High schools: how similar are they really?

What it feels like for students to enter Oakton in the middle of the year.

Yara Mohamed, Staff Writer|January 24, 2017

Imagine having to move across the country in the middle of the school year and switching high schools. High school is something the majority of America can relate to. It’s seen as a right of passage, preparation for your future, and overall a necessary part of finding yourself. Many people can relate to high school dramas shown on TV or sitting in their fifth period math class. But do you ever stop to think how different everyone’s high schools really are?

As someone who moved from an IB school in a small town in the gulf coast of Mississippi to Oakton in NOVA, going to a different high school was a big change. For one, there are different class schedules. Some high schools in Mississippi have only four classes a semester and get new classes after the semester ends. On the other hand, Oakton has two sets of four classes every other day. With four classes a semester, students can spend more time on each class, because they don’t have to prepare for seven classes.

Another big difference is the standardized tests that are emphasized. Coming from a southern school, most students are encouraged to take the ACT. In Mississippi, the colleges most students want to go to were local southern colleges who prefer that certain test. Since the colleges the majority of students at Oakton plan to go to prefer the SAT, this standardized test is more popular in NOVA. There are many differences between the two tests including the content in the sections, the format of the questions, and scoring.

Compared with my previous high school, there are more extracurricular activity options at Oakton. There are around twenty clubs in my previous school, but Oakton exceeds that by having five times that amount with about 104. Junior Kavya Sivan, president of We The People and Debate team says, “Oakton offers so many clubs that I feel like everyone can find something that they’re interested in and find a family at Oakton. For me it’s definitely Debate, We The People, and chorus.” There is a plethora of clubs offered for students to explore and discover their passions.

Another difference between the schools is the layout of the building. At my previous school, the layout was similar to a college in that students had to go through the center courtyard to go to their classes. Additionally, lockers were seen as unnecessary and too traditional. In contrast, Oakton High School looks much more like a stereotypical high school with low ceilings and lockers in every hallway.

Unsurprisingly, each school requires different classes to graduate. While Oakton requires two years of PE and Health with Driver’s Ed, Economics, and a certain number of core classes, not every school has the same requirements. My previous school only required one year of PE and Health, a STEM class, and an ACT prep class combined with a number of core classes.

While there are AP classes offered at Oakton, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is absent. AP and IB classes are both offered at my previous school, but most students are encouraged to take IB because of the diploma. AP and IB are similar on the grading scale but the goals are different. AP classes prepare students for college. IB can be taken as a set program to receive a diploma or classes in which students can chose which certain IB class to take. A similarity between the schools is the wider range of rigorous classes open up to students junior year.

Something that is a major problem present between both schools is the teaching style and the way students absorb information. I would have so many tests to study for that I never retained the information. It seems like the importance of grades outweighed knowledge and using that information in real life. Sivan agrees saying, “No [it doesn’t work how we get taught in the classroom], because a lot of my teachers just put on a powerpoint and they just talk at you. I feel like it could be more technology based or computer based learning or more interactive styles of learning rather than just lectures and powerpoints.“ Students and teachers should work together to find a way that works for each individual, by discussing strategies to suit each student. This is an issue present in the majority of schools across the nation, not only these certain high schools.

While there are a few similarities between the two high schools, the experience overall is different. In both schools, students take classes and prepare for college and the next chapter of their life. However, there is a difference with the class schedules, standardized tests, and extracurricular activities to name a few. In any high school, it’s important for students to learn how to balance extracurricular activities and grades and to explore different options.

High schools: how similar are they really?