Back in the stone ages, I was able to graduate in 3 years. I took summer classes in Mexico and another U. In this age, I’d be advising any young person to do internships during the summers.
Accelerating can lead you into a wall. Nowadays, part of college isn’t just to take classes. It’s exploring and finding your path, as it’s always been - but it’s also networking and accumulating experiences, especially professional experiences (internships, leadership) and study abroad. Those have increased value over time - if you study abroad less than a semester, your language skills won’t improve to the level you need professionally; a one-month internship isn’t the same as one three-month internship let alone two or three summers spent in increasing levels of responsibility…
Taking several classes that reduce the amount of requirements in college can be used more judiciously to take classes in related fields, to make mistakes with no damage, to take more advanced classes in your major or area of specialty, or to add a minor, rather than to accelerate graduation.
Are you concerned about cost? Do you think your son shouldn’t spend 4 years for an undergraduate degree? Is your son tired of school and wants out already?
If you take summer classes…then you are still adding onto the cost. Three years PLUS those summer classes. They aren’t free.
State schools generally take AP and dual enrollment credits from within the state especially from dual enrollment classes at four year institutions. Engineering degrees often take five years not four. There are situations where it works to get ahead. My child walked into college just shy of sixty credits and will be graduating early with a completed coop and engineering degree. Its not for everyone but it is right for certain students. It allows for flexibility in college not taking a killer courseload and allows engineering students in particular to graduate on time while doing a coop or overseas trip. It also frees up time for a double major or minor. Did we plan this at age 13? Nope.
I am another planner who can appreciate the value of early research. I caution you to do your research privately, do not dump pressure on your child.
Reading in this forum regularly is a good use of your time. You learn answers to questions you did not even know you should ask.
And please note the posts from freshmen who are homesick and sure they are the only ones in their college not making friends right away. And the hard posts, the ones from parents heartbroken that their child has dropped out, from partying too hard or from anxiety and depression. I am learning from these parents that College is not a race, and that a child’s well being is more important than their education.
This non-academic side of college is often ignored, and yet can have a huge impact on education. Training your child to be independent in high school is a great foundation for college success. From laundry, cooking, time management, and stress management to establishing study skills, using an academic planner to chart assignments, and not waiting til the night before an exam to start studying. These are all great preparation for college success. Train your child to be responsible for waking up on their own, turning in their homework assignments, and getting to their work or practices on time.
And roommates…teach your child how to respect others and appreciate that different people with different upbringings can disagree and still maintain a cordial living arrangement.
Your job (along with child’s father and any step parents) is to figure out an annual budget for college. Where is the money coming from? Is there a 529 savings account set up? Be honest and open about what you can provide, and as your child gets into high school, mention your limitations.
Some colleges only require FAFSA, others require more detailed financial information. If you are not still married to your child’s father, it is helpful to research what is required at various colleges. Divorces get emotional, and sometimes parents refuse to pay, but colleges and the federal government still take the Income into account. So if this applies to your family, be sure to have some college choices that require only FAFSA.
Your best chance for assistance is through merit aid. High GPA and test scores are key. The more competitive scholarships will look at activities, essays, and interviews. So test prep courses are very valuable tools, and worth the cost. Get referrals from friends with older kids who have used local classes.
Some parents have non-financial limitations on college choice as well. Geographic, religious, or cultural preferences need to be clearly communicated once the student shows interest in the subject.
Expose your child to local college campuses by attending music concerts, plays, or athletic events on campus. Not to indoctrinate child, but just to introduce them to a different world. I attended several workshops held on college campuses related to journalism/yearbook, and participated in a math competition. It was a non-pressured way to get me on several college campuses.
Once your child is in high school, you can explore summer camps on college campuses. Some are Day camps lasting one or two weeks, others are three or four week residential camps.
A friend sent her son to a six week “so you think you want to be an engineer” course at Vanderbilt the summer before his senior year of HS. It was a great help in surveying the types of engineering, and the hands on detail cemented her son’s interest in that field. That summer course was expensive, but the cost of floundering in college engineering classes, switching majors, or taking a hit on your GPA as you discover you are not cut out for engineering can cost even more.
So there are lots of things you can do now that will impact the cost of education for your child. Read about colleges, get past the prestige and rankings, and appreciate the in-state options for both public and private colleges. Dual enrollment was a great option for our family, but note that each college has their own policy about what credits they accept.
My D ended up graduating college one semester early. She came in with 22 college credits. There was a cost, though. All the fun Spring Senior events were not worth a semester of tuition costs, but she did miss out. We lived two hours away, so she was able to change her work schedule to attend some things. But if her college had been across the country, she would have missed all the fun.
So, research all you want, it can give you some confidence as you approach the high school years. But do it on your own, and let your child enjoy middle school.
Your child has to be the one initiating their education plan. It’s fine if you help them layout options if they share their goals with you, but it will be up to them to schedule the classes with their academic advisors and perform well in the classes.
Our D only applied to in state publics because of her extensive dual enrollment credits she only had 4 semesters left to complete her degree when she graduated high school. She wanted to do them all in a row and graduate in a year and a half. We refused (nor could we afford) to pay for that. Her scholarships were only good for two semesters a year so we would have had to pay for two full sticker semesters on top of our expected EFC for the traditional academic year. She also would have graduated with zero work experience in her field.
When she got to college she started to realize there were a lot of opportunities beyond the classroom that she needed to experience in order to succeed. She became involved in research, landed internships and stretched her studies to three years to fit more in. Still she was at a disadvantage when she decided to apply for graduate school compared to students that had the full four years to develop themselves into strong candidates and had better networks than she did.
It can also be much cheaper to take longer to graduate by spacing semesters out with co-ops. Most tax years we only had one semester of tuition to pay for and the other semesters our D was earning an excellent paycheck.
both my current college kids had lots of credits going in to college. neither will graduate early.
Here’s why: both kids’ majors have a required sequence of classes that are built upon the previous classes, and require 8 semester in a row for these classes. SO – I think 1 kid could take a mandatory upper level class during the summer; but that would mean NO INTERNSHIP between JR/Sr. year. The internship will pay well and give him options for jobs.
The credits have helped in these ways:
they’ve lightened loads in college. Kids can take lower amount of credit hours each semester and have more time to study and have higher grade point averages. If you pay by credit, this costs less as well.
they can allow your kid to pick up a minor, or take a few classes outside of their realm. (eg: D16 took a print-making class last semester just because she loves art)
they let your kid register earlier than other kids the same age, thus getting prime class times and spots.
** also – If you’re concerened about cost, and want to maximize credits coming in, pick a school that charges by credit hour, not a flat rate semester tuition.
It’s good your looking ahead and planning; i’m that way myself. But you know, so many things can change between now and then. Keep that in mind and keep looking at all the possibilities.
I agree…but what 13 year old is thinking about what they are going to be doing in college?
To the parent…know the options…but don’t be gomsmocked if your student can’t graduate in three years…or doesn’t want to.
Look for affordable options.
There is a LOT of great advice here! Just today I was looking at my D’s AP and dual credits and figuring out if she could graduate in 3 years. I think is is possible if everything fell into place just right, but I had decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea. Then I came on here and read this thread and just cemented that decision. I would rather her be able to take lighter semesters and get to study abroad if she wishes. She is planning on grad school and I do think she will be a stronger candidate with 4 years of undergrad experiences.
Certainly agree that 8th grade is way to early to put an accelerated plan in place or create any kind of expectations around it. As many have pointed out, the target schools and major will have a large impact on how feasible a 3 year plan would be. For example, my D18 is currently applying to schools and AP/DE credit varies widely from a low of 12 credits to a high of 45-48 credits - pretty much all publics.
Whether you pursue a traditional or accelerated path is your business - there is no right or wrong answer. Just maintain flexibility as it may or may not work out as planned and that is life. I know of several family friends that have taken this approach and it worked out well for them. One graduated from McGill last May and landed a great job. The other is a business undergrad on a 3 yr track at Utah and is in her 2nd yr at school and on exchange at Oxford this year with a summer internship at Jefferies lined up. Both are extremely focused and successful. So yes a positive outcome is very possible.
My D is considering a similar plan as it works well for her current grad school plans. If her plans change it’s not a big deal as the advanced standing allows for lots of flexibility.
I graduated college in 3.5 years and it didn’t seem to hurt anything. I went into college with 12 hours from AP credits, took 1 wintermester class at a community college, and got some credits studying abroad one summer. I still had time to work, do an internship one summer, take interesting classes, and be social/make life-long friends/meet my husband. I graduated summa cum laude. I think graduating early is fine if it is what the student wants.
I have a 13 yo dd (8th grade) and I have started thinking about how she could accumulate college credits with AP/DE courses. I am looking at gen eds/core courses, and state universities where the credits will transfer. This hasn’t made her feel pressured in any way. It’s just something I’m researching now so she can consider it when she starts making choices for high school next year. It seems like she could pretty easily accumulate 30 transferable credits that would either lighten her load or enable her to graduate early. If she doesn’t want to do it or tries and it doesn’t work out that’s fine.
Considering different avenues and making plans doesn’t mean pressure will be applied. I feel it gives the student more options. I wish I would have done more research/planning for my oldest. I feel his options are somewhat limited because there was so much I didn’t know.
I would probably focus more on the cost rather than shorter time. The 4 year college life is more than just accumulating enough credits for graduation. My D only had 6 AP in high school but with all 5 that got her 33 credits in college. She could graduate in 3 years if the course sequence of her major allows. Actually the shortest would be 3.5 year for her ChemE major due to course sequence and some of the required courses only offer once a year. Anyway, I encouraged her to take her time and get the most out of college as she got a 4 year scholarship that covers half of the tuition and the other half is mostly by grant. With a lighter workload per semester even with a minor in another engineering, she can involve in other extracurricular activities while maintaining good GPA which gets her addition merit aid each year. So a shorter college time is never our goal but a lower cost and an enjoyable college life are far more important for us.
To actually answer your question instead of lecturing you, my daughter will graduate from a competitive public U two years after her high school graduation. She had a pile of APs, dating back to middle school, and almost all of them earned her credit. She also did two years’ of DE at the school where she eventually matriculated (1 year full-time, the other half-time). I guess my best advice is to live near a competitive four-year college that will accept your kiddo for DE. She hasn’t skimped anything, either; she’s done ample, published research, and she’s taking graduate-level classes in her department. She did a study abroad the summer between her high school graduation (that she did not attend) and her official matriculation as a “freshman,” albeit one with junior standing, but that is the only summer she has ever studied for credit. She is not burned out. Her first year of DE, her junior year of high school, she was also a competitive gymnast working out 20 hours/week and driving herself both to practice and to campus. She is ready to move on to a Ph.D. program fall '19. Graduating early was never our goal, but it has turned out to be just right for her.
The above post shows how life is different for every person. My son’s path had him early in college as well. But we have highly gifted students with special needs (the low end of the Bell curve isn’t the only part with atypical needs). I know a girl who did her HS senior year away from home at our top flagship, but she could not do the honors classes as it turned out. She later did four years at an Ivy. She did not take the Honors calculus sequence my son did at UW and her opinion of the caliber suffers because of that.
Life/school is not a race. Let your child enjoy this time of life. There will be literally decades to work. No regrets for taking extra classes, having time to play…
I was eligible for sophomore standing but didn’t take it. I took a lot of graduate level classes in college and took more courses than I needed to in order to graduate. It turned out that in architecture school they were willing to give me credit for all those extra courses, so I save money (though no time) then. It was a pleasant surprise.
My son is a freshman at Tulane and through dual enrollment and AP entered close to sophomore status. He would have to take 16 credits a semester and not waste any credits to graduate in 3 years. None of this was our goal or even on our radar in middle school though, it happened as a result of being a high achieving student with a good advisor and doing some of our own legwork on transfer credits. It’s possible but please don’t do it at the expense of a great high school career - my son also played sports and did extra curricular activities and held down a part time job. I think being well rounded is as important as being accelerated.
I guess the original poster isn’t thinking too much about cost because of the option of studying in the UK. This is not a cheap option!
Writing from the UK, as a mum of a student studying in the US, I’d say it’s definitely worth starting early if you are thinking of applying to the UK. Universities here expect a complete dedication to the subject so if you want to do maths, for example, (not math!) then you only need to prove you are excellent at maths. Anything you’ve done on other subjects is pretty much irrelevant!
Also - a number of prestigious universities are now expecting their students to do four years in certain subjects so don’t assume you’ll get through in three…
To graduate in 3, the best advice I can give you is for kiddo to know exactly what he wants walking in the door and never waver and know where he’s going so he can take AP/DE credits that will transfer in useful ways. It’s a tall order, and not one I’m sure I would be comfortable with. National Center for Educational statistics reports 80% of students change their majors. Makes sense. How many of us knew ourselves super well at 18?
My oldest went in with 29 credits (so 1 hr short of sophomore status). Finished in 4. Changed majors to a highly sequenced one (BSN). Still needed some summer school to get back on track because her credits weren’t the right ones for nursing. Just due to the testing requirements and major admissions process, there’d have been no way to finish early.
My youngest went in with 44 credits (so was a junior her second semester). Changed second major. Discovered she really loved a third field, can’t get the third major in (duh!), but is taking all the courses she can in it. Once again, the DE/AP credits were in the wrong fields. Credits for both chem and physics weren’t useful for someone who now just needed one science course for distribution. Didn’t need that history when one of the courses in the new field would have covered it. Oh, and the kid STILL had to take a summer class due to schedule conflicts. On track to finish this spring (in 4 years).
For my kids who have entered college with advanced standing, they didn’t do anything other than be themselves in middle and high school. They were taking advanced classes bc that was their normal progression. They have entered with anywhere from 20-59 credit hrs that transferred in as direct credit toward their degrees.
My oldest is a chemE and graduated in 4 yrs. He used 12 months within those 4 yrs to co-op, a good decision for employment. My other ds used it as an opportunity to grad courses as an UG and to spend more time in UG research. (He could have graduated easily in 2 yrs bc he has taken ~18 hrs/semester. He thought graduating early would hurt his grad applications due to more limited research. He has also used his UG yrs to discern the exact field he wants to pursue in grad school, something that at 19 he was not sure about and now as a college sr he feels confident about his decision.) My Dd is using it as an opportunity for double major plus minor and study abroad.
"To graduate in 3, the best advice I can give you is for kiddo to know exactly what he wants walking in the door and never waver and know where he’s going so he can take AP/DE credits that will transfer in useful ways. "
I don’t think this is universal-- so much depends on the actual college. I know two recent grads who finished in three years- neither had DE credits, both had AP’s but their universities used them for placement only, not credit, and one of them changed her major at least twice.
The key- no “off” semesters. There are lots of kids who “underprogram” themselves for various semesters- to rush a fraternity, to be able to do a fabulous spring break trip without a thought to the papers and projects that are due soon after, or whatnot. That doesn’t fly if you want to graduate in three years. And no registering for an extra class every semester and then dropping the one with the biggest workload on the last drop/add date (another favorite tactic).
You can graduate in three years by being committed to taking (and doing well) in the maximum number of credits your college allows.
One of my kids discovered (to his surprise) that he could graduate in three years/take his fourth year of undergrad as a Master’s degree. We were not hugely supportive even though it was clearly a massive cost savings move. That extra year can mean the difference between a fantastic job right out of college (you’ve got that critical summer after junior year for a job which hopefully translates into a full time offer) or being underemployed for a long time trying to get your sea legs. If this kid had been looking at med school or another very lengthy grad program that would have been one thing- but to graduate early only to hit the job market with 25% less of a “story” to tell than everyone else didn’t seem like a winning strategy.
So I think it depends on the college (some are easy to do in three years, some are impossible, some are only possible with a ton of AP credits plus summer school) AND what the kid is planning to do after college. Trying to find a solid job once you graduate when you have fewer things to talk about, one less summer of meaningful employment, no job working for a professor senior year or being mentored in a lab by grad students… I don’t know a lot of kids who emerge from junior year of college with the right skills to get a career-oriented job in a professional context.
And then there are the “career interns”- yikes. I know several. 25 and 26 years old and still interning or working jobs which only are funded for 6 months at a time. No benefits. No opportunities for promotion or training. ugh.