Switching High Schools Senior Year

compmom
Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:22:25 +0000

Many community colleges in our state have dual enrollment programs, where you take classes at the CC, and get credit for both high school and college. You can graduate while also doing a first year of credits that is transferable.

Other colleges and universities will let you take classes. In some states, once you finish a first year’s worth of college, you get both college credit and an automatic h.s. diploma.

You could also finish online. PM me if you are interested. We are using an online diploma program that is very academically satisfying, for one of our kids who is involved in the performing arts.

You can also homeschool and keep a portfolio for your last year, taking classes and doing activities that interest you.

As for extracurriculars, I think doing them outside of school can be better than trying to “get in the queue” at a new public school. Is there a community theater group where you live, or within commuting distance? Can you write a column for a local newspaper? Volunteer somewhere related to your interests?

It is ridiculous to go from such a rigorous private to a less rigorous public, and still have to take 9 courses! Is there any chance for more flexibility? We have a principal who converted our daughter’s dance to PE credits for 4 years, and our family has always requested exemption from health, which anyone is legally entitled to do, if they feel they prefer to handle it privately.

Finally, and most importantly, you have the right to write any admissions office a letter, yourself, explaining what happened and why, including all particulars that you described here, and what you did in response. Your ability to negotiate this “obstacle” in your life - how you handle it - is far more important than any of the factors that you are worrying about. Some Ivies have “overcoming obstacles” as their #1 criteria.

Many people have serious obstacles in their lives, including health issues, family violence, extreme poverty. Keep some perspective ( I intend this gently). This is painful but not catastrophic. Make it work. Also, I would personally not want to even go to a college if this was a factor in admissions. Any college with an admissions staff that looks at kids with any depth at all won’t be thrown by this at all.

This could be an exciting year for you. Our family is trying to put something together for one of our kids, who finished her junior year of high school in June. There are a lot of possible paths, but being penalized for a move that is not your fault, and overloaded with classwork, does not sound like the best way to finish up high school.