<p>Does anyone know the rules for an in-state high school junior hoping to graduate early and apply to UT? My S is just finishing up his freshman year in high school but he is trying to figure out his long-term plan. Does the 8 percent rule still apply? Can such a student apply for the honors programs?</p>
<p>I don’t know the specifics but basically at my school a few kids graduated early, and either they skipped their junior year (Freshman, Sophomore, Senior) or were Juniors first semester and Seniors the last semester.
I’d imagine they would just apply as a regular senior and see no reason why the 8 percent rule wouldn’t apply.</p>
<p>Borb, so I guess the rule would apply to the junior as if he were a senior, i.e., his GPA would be compared with the seniors’ GPA’s and not the juniors’, right? For my S, that wouldn’t really be a problem, but I was wondering how it worked. It is my understanding that a kid who graduates early cannot be named valedictorian.</p>
<p>Hi, AustinAreaDad,</p>
<p>You’re looking at two different issues:</p>
<p>1-HS Grad in three years-I’m assuming you are Texas public, but the same gen’l advice applies if private. You need to make an appt. and review with GC ASAP so a proper curriculum can be mapped in order to insure 3-year graduation on Distinguished or Recommended plan. Additionally, GC will tell you district policy on ranking–that “no val” thing, if true, is definitely a district or even school rule, as I know a 3-year senior who grade-jumped just to nab the val spot in the less competitive class ahead!</p>
<p>2-UT/College admission-There is no special admission route if you plan to present as a HS grad vs. some colleges (not UT) do offer an “early college” program for students who have not completed HS. This means all the rules re: admission based on ranking, honors, etc. will apply whether your son chooses the 3- or 4-year route. </p>
<p>As I recall past discussions, your son is the kind of kid who will earn many choices. Please note that some super bright kids have sped through HS only to be disappointed in elite, holistic-based admissions, and one theory discussed on CC has been that they were mostly stats with little to nothing to show in the “whole person” department. So beware of the “egghead” stigma–encourage your son to make time to keep up those ECs and develop a strong outside-of-class profile!</p>
<p>TxArtemis, thanks for the input. My S is just looking at his options now. He will finish his school’s math and science classes by the end of his junior year and he is trying to figure out how to proceed (ACC is there, though not all that appealing). I know many elite schools allow kids to apply who have not finished high school, but he does not feel he will be ready to travel across the country at that point, though he would be ready to go to UT, as he could even still live at home if he wished.</p>
<p>I have told him to try to spend more time on outside interests, and that remains an option.</p>
<p>Another option is TAMS, where he could spend his junior and senior years and earn college credit. Leaving home that early is a concern, though.</p>
<p>Austinarea–> just some advice here, but my mom graduated a year early and to this day she calls it the worst decision she ever made. She dropped out of college because she wasn’t socially mature enough to be there. I’m not saying that this will be your S, but it is something to think about. Also, will he be 16 by the graduation date? Many colleges won’t allow for dorm living at age 16.</p>
<p>blacklab, if he graduates a year early, he will be 16 at the time (he started slightly early, with a birthday in September). You may be right, that socially it could prove to be a problem, especially since he is a bit more sheltered than the average kid.</p>
<p>Yes, then I would definitely check on the residence hall licensing. Having the extra easy year may even be fun, he could take more APs or dual credit so he could learn more of what he would like in college.</p>
<p>blacklab, he could live at home and go to UT, so he would not have to live in a residence hall. And he could stay in high school and spend half of every day of his senior year at ACC. We are not thrilled with that latter option, though it could end up being the best one available. As the freshman year comes to a close, he has a significant lead on the #2 student in his class in GPA and he knows that valedictorian is a realistic possibility. That is one of the strongest draws to staying.</p>
<p>Yeah, exhaustion of HS math/sci curriculum is exactly why some colleges offer early admission. (Carnegie Mellon, for example, has a neat early entry program for HS juniors. But I’m with you on that moving away from home thing, which makes TAMS a tough option to take seriously, too.) I shouldn’t have said UT doesn’t offer any form of early admission without knowing for sure–I know someone who explored it without success a few years ago. But things can change, or custom solutions can be fashioned! It would definitely be worth a call or two, and if you get no promising leads via Admissions, I’d approach the Math Dept directly to see if they could offer limited enrollment in just the math classes he needs. Ditto a science. I assume supplementing with courses at ACC is out because it doesn’t support the level of math your son will need (otherwise, if it’s just a matter of your son’s comfort level at a particular campus, there are many options–again, I’d check with their Math head and get advice, target a more manageable campus). St. Ed’s is another option to investigate. </p>
<p>Also, have you considered independent study with a fav math and/or sci teacher at HS? It might require foregoing credit as anything more than a P/F elective. If your son was willing to treat it as a way to remain intellectually engaged in order to stay in a HS setting that fourth year, it might work. Hmmm, turn it into an ind study to support entry into one of the national math/science competitions?! Riffing here. </p>
<p>Interesting twist about the possibility age 16 would be a problem in the dorms… Although he could stay at home that first year, the honors dorms would seem to be an ideal setup. </p>
<p>Tough dilemma! Good luck with your investigation of solutions.</p>
<p>TxArtemis, thanks for the ideas. I don’t know whether his school or school district would support the independent study option, but I think that is a great suggestion to keep in mind. His teachers usually adore him, so I think he might have success in that if the school district allows it. I will also keep in mind your suggestion about contacting the UT math department. I would be somewhat surprised (I minored in Math at UT many moons ago, and I don’t remember any high school students in my classes) if someone at the math department would allow a high school student into classes, though it would be a great solution.</p>
<p>Austinareadad-My son is also is trying to graduate early, but he is one year older than yours as he finished his Sophomore year this year. He basically is in the same situation as your son. He is finished with his math and science credits and feels like he needs a challenge in those areas. He also has a very high school ranking. In addition, we want him to stay close to home and go to UT at Austin. I was just wondering if you had any luck with talking to the UT admission office about a special high school student program or about taking classes in their math department.</p>
<p>My boyfriend was a year younger than I was. When I was a UT freshman, he took a couple of UT classes as a high school senior. That was many moons ago, though! He ended up getting his BS at MIT and then his PhD at UT (in astrophysics). He ended up with a girl smarter than me, lol!</p>