<p>Upon graduation from high school, my son will have 2 years of college credit. He is in the top 5% of his class and scored in the top 1%(nationally) on the ACT. He is able to attend the state flagship and graduate in 2yrs. and then on to grad. school. Does this seem reasonable, or will he lose something by not having the traditional 4 yr. undergraduate experience?</p>
<p>This depends on your son. Some kids want the social experiences of college. Others put their focus on academics and just want to keep moving academically.
There certainly is no rush. Being the youngest does have disadvantages - I think you should let him decide though.</p>
<p>PS - “The 4 year undergraduate experience” is not always what it’s cracked up to be.</p>
<p>If he gets a merit scholarship (or if money is not a factor), he will be better off staying in college longer, and taking more advanced (possibly graduate level) classes as an undergrad. If he goes into sciences, staying longer will also give him an opportunity to do more serious research.
Although he might be able to complete his graduation requirements at the state U in 2 years, he will have harder time to compete for top grad programs.</p>
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<p>Well…that is assuming he has fulfilled the requirements for his major. I know students who have had similar college credits when entering the flagship U…but they were not able to graduate in four years. Some switched majors and some were simply not able to fulfill the requirements in the right sequences in a four year timetable.</p>
<p>In the end, I think this should be up to your son. He may find that there are things he WANTS to do in undergrad school…say study abroad or do unpaid internships…that could truly benefit him in the long run, but would also extend his undergrad years beyond two.</p>
<p>Then again…the moon and stars could align and he’ll be able to graduate in two years and move on.</p>
<p>If S knows exactly what he intends to major in, and you have the State U’s current policy on the college credit he has and how it will be applied, then he probably can graduate in 2 years. But in many cases, my S1’s for example, much of his AP credit (41 hours) applied to his electives. That was fine w/him because he got to use all his elective hours to take additional engineering classes in his major and emphasis area. Still had to take many of the core classes anyway. Graduating in 4 years this spring, then off to grad school next year, with any luck.</p>
<p>He shouldn’t feel he has to go to your local state U and rush through it. I hope you will let him apply to a variety of colleges. I think he may be likely to be able to graduate in 3 years from many colleges - I think many schools will count some but not all of his credit toward their requirements.</p>
<p>I hope he has time to study abroad while he is in an undergraduate, at your state U or elsewhere.</p>
<p>One of the issues is that the public flagship will accept all of AP’s and PSEO courses, but most privates will limit the credits a new student can bring in. This would mean that, at best, he would receive placement. Does anyone believe that it would be better to use the rigor of his high school courses and attend a more prestigious university? Would a bachelors degree from a top tier university/lac trump the prospect of being 2yrs into a grad. program (given the same 4 yr time frame)?</p>
<p>I don’t know your kid…and a lot depends on his maturity level. Keep in mind that he has the potential to begin grad school at age 20 when probably most of the other grad students will be 22 or even older. Will he have the maturity for that? I’m not sure I understand why there is a hurry for him to get through undergrad school in two years…that seems like a very short time to me…with the anticipation of grad school immediately after? What is the rush? Are there things he might LIKE to do in college besides take classes and study? Might he like to be on a club team or be a member of a club of any sort? Does he want to study abroad, do an unpaid internship, do research that might not be for credit? </p>
<p>Please explain why it’s essential that he graduate in two years? I’m not saying he shouldn’t…I just would love to understand why this is important for him. I don’t think it’s an edge at all.</p>
<p>In my sons case, he started off his freshman year of high school taking AP Chem. By the end of his junior year, he had enough credits to graduate. Instead, he chose to take advantage of our states PSEO program and explore courses the high school couldn’t offer. He has always attended classes with kids much older than him. I wouldn’t say that he was rushed through the high school, rather he proceeded with a sense of direction. By the time of graduation from high school, he will have 70/120 credits needed to graduate from the U (including all distribution requirements). What would be lost by continuing on this path? What would be gained by attending a school where he could have 170-190 credits at the time of graduation?</p>
<p>Do whatever works for your son. Just make sure that he can meet the requirements of his major in two years…if that is what HE decides to do. To me, that is the biggest question. Of course a lot depends on his major and the policies of the school. Where both of my kids attend(ed) college, they had to take ALL courses in their major AT the school (no AP credits accepted, no community college courses accepted). There was no way either of them could have completed the requirements for their majors in two years. Both started courses in their majors in their freshman years…courses they were not permitted to take elsewhere because they were required for their major.</p>
<p>Just make sure that what you want to do is really possible.</p>
<p>The only things “lost” by continuing this path are opportunities to explore other areas of study, and as mentioned before…do internships, participate in clubs and other social things, study abroad, research (no credit). These would be very possible with the potential for a lighter courseload.</p>
<p>Also, he may find that a double major would be a good thing…and if he gets decent financial aid, he could do this as well in four years…but not two.</p>
<p>This is one of those “different strokes for different folks” situations. If it works for your son, then fine. I know that my kids relished the chance to do so many different things, meet many different people, forge relationships that will last a lifetime. DS graduated in four years and DD is on that path. But for them, college was more than just amassing credits…it was an experience.</p>
<p>College is time of great intellectual and emotional growth. It also might be the last time he will be able to study things unrelated to his future career and widen his horizons (and still graduate in 3-4 years).</p>
<p>As for going to a more prestigious U - I don’t know if there is any great value in “prestige”, but going to school with higher caliber students and more intellectual atmosphere can definitely be a very different “college experience”. Also, some Us and LACs provide exceptional grad school preparation (Swarthmore’s Honors program comes to mind).</p>
<p>Part of the issue swings on maturity. He will be younger, which may or may not matter depending on him. That can be a social issue.</p>
<p>Is this Minnesota PSEO? My son (high school class of 2010) faces the same set of trade-offs. </p>
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<p>I think it might be. I attend regional college information meetings in my town </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/530011-fall-2008-parent-opportunities-meet-college-admission-officers.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/530011-fall-2008-parent-opportunities-meet-college-admission-officers.html</a> </p>
<p>to get a sense of what those out-of-state colleges might have to offer. My son will definitely make an application to the state flagship, where he now takes his PSEO (dual-enrollment) classes. He will probably apply to some set of out-of-state colleges that HE likes, and of course the admission officers of those colleges will decide whether or not he gets offers of admission from those. There may be some out-of-state choice that makes sense. </p>
<p>I heard a local story about a girl who had 162 quarter credits at the University of Minnesota (through AP testing, PSEO study, and advanced math courses for high school students) before she graduated from high school, back when it took 180 quarter credits to graduate with a four-year degree. She decided rather than to go to the U of MN undergrad to attend Caltech, starting as a freshman. Caltech has very challenging courses and she was glad to go there. Amazingly, she finished her four-year degree at Caltech in only three years–this almost never happens. Different choices for different people, but it can make sense to do a full undergraduate degree at [insert name of famous, far-away college here] even if the state university would let the same applicant finish in just one or two years.</p>
<p>S3 has applied @ umn cbs. The PSEO program provided the opportunity to take courses beyond what the h.s. could offer. It has been a good experience for him and I believe HE will be able to make a more informed decision regarding HIS future.
I thank everyone for their thoughtful posts!</p>