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Ninth Grade
As a
college preparatory school, Cary Academy only offers courses
which help students reach the goal of preparing for college.
For this reason, all courses are considered “college prep”
courses.
The main task for students in Ninth Grade is to do as well as they can
in the core academic disciplines in which colleges are most
interested: English,
history, math, science, foreign language, and the arts.
One helpful task parents
can undertake is to begin a folder of accomplishments, including grade
reports, copies of awards, certificates, and prizes their students may have
won. Keep a list of
teams, memberships in organizations, leadership positions earned, volunteer
activities of note, and jobs students have held, if any.
This will enable students to list their accomplishments accurately and
document those activities in which they have participated over time and
leadership positions earned.
Tenth Grade
Students should continue to
take courses which challenge them. Again,
the key is a balanced curriculum in which the student demonstrates success. Electives should enable students to branch out beyond the
basic curriculum and show some coherent pattern of growth in the student’s
interests. We also strongly encourage students to delve
into extracurricular activities of interest to them!
Sophomores at Cary Academy will automatically be registered for the PSAT
in October of the sophomore year. The College Counselors will
meet with the sophomore class to explain the test and to distribute information
before the test date. We will also send information home to parents. The PSAT in
the 10th grade is a great time to see what the SAT will be like. There is no
'risk,' in that scores are only sent to the student and the high school. These
scores are not sent to colleges for admissions purposes. The exam is given at school on a standardized
test date set by the College Board and students are billed for the cost of the
exam.
Parents are
also invited to special sessions on
the college admissions process sponsored by the College Counseling Office.
These programs generally include a discussion and Q&A
meeting with the college counselors during the
sophomore year to preview the the college search process and to familiarize parents
and students with the resources available to Cary Academy students.
The summer between the
Sophomore and Junior years is a good time to take advantage of our location in
the Triangle and visit some college campuses in the area.
The purpose of these visits is to see the differences between types of
schools. It is a good idea to
consult with the College Counselor for suggestions about which colleges or
universities to visit and what to look for during the visits.
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