with college admissions and also with history. but i'm a freshman, a year ahead of you. I actually started my college search during 8th grade too...my college choice is princeton but it changes from year to year. last year i really liked harvard. then for a while my top choice was university of chicago. now it's princeton. in 4 months or so it might be back to the univ of chicago again. this weekend, i'll visit northwestern! we'll see...

anyway, i'm also completely obsessed with history. i just attended a national history competition just 3 days ago and i'm already looking for next year's topic. haha. then i'll join The Concord Review (www.tcr.org) then plan to write a historical book for fun. i just love doing research. what about you?

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 07:23 pm: Edit

Is there anything I can do to fullfil my intellectual curiousity and at the same time preparing!!!?!!?!?!??

By Number9 (Number9) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 08:00 pm: Edit

Start reading the classics.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 08:19 pm: Edit

I read alot...so...what about more into math, math is something I want to challenge.

By Gotspice (Gotspice) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 09:28 pm: Edit

Umm...I think you should really enjoy as much of your childhood as possible--they are some of the best years of your life. Go hang out w/ friends, watch TV, play sports, go to camp...when you're an adult, you're going to regret missing these memories more than you'll regret not going to *insert elite college here*.

With that said, if you absolutely insist on getting a head start, take a CC course in math...it won't take up your whole day, so you'll still have plenty of time to have fun!

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Sunday, June 22, 2003 - 09:31 pm: Edit

See? I told you someone is going to tell you to take a community college course. You stay out of those places! Go fishing!

By Ziplocky (Ziplocky) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 04:40 am: Edit

O...MY...GOD.

Ok, you're in the 8th grade. Don't you have friends? Don't you go out and play baseball in the park or play video games or do something normal?

Gah, you kids freak me out. Don't start studying for the SATs because they don't HAVE any materials out for the new SAT that you're going to take.GAH, what am I saying, you haven't even taken Geometry yet.

Secondly, DON'T take a college class. Not that you can't handle the work, it's just you may kill yourself in the process. Maybe take an art class or something, though, if you want to do game design.

Work on the C++ all summer, if that's what you want. (I"m sorry, I'm just holding out the urge to scream, "GO PLAY BASKETBALL OR SOMETHING!" really loud)


AND for crike's sake, you're going to give yourself a heart attack before you're old enough to grow facial hair.


READ. MORE. BOOKS. I don't mean Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. I mean read something just a tad above your level. Go to the library tomorrow on your bike and ask the librarian to suggest some books to help you on your way.

gah. GO OUTSIDE. SLEEP TILL NOON. STAY UP ALL NIGHT WATCHING BAD INFORMERCIALS. YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE 13 AGAIN.

By Smiley (Smiley) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 05:32 am: Edit

>GO OUTSIDE. SLEEP TILL NOON. STAY UP ALL NIGHT WATCHING BAD INFORMERCIALS. YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE 13 AGAIN.<

Is it bad if I'm 17 and still do that stuff? I really hope I never grow up.... that would suck.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:08 am: Edit

thats what I always used to do...EVERY SINGLE DAY! I started to get more and more anti-social. UGHH...forgot to take medication...i'm feeling it.

By Texas137 (Texas137) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:36 am: Edit

Steve - C++ is a great thing to work on over the summer. After you get past the rudiments, if you would like some problems to work on, go look at the training pages for the USA Computing Olympiad www.usaco.org
You might want to look at some of the bios of the team-members over the years. Many of them started serious programming in middle school.

By Andymcgav (Andymcgav) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:56 am: Edit

I agree with Ziplocky. Nobody in the ninth grade or eighth grade should go on these boards until at least during the ninth grade school year. I'm not saying this to be a snob, but I'm saying this because you're all going to get an ulcer when you turn fifteen and life DOES NOT revolve around getting into Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, as well as any other elite college. Lots of people have said it on this board, but I think you need to hear it again.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 12:34 pm: Edit

There is two ways I can be, serious, or not so serious. I just learned this school year, you don't get anywhere by just having fun. But I can ONLY be in those two modes, its weird. I guess I will just chill and read alot of the summer.

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 12:36 pm: Edit

Thats the problem that once I go crazy...I can't stop. HEHE

By Steveismyname (Steveismyname) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 12:37 pm: Edit

But, I have a mysterious gift, an hidden confidence, Its not consistent but when It does "work" I'm a genius .

By Andymcgav (Andymcgav) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 01:09 pm: Edit

Believe me, I know where you're coming from. It's like nicotine, but just do well in eighth grade because colleges don't care what EC's you do in middle school.

By Magicdragonfly (Magicdragonfly) on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 06:44 pm: Edit

heh..FCAT..that test is soooo ridiculously easy..when I moved down here I was getting paranoid because they acted like it was so hard..(Jan of my 8th grade year)..then I took it and got a perfect score one it..it's so ridiculous..and then these schools spend the ENTIRE year prepping for the test instead of teaching you anything..it's pathetic...I was on collegeboard and fastweb and such looking at schools since 8th grade...looking @ some since 7th..

By Magicdragonfly (Magicdragonfly) on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 06:47 pm: Edit

I got a perfect score in 9th grade as well..10th I was getting sick of having to prep for the stupid thing and stopped trying altogether..I was sooo sick of it..they overdo it way too much..My teachers yelled at me for dropping in my scores..what do they expect if you have perfects? I didn't care...why should I..I passed...it's sad how many people don't pass that test. I still stayed in the highest level thing too..I was just low in the level instead of perfect scores...Schools up north are so much better..hmm..read some text books..heh..get a math textbook..you could practice your math