"Then what should we do now?"
That was the only question his mother could utter after fully understanding the vice principal's statement.
Because right now, she is very confused, not knowing what to do in a situation beyond her imagination.
To his mother's question, the vice principal only replied softly.
"It's all Jinho's choice. He can graduate from high school like this and go straight to university if he wants to. "
Even though the test he's taking now is just a mock test, its difficulty level is not inferior to the actual GED. If Jinho just fully focused on his GED training this month and took a real test, he could graduate from high school and go to university in no time.
But contrary to Heindel's expectations, Jinho pointed out a difficulty when he followed this path.
"Wait, if I graduate from high school right now and go to college, will I be able to go to a good university in the state?"
"...!"
It's not good at all. The GED can replace a diploma, but it can't replace four years of high school. Plus, it's going to be very difficult to get tuition assistance, let alone scholarships, right now.
Jinho thought very carefully.
Just because you do well in the GED doesn't mean universities will open their doors to you.
If that's the case, now family members have rushed to prepare for the GED, but who spends 4 years of high school working hard to accumulate points and participate in extracurricular activities?
As you said, an ordinary public university can accept Jinho, but no prestigious university will do that.
People will even ban the door just because you come from Fort Raymond, where troublemakers gather.
The vice-principal, who revealed his profound eyes to observe Jinho, asked slowly.
"Then Jinho, what kind of future do you want?"
"First of all, I want to go to a prestigious university."
In your opinion, what are the criteria for recognizing a prestigious university?"
"It's basically the Ivy League."
Resource connectivity is very common in the US.
No matter how multicultural and ethnic America is, there is no denying that the 0.1% at the top of the pyramid is still a special class dominated by whites.
If talent can't do well here, where else can it? This is a profound life experience that Jinho himself experienced in his previous life.
Thus, the esteem for talent and achievement is much more evident in college, where people reach their full potential, than in high school, where students are admitted by the status of their parents.
So, Jinho, for the sake of his success, answered the vice-principal without hesitation.
Heindel froze for a moment, began to change his position, and asked again.
"Isn't the Ivy League a place you can say you want to go?"
"But it's not beyond your ability, right? Especially when you're a public school student, you'll have a lot of T.O. to aim for. "
"!"
<
The vice-principal greatly appreciated this answer.
Because in reality, the Ivy League admissions were no different from what he mentioned earlier.
Reputable universities tend to prefer students who grew up exceptionally in ordinary or difficult circumstances over students who have achieved a high GPA in good academic environments. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why last year, the number of successful public students in the Ivy League was the highest.
For example, Harvard University, known as a student's dream, last year admitted 12 students from the Philips Academy in Miami, who were placed in a specialized high school. The second most accepted school is the New York gifted school, Trinity.
The chances of being admitted to Harvard right away while studying in specialized schools are very low, less than 0.1% for every 300 students who graduate.
However, there was one school that sent as many students as the two previous schools combined.
It was Thomas Jefferson, a public high school in Virginia.
'Last year alone it was 21, and last year it was 16.'
Anyone here has probably thought that they should choose a key high school to aim for a prestigious university.
It is a mistake made by young people who do not fully understand America today.
Of course, the positive academic atmosphere and competitive structure within specialized high schools can make students more professional, but if that's all it takes to aim for a top university, it's unlikely. I'm not entirely certain.
There is a clear distinction between students who apply for admission and
Educators call it an "impression of difficulty."
'Hmm'
For a moment, Vice Principal Heindel, who had seen through Jinho's purpose, was lost in his thoughts for a moment.
Since he is empathizing with Jinho's thoughts, he finds everything more profound.
Therefore,
"Jinho's mother, please send him to study elsewhere."
"Yes?"
"If Jinho wants, of course, the boy can stay at Fort Raymond, finish his 4 years of study, or graduate now. However, our school is currently short of human resources to support Jinho. Right now, there is no one in the school. Any AP classes for him to take? "
AP-Advanced Placement classes prepare students for college admissions tests in high schools.
Even in high school, the classes that attract outstanding students to apply to them are one of the factors that universities focus on.
Because the GPA is weighted rather than the cumulative grade point average, and a large part of that is from AP classes, Jinho needs to attend schools that support AP classes. And of course, at Fort Raymond, there can't be a proper AP class.
His mother was bewildered by the vice principal's words and asked
"Even if you suddenly say that, I don't know where to take Jinho to study."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll send a recommendation letter to another school that's supporting AP classes."
Totten Hill High School
Although located in the same area as Fort Raymond, the difference between these two places in terms of students and teachers is like heaven and earth.
The reason is very simple. Because Totten Hill is a purpose-built public high school for better education in the city of Stafen,
There is also a special class at Totten Hill.
A class that recruits talented local students
Because it is such a good public school, the conditions are very strict, and the exam questions are very difficult, but Vice Principal Heindel still wants to do it once.
Because he believes Jinho will overcome it without any difficulty.
"When you arrive, give this to the city's Education Department. It won't take long to check-in. "
The vice-principal prepared a signed letter of recommendation and gave it to Jinho's mother.
As the vice-chancellor said, it didn't take long.
Just two days after submitting his applications to Stefan's City Office of Education, a letter announcing the date of the special entrance exam arrived at his home with admission documents.
***
Miss Joyce, of Totten Hill High School, arrived in front of the special classes testing center and prepared the paperwork.
Math, Science, English, and Society.
The tests, which cover a total of four subjects, have questions that must be answered in order to gain entry into the specialized classes offered by Totten Hill.
Miss Joyce, who checked the exam papers and test papers for any mistakes, nodded with satisfaction. But then, she showed a broken head when thinking about the students participating in this exam.
"It's strange to study at Fort Raymond but enroll in a specialized class at Totten Hill. Isn't that pointless? "
What kind of school is Fort Raymond?
It was a school that was considered irreparable because it was the gathering place for all the bad students in Stafen.
Teachers are completely within reach, and students are armed with weapons more dangerous than pencils.
And now a student wants to move from such a place to a special class?
Knock-knock.
"Yes, please come in."
5 minutes before the test starts.
Joyce answered the knock on the door, and Jinho entered.
"Hi, I'm Jinho."
"Are you a student who wants to take the exam today? The time is right. Sit down."
The test room has only one desk.
Joyce looked at her watch and explained the test.
"There are four subjects in all, and each takes 30 minutes, for a total of 2 hours. So let's start with the English test first. Are you ready? "
"Yes."
"Okay. Take the problem and do it. "
Scramble---
Joyce, who had clocked the signal, sat down at the table and watched Jinho take the test.
This is a rare case that no one does because of possible fraud.
Joyce then looked at her watch and yawned slightly.
'I'll finish at 6'
The hour hand is currently reading 3.
After 2 hours of testing, he had to wait for the teacher to grade and receive the results, so no matter how fast he was, he had to stay here for 3 hours.
If the solution is fast, it may end early, but this is a test of the expert class.
The structure of a specialist exam is different from the usual one.
"Since this is a highly difficult exam, there are bound to be many questions left unsolved due to lack of time."
The test has 45 questions but only 30 minutes to do.
In other words, you must answer a question in less than one minute.
The exam is very difficult.
Actually, it only takes 60 points to pass, so the test is to see how the student is under pressure.
Therefore, students who are considered excellent only need 30 sentences for 30 minutes.
And no student has achieved this excellent score in the special class yet.
..
"What's going on?"
Joyce, who was deep in thought, suddenly asked when Jinho raised his hand, and Jinho submitted the answer to her.
"I finished the test. Can I move on to the next test? "
"... Huh? Did you answer all 45 questions?"
"Yes," What's wrong? "
"No... you really finished it in 15 minutes?"
Joyce rolled her eyes in surprise.
She hurriedly looked at the result sheet that Jinho had submitted and swallowed a surprised sigh once again when she saw his 45 answers.
How can the boy complete it all?
"So I'm done."
Surprised by something that had never happened before, Joyce looked at the answer sheet again. Jinho looked embarrassed, said.
"If you have confirmed it, can I take the next test? I have to go back to help my mother."
"Ah, uhm! Now it's the math test. Similarly, the time is also 30 minutes. "
"Let's begin..."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and pressed the chronograph button.
As time passed, Jinho completed all the tests and left the center.
Joyce started grading as soon as Jinho left. And the results shocked her even more.
"Absolutely right..." "Not wrong at all... "
Jinho's test was absolutely correct from beginning to end.
He answered all 190 questions in 4 subjects correctly and received a perfect score.
Moreover, he finished it in just 1 hour, half of the allotted time.
Joyce, who was stunned by the unbelievable situation before her eyes, hurriedly checked Jinho's application.
The answer to the question of what he wants to do when he attends the special class
---I want to join the Math team.---