Lee Honors College

Lee Honors College

What every ATYP student should know

Working with your home school

While most schools are familiar with and extremely supportive of ATYP, others are often confused and therefore reluctant to accommodate your needs. Below, you will find a list of possible problems you may encounter and some tips for how to trouble-shoot some of them. You may find that there just might not be a solution to your particular conflict, but being informed could help you weather it a bit more easily. Our counselors and staff at ATYP are working hard to make sure all our participating schools understand what we do and what your needs are in order to minimize problems and to strengthen cooperation between our program and your home school.

  • Do I need to be participating in an English class at my home school if I am taking ATYP English 9/10? (Same question regarding math, etc.) No! Our program not only covers appropriate grade level content for the year, it will exceed it. You may need to show your counselor, teacher, or principal a course description. Your school should already know that you do not need to take a redundant class—you will have far too much homework and not enough time to do it properly in that subject area. You will probably be signed up for an English or Math class for pupil accounting audit purposes, but the rest of the week when you are not at ATYP should be spent doing ATYP work during that time—not the work assigned by your home school. If you have trouble convincing them, call the ATYP office right away and let us advocate for you.
  • Some schools will require you to take a final period/fourth block class. You should try to make sure you have a seminar/study hall for your last class period to cut down on missing non-ATYP classes. However, this may not always be an option and we may not be able to cement an agreement with your school to provide you with a seminar/study hall for fourth block. This will put you in the unenviable position of being responsible for materials covered in that particular class. Some teachers will not understand why you will be leaving their classes once or twice a week. We recommend that you share your course description with your teacher and get written verification that you will not lose participation points for days you are out of the class for ATYP (be aware that you may be responsible for work missed during ATYP). Make sure your counselor is involved in the agreement. We have had unfortunate instances in the past when a student thought he had an agreement, yet later found a C on his report card due to missing participation points. ATYP is working very hard to contact every counselor in every school to try to ensure that this will not happen; however, protect your interests by taking proactive steps. We are currently working on an attendance tracking system to prove that you are where you should be. 
  • If your school has a problem accommodating your ATYP schedule, it might help to explain your needs in such terms as a dual enrollment student. Schools are familiar with how to honor the needs of dual enrollees. Again, if you meet resistance, do not feel you must deal with it on your own—call the ATYP office and let us work for you.
  • What if I complete ATYP AP classes by sophomore year? You are technically cleared to start taking college classes as a dual enrolled student. Your public home school is required to pay a portion to all the fees of dual enrolled students’ classes as juniors and seniors. The total amount differs depending upon your school’s per pupil allowance and the number of classes offered each semester at your school. Many schools will not wish to do so for sophomores since there is no legal requirement. In this case, we recommend signing up for junior/senior honors classes as a sophomore since it isn’t legal to compel parents of public school children to pay for classes. Your school’s honors course should be a good review and it may cover material different from your ATYP courses. Your counselors should make this accommodation. If you run into any roadblocks, contact the ATYP office as soon as possible and let us clear the way for you.

Survival tips

Your test scores say you are qualified for ATYP and now you are starting classes. Are you wondering what you have gotten yourself into? Are you wondering how you will keep up in exciting, yet challenging classes? Here are some survival tips to help you ease into ATYP:

  • How am I going to get my homework done? ATYP homework isn’t like your regular homework. You definitely won’t be able to do it on the car ride to class! Most students find that beginning the homework the day following ATYP class helps to keep the week balanced and less stressful. Also, having a set time every day to do homework keeps you motivated to stay on top of it. Some students make a list of everything they need to do that week, and then schedule which day to do each part; some even narrow it down to a specific assignment that they do on a specific day each week. Many students going into second year will tell you that they wish they’d done this from the start.
  • What do I do during my study hall? Some students prefer to do ATYP homework during study hall. Other students choose to do the rest of their homework at school and leave ATYP homework to do at home. It really depends on each student’s preference.
  • I can’t do this! It’s hard! Help is available—ask for it. Just because you are in an accelerated program doesn’t mean that you will understand every concept on the first try. Sometimes a math concept or a new writing assignment can stump you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; it doesn’t show weakness. Math students can call or email your grader with questions. Quite often, a couple of words can get you started and then you can finish the problem on your own. An even better plan is to try to get the majority of your homework done by Sunday afternoon and then go to the help session to get your questions answered. For writing skills students, email or call your teacher (whichever he or she prefers) with the concept you are struggling with, the page numbers where the story doesn’t make sense, the paragraph that won’t come together, or whatever it is that is troubling you. 
  • What do I do about the classes that I missed while at ATYP? Check with the teacher the next day to find out what you have missed. For a long-term solution, find a homework buddy in that class. Each ATYP class day, your homework buddy can write down what happened in class and what the homework was for that class. Then, your homework buddy can give you the assignment the next day. If you feel that the homework you are making up seems excessive, talk to your teacher to see which assignments are crucial to complete and which assignments you can possibly avoid without damaging your overall grade. We recommend you talk this over with your parents first in order to get tips for how to approach the subject diplomatically before approaching your teacher.
  • Boy, this is harder than I thought—can I really do this? Yes, you can! Stick it out for at least 6 weeks in ATYP. Most students find that by the end of this probationary period, they have found a system that will work. Your teacher and your parents probably have some great ideas that could help you manage your time and your ATYP homework. Ask for help, if you need it. If, at the end of 6 weeks, you still find that you can’t get the hang of ATYP, call the office. We have a certified counselor in the office and he can talk with you and your parents; Frederick will help you find the best solutions for you.
I have a problem, question, or concern about ATYP. Call your teacher (or email, if he or she prefers it) or call the office at any time with problems, questions, or concerns. We are here to assist you: (269) 387-3230 or ATYP-info@wmich.edu. Kelly, Frederick, and Becky are looking forward to helping you.
 

Lee Honors College
1903 W. Michigan Avenue
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 5244 USA
Phone (269) 387-3230 | (269) 387-3903 Fax
leehonorscollege@wmich.edu