Question about taking non-dual credit college classes during high school

Pentaprism
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 06:09:04 +0000

@PurplePlum - Some random ideas…

On early graduation - I heard that universities didn’t want to admit applicants that were still minors because of the additional liabilities, unless the applicant was truly exceptional. That is only hearsay; I don’t have anything to back that up. My D, going to college at 16, was a counter example. But you may want to check out that “rumor.”

On college-level classes taken in HS - Even though the school doesn’t accept them as transferable, are not “wasted,” especially classes in math and science. I’m sorry to again use my D as an example. Most STEM students don’t have sufficient basic knowledge to participate in research until the end of their sophomore year. My D, having already taken more advanced classes, started her research the first summer after she entered UCB. By the time she graduated, she’d already had 2 years of research experience. That was a big factor in the admission to PhD program.

On writing - I think this is the most underrated by STEM students. As late immigrants to the US, both my wife and I realized the hard way, that language, or to be exact, the ability to communicate, was the greatest challenge. We essentially “forced” our D to take challenging English classes at a very young age. She didn’t really like it, but ended up writing very well, taking AP English Language and Composition when she was 13. She later realized how “lucky” she was, being “forced” to write well, and thanked us for that.