Gifted/talented class?

[bigfoot]

So... It turns out that my school wants me to take classes in their gifted program. You know, the class for the super nerds (which is really me). Yes friends, my dumb act has failed. What I'm asking is, should I go for it? There's a test and everything (I've already taken part of it) that I'll have to pass to take the classes. Would I really benefit from these classes? I am really bored with everything in schOol.

[workingatperfect]

What class is it for? If it's English you'l benefit by getting a better understanding of the books you read and everything, because the work is much more extensive from what I've seen. If it's anything but english, you're going to learn more than you would in the normal class because it's faster paced, so you end up covering more material. In either case, you do benefit in some way. In my experience they tend to be more interactive as well.

[CharlieFinley]

Yes. Knowledge is one pursuit that is undeniably right.

[bigfoot]

What class is it for? If it's English you'l benefit by getting a better understanding of the books you read and everything, because the work is much more extensive from what I've seen. If it's anything but english, you're going to learn more than you would in the normal class because it's faster paced, so you end up covering more material. In either case, you do benefit in some way. In my experience they tend to be more interactive as well.

I think it's for every class. Not sure though.

[workingatperfect]

Oh, probably. I don't know, my high school only has Honors English, Physics and Bio 2. And math, but that has to be started in middle school. But anyway yeah, I think you should do it, you'll definitely benefit in some way or another. Like I said, a lot of it will be faster paced, so you cover more material in the year, and work is typically more extensive, so you get a better understanding.

[Erasmus]

In 4th grade, I had the option of switching schools to another one that offered gifted classes, because I did really well on some test. Anyway, I ended up not going to the school because it would have meant leaving all of my friends, and I would have had to get up really early. If they had offered the classes at my school then, I definitely would have taken them.

If I were you, I would definitely take the gifted classes. I think you would really benefit from them.

[Desuetude]

Gifted shit sucks, I know it's not the complete same system here in the UK but all it is for me is more pressure, higher expectations and standards and if you do crap on one test or your grades fall they call your parents in to talk about why you're not achieving and make you feel useless. Fucking hate it and once you're in the little IPOD group (Independent Person of Distinction (Oh I know my school is so creative)) there's no fucking way out.

It's all up to you though, I don't suppose they're that harsh there if they're giving you the option to take it or not. If you need to be pushed and you're finding school too easy and boring then it's best to take it and work at higher levels.

[Zman21]

I would definitely take those classes. Not only will you no longer be bored in class, you have a better chance at getting into a good college which usually means a good job. Although these classes probably mean more work it will pay off in the long run. And as long as the classes are at the same school, you don't have to worry about losing any of your friends because you will still be able to see them from time to time like in non-core classes (art, gym, health...)

[Syvelocin]

I always advise against that stuff, depending on the level. We had two extra levels depending on the subject in particular: A levels (AP/IB-esque difficulty) of course and then accelerated classes that were a bit faster than the normal classes. They would cover all of that year's curriculum and half of the next year's.

I was in accelerated Maths and English, and it was perfectly fine when the teacher knew what she was doing. However, I had friends who were taking all A levels and I thought they were bonkers. I still think so, even more now.

The only thing these classes do is get you into a better school, and getting into a better school is only necessary when you're going into specific career fields that value certain schools more than others. Lawyers, doctors, etc. For many careers, a degree is a degree. The school I'm going to for psychology next year has a minimum GPA of 3.0 (3.25 they say is a sure-fire spot), and is on the list of top psych programmes in the US, so why push it?

If they're like the classes I took, I think it's good. I got extremely bored in school, too. If they're college-level courses, I say don't do it. All it does is get you more stressed, fuck up your GPA if you aren't careful, and increase your workload. You're a teenager! You already spend eight hours at school. You need the rest of it to be a teenager while you still can. You can do as many essays as you'd like at uni, but your teen years are the shortest (in amount of time) of your life.

[sparkles]

Definitely go for it, looks good for colleges and if you're really that smart the other classes can be REALLY boring.

[Abyssal Echo]

yeah the work is supposedly harder but I think its an awsome oppertunity.
So yeah I say go for it