<p>Caltech and MIT both specifically encourage (on their admission web sites) applicants without high school diplomas. These and many other competitive schools want a chance at the top students before they complete high school. </p>
<p>HMC doesn’t say anything about this one way or the other. Anyone know HMC policy or have an opinion, for a student who attends a rigorous HS and already has four years of lab science (including AP Chem, AP Physics B & C), AP calc BC, AP English and the other HMC academic requirements by their Junior year, as to whether such a student should apply to HMC in Junior year, or do still more advanced work in HS and apply at the usual time (Senior year)?</p>
<p>If you’re ready, why not do both? It seems like you really love Mudd if you’re willing to wait a year, so apply to the schools you like in your junior year and then again in your senior year if you don’t get anything good.</p>
<p>I know that Mudd accepted a 16-year-old (don’t know the schooling status) and often has one or two homeschoolers.</p>
<p>I am not sure that the top schools are so much fishing for the top students who haven’t graduated as looking for kids with unusual situations, including homeschooling. I would contact Mudd to find out what they have to say.
I believe GeekMom63 is right about the 16 year old, who , I think , was homeschooled and possibly is also a local.<br>
One advantage to another year of high school - a student can do a bit of exploring ‘outside the box’ - taking college courses and/or courses of interest in other fields.</p>
<p>The real question is what does he have to look forward to senior year? Does the school have worthwhile math and science classes above and beyond what he’s already taken? Are there extracurriculars that your student enjoys and that they could offer a unique contribution to as a senior? Does your student otherwise enjoy high school life?</p>
<p>Really no reason to try to skip senior year unless it would be a waste of time. Personally, I feel like I grew the most socially during high school senior year, and I would have handled college poorly if I had gone a year early.</p>