Dilemma-Let daughter graduate early from HS?

Parent Cafe
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<p>To make a long story short, my daughter may be able to graduate at the end of this summer from high school, basically 1 year early. Her original plan was to go to a 4 year college but if she graduates early she can start community college in the fall, attend for 2 years and then transfer, be one year ahead…plus save $$. </p>

<p>She really has no interest in her senior year of HS (she is over the drama), she has a 4.0, mostly hangs out with college kids and is taking college classes already…</p>

<p>She would only have 2 classes her senior year if she stayed in HS and I am thinking it may be best for her to go for it…</p>

<p>…but I am so conflicted?</p>

<p>Any insight would be appreciated</p>

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<p>What does she want to do?</p>

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<p>When I was in high school, it was extremely common for top students to go to college a year early. My best friend did it. My sister did it. I seriously considered doing it, but I had already skipped a grade, and I did not want to go to college at 16. </p>

<p>But there’s a difference between what my best friend, my sister, and the other kids at my high school did and what your daughter is thinking of doing. The kids at my high school who graduated early started planning their early departure in the 10th grade, and they (and the school) treated their junior year as though it was their senior year. They applied to four-year colleges with all the help that other seniors receive (teacher recommendations, advice from the guidance counselor, etc.), and they were allowed to do the special things that only seniors get to do (prom, senior banquet, graduation, etc.). </p>

<p>Your daughter is in a very different situation – she’s considering a last-minute decision to complete high school early. As you obviously realize, this means that she would have to start college at a community college. But this is a choice that many students with 4.0 averages don’t like because it means spending the first year or two of college as a commuter and being in classes with students who, typically, don’t have comparable academic records.</p>

<p>If your daughter graduates early, she would also miss out on the positive parts of being a senior in high school. She might regret this later, and even if she doesn’t, it’s important to remember that “the drama” isn’t the only thing that happens during senior year. Another important part is the college application process, which is done with the cooperation and help of the school.</p>

<p>Would it be possible for your daughter to finish high school with her class but still make her senior year worthwhile? Are there any other courses she could take besides the two she needs? Or could she get a part-time job doing something that interests her so that her part-time attendance at school wouldn’t be the only activity in her life? </p>

<p>If she could stay in high school for another year, she could have all the senior year experiences that many high school students look forward to, apply to college in the normal manner with the assistance of her school, and go to a 4-year college as originally planned. </p>

<p>Given the timing, this might be the better choice.</p>

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<p>My D did this–she was forced by her private HS to leave after JR year. She felt ready to start CC & all she had to do was take & pass the GED exam, which she did with flying colors. When her peers were starting SR year of HS, she started 1st term CC. After her 1st semester, she applied to transfer into her dream U & was later admitted as a spring transfer (after she had completed 3 semesters of CC). It worked well for D & did save us some money (tho she will be spending an extra year, making it 3.5 years at the U after 3 semesters in CC, so graduating with her HS peers after all). She spent a bit more time sorting through what she DID and DID NOT want to major in and the extra 3 terms of CC bought her more time to ponder these issues and get into the school/major she REALLY wanted. She & we are happy, tho it was a bit bumpy for her as she did not have a peer group in CC & would return to her HS to “hang out” with her friends, whom she has rejoined at her U.</p>

<p>Our D was not a 4.0 student, as her many prolonged absences from HS took a toll on her grades. She had no trouble academically with most of the material, but her stamina was insufficient by her HS’s standards and her grades reflected the excessive absences. She had no trouble with the transition from HS to CC and on to her dream U.</p>

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<p>The powers that be closed my high school at the end of my Junior year. My class of about 300 was divided up and sent to 3 different high schools. My group was about 40 people–okay, that really sucked!! So I gave it a shot at the new school and tried to be a team player–joined up with student leadership etc…and hated it.</p>

<p>I left at the semester and went to CC. Where I flourished. I finished up the class I needed to graduate from high school and got started on everything else. I am so glad I did it!!!
Though in CA at the time you could not go to CC with out being 18 years old (which I wasn’t)or have a High School diploma (which I didn’t)…so I actually had to take the GED test just to go to CC. I recall thinking that if the GED was supposed to be equivalent to a HS diploma, we were all in trouble.</p>

<p>For your daughter, I would say time to move on. She sounds like a mature young woman, and the last thing you want is a miserable child just so she can have that “senior” experience!</p>

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<p>I think your daughter and you should make sure to consider all of the options available, and their specific pros and cons. E.g. what would be the impact of early graduation on her future plans; is there a college/university nearby that would allow her to do concurrent enrollment; are there (properly accredited and state-approved) online options that would permit her to finish her coursework without the usual HS silliness; etc. etc. … </p>

<p>Options that either force her to suffer through another year of high school (where there is a significant risk of burnout leading to grade collapse), or that would substantially narrow her college options, are probably not ideal.</p>

<p>There is one option that I especially recommend considering, simply because it more or less saved my life when I was at the end of my rope in high school (some fairly large number of years ago now): [early</a> entrance](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_college_entrance_program"]early”>Early entrance to college - Wikipedia). The requirements for these programs vary greatly, and it would be a very good idea to take the ACT or SAT at once if she hasn’t already. However, under at least one such program – the [early</a> entrance program](<a href=“http://www.shimer.edu/academicprograms/undergraduate/earlyentrantprogram.cfm"]early”>http://www.shimer.edu/academicprograms/undergraduate/earlyentrantprogram.cfm) offered by my alma mater, which isn’t for everyone but which I do recommend highly – her grades alone would qualify her for consideration ([PDF](<a href=“http://www.shimer.edu/admissions/upload/Early_Entrance.pdf"]PDF[/url]”>http://www.shimer.edu/admissions/upload/Early_Entrance.pdf)</a>).</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the wonderful input. My daughter has wanted to graduate early since 10th grade but her public HS would not let her. They refused to let her take “core” courses out her high school and this year would not let her take 11th and 12 grade English at the same time. She has an option to possibly move on through this summer at a continuation school, we have tried to find other schools to accomplish this earlier but she wanted to play a varsity sport this year and most schools have a “minimum” of credits you need to take in order to get a diploma from the school.</p>

<p>She is interested in business but still not quite sure what she wants to major in…</p>

<p>Visvisa–never heard of early entrance but will check it out right now…Thanks</p>

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<p>If your D goes to a CC first and then transfers, will you all be disappointed that she won’t get the same merit scholarships and financial aid that she would have gotten if she had come in as a freshman? Transfer students don’t often get very good merit or aid.</p>

<p>You may end up LOSING money, instead of saving money if she loses out on big scholarships or aid as a transfer student. </p>

<p>Instead, can she work this next year and apply to colleges in the fall?</p>

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<p>Only two classes her senior year? Get her out of there! What a waste of time! The high school sounds brain-dead to me–what kind of high school doesn’t want to keep its students busy and challenged?</p>

<p>There are many four-year colleges that are still accepting students. Or she can work. Or she can go to community college and get a two-year degree. Or she can take one semester off and apply for the January term.</p>

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<p>Are you saying that she only needs to take 2 classes to complete the minimum requirements to graduate or are there are only 2 classes left for her to take?</p>

<p>Has she completed the bio, chem, and physics sequence? Has she completed at least 3 years of foreign language? Has she completed math through pre-calc. or calculus? Has she taken AP classes?</p>

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<p>How about a gap year, or an educational or enrichment abroad program?</p>

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<p>nysmile-The only classes she needs are English 12 and Government/Economics. As of this year, she has all the requirements for a UC school: English 9-11, Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry and Statistics, 3 years Spanish, Earth Science, Biology and Chemistry, US History & World History, Psychology, Geography, Creative Writing, Art History, and 2 college courses from a Cal State school in Philosophy and History-these were taken in lieu of AP courses since her school program does not have AP.</p>

<p>Mom2college kids-That is a very important factor-never thought about the merit aid situation. While she has done well grade-wise, her SAT scores have not been great due to ADHD issues so I am not sure how much she would really get–but this is a very important consideration–</p>

<p>dmd77-She could take other classes but she doesn’t need them, that is why we are considering pushing her ahead.</p>

<p>visvisa-Looked at the early entrance colleges, none are in our area…and she really is not ready to go away. The CC she is considering does have a middle college but if she can graduate and move on, it would accomplish the same thing</p>

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<p>What are your concerns?</p>

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<p>We went through this last year. For our family the compromise was Middle College. It gives the student a guided start to the CC. What we liked is the option at the end of continuing st the CC or applying to a 4 yr school as a freshman.</p>

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<p>In the middle of Dec, my son(a junior) decided to try for college. He only needed English. He managed to get applications in by the deadline, but couldn’t arrange interviews for most schools.
Advice offered here is good.

  1. what will be financial consequences if she attends CC then transfers?
  2. What colleges still have openings? It may be worth some effort to explore this option, and then call and ask about aid</p>
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<p>I think she should stay in HS and take Physics, a fourth year of language, pre-calculus, English 12, and whatever else suits her fancy. Without physics and precalc, her HS preparation does not seem complete to me.</p>

<p>Or she could consider staying in for the first semester and completing the college admissions process as a senior with full support, then planning a “gap semester” and returning to graduate with her class in June. I know several kids who have done that, all of whom were excellent students who were accepted to Ivies or elite LACs.</p>

<p>For an excellent student to spend two years at CC seems like a very bad idea to me, in the absence of some compelling personal reason.</p>

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<p>Mom60- She has a friend in the middle college program, the problem is, the college is 40 minutes from where we live and they have the HS classes early in the day and the college classes late afternoon/evening–too far to drive back and forth and she could be gone from 8am-9pm–but we decided to go talk to them. It is a good option. She considered it last year but she really wanted to play a HS sport this year but we will re-evaluate this option.</p>

<p>Consolation-She struggles with science and math, while she could take pre-cal and/or physics…not what she really wants to do–she will not get into an Ivy because of poor SAT’s but we could also keep this option open. A gap semester would be great but her school will not let her do it, she would still need to transfer to another school that would let her do that. BTW, I never took those classes, in college or HS, and I turned out OK…have a J.D.!</p>

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<p>The big question is whether or not this will change her college options. She will not be able to apply as a freshman most likely if she goes to college next year in lieu of her senior year. If she were thinking about going to community college or a state school anyways, it isn’t likely to make any difference, but if she is thinking about applying to some private colleges and is a possible candidate for some good financial and merit aid, taking this route could reduce those chances.</p>

<p>The reason for this is that most all colleges focus on the freshman class in terms of recruitment. So the vast majority of financial aid and merit money is reserved for this group. Even of the schools that are need blind and meet 100% of need, there are a number of them who do not include transfers in those terms.</p>

<p>So if your daughter goes to community college and then decides to transfer to Private U, it is likely for her to have a tougher time getting the aid from that school, whereas if she has high test scores and that great gpa, she just might get something. Her chance would be higher, anyways, if your family quailfies for financial aid and the school gives it out. This all depends on what schools she has on her radar.</p>

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<p>I did this back in the day. I had already been skipped a grade, so I was 16. I didn’t do any advance planning–just woke up one day in April, and thought I couldn’t deal with high school any more. My parents said I could go provided I attended a small, all-women’s college in a rural area, where I couldn’t get into any trouble. So I did, then transferred to Cornell after a year, for what would normally have been my freshman year. </p>

<p>All in all, it was a good experience. The small college was not a good fit, which was not surprising, since I had picked it cluelessly out of a guide I had found in the public library. But I had a pleasant year, and did well academically. My main regret was that I’d spent a year of my college money, and therefore could only spend three years at Cornell, a much more exciting place. Also, since I never graduated from high school, I had occasional problems getting summer jobs during my undergraduate years; I looked like a hs dropout.</p>

<p>One advantage was that I ended up in a career which requires a long postgraduate education, and then a long apprenticeship after that. Many women have trouble combining this regime with the biological constraints of childbearing. But because I started early, I didn’t have this problem–I finished my PhD at 25 and was solidly established in my career by my early thirties, with plenty of time left to start a family.</p>

<p>Last year my S was running into pretty much the same problem as your D, with the same two required courses to finish. His hs offers dual-enrollment courses with the local CC but these are not a whole lot more challenging than what he could get in the regular high school curriculum. Nor did the CC offer the rather specialized courses he wanted. He therefore enrolled as a part-time student at our state flagship university (local for us), which offers a “community scholar” program. He took math and computer science courses at the university in the AM and took AP English, Physics, and Civics in the afternoon. By the spring of his senior year, he’d made friends and met faculty advisors at the state flagship, which he is now attending fulltime. He expects to complete a computer science major in the first semester of his sophomore year, and plans to select another major for the remainder of his undergraduate education. The route my son took had two advantages: 1) he did graduate from high school, and 2) living at home was much cheaper than going away, so he did not spend a significant portion of the money we’ve saved for his college tuition. He’ll be able to have the “normal” four year residential college experience.</p>

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<p>cptofthehouse-You are correct…but because of her low SAT scores her other options we are finding out would be limited, probably a Cal State school or a lower level out of state school. For the $$, would it be smarter to go CC for 2 years and then transfer.</p>

<p>I just called the local middle college-they are closed for spring break…and it states on the website the applications for next year were due in February–arggg–we are a month too late but I will call and inquire after spring break.</p>

<p>Jingle–What is a “Community Scholar”–what state are you in? She already is taking courses from a Cal State school–could be the same thing. Her other option is to do this also next year, take the 2 HS courses and 2 college courses but they are only available on-line, she would rather be in a college environment…so I don’t know. But in either cae, I am glad it was successful for you and your son.</p>

<p>Any other ideas?</p>