<p>Is it possible for you to visit and stay overnight with a student host so you can get a feel for the program at Bard?</p>
<p>I think your writing sounds quite fine for a student your age. And, yeah, this is a message board. Geesh, people.</p>
<p>That’s good advice from Batllo. Would something like that be possible?</p>
<p>I don’t have any advice other than to say that I know a kid who was very interested in theatre who applied to SUNY Purchase in his junior year and was accepted. You could get into college early with many more options if you continue through at least your junior year. </p>
<p>You’ve had one year of high school, if I’m understanding your situation correctly. Lots of kids hate 9th grade, and you may not believe it, but your classmates will mature. Before you make any big decisions, see how the first semester of 10 grade goes.</p>
<p>Thanks noimangin, I’m actually going to be a sophomore. I’m really not into math or science, I’m more of a social studies and language arts person. I wanted to join drama club, but I have no time for it at all. Swim Team really takes away from my social time and time to join a club. It could be a reason why my GPA is a 3.2, but I like Swim Team and it’s healthy for me. I just don’t like coming home so late and doing homework when I’m half asleep, but I do manage it. I’m going to ask admissions if I could sleep over with a student host. Thanks so much everyone.</p>
<p>Qialah, I don’t have to submit my application until Feb. 1. I plan on seeing if high school turns around and my whole experience may change. Thanks so much!</p>
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<p>I know. Having completed my sophomore year, I was just thinking about what I did to avoid soul-crushing boredom, I know a number of swimmers who love it, and it definitely can eat into your time. Still, it seems like you should be able to find a more mature group to hang out with in school…</p>
<p>I honestly don’t fit in much with the other people on the swim team. I’m also not from Georgia, so that may be why? My ideal thing to happen is to get a girlfriend and hang out. I do have friends, but to me I never have time to hang out. I’m also very independent and I like to talk to friends just in school and have my own alone time. It could be my fault too, but that’s how I am idk why.</p>
<p>Your gpa doesn’t sound competitive and I agree with the poster who feels you don’t sound academically or emotionally ready for any college. This comes through with your posts. Also, the finances don’t permit it. Learn the HS material, get those grades up so you can get admitted to college after senior year.</p>
<p>Just think carefully as you start school this year about each possibility available to you. You might be surprised by the amount available in high school - sophomore year was much more productive than freshman year for me.</p>
<p>My eldest D went to college after her freshman year of high school. It was not a decision we made lightly. She was level headed and mature. She was not happy with high school culture nor the academics she was getting. She went to a college that provided a dorm for these younger students and they had to live by stricter rules for their first year.</p>
<p>She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with two majors, distinction in both, cum laude, etc. We do not regret sending her. Each student is different and this is not in any way meant to say that the OP should go. If it is beyond the financial ability of the family it’s a no brainer. NO.</p>
<p>The only time there has ever been a problem with no high school diploma was an on line application once. It asked if she had graduated from high school but if she clicked on no it automatically rejected her. If she clicked on yes it wanted to know where. She was never able to finish it because she wasn’t willing to lie and couldn’t reach a real person to ask.</p>
<p>Thanks and I will. I would like to talk to my guidance counselor as soon as school starts. The only bad thing is that I have a new counselor this year and she doesn’t know me as did my freshman counselor did. I will try not to be on these boards much, because I have a lot of summer reading to do for school.</p>
<p>Thanks zoey. Does not having a high school diploma/GED hurt grad school admissions. Also, we have no idea if it’s beyond a stretch until we get our fin aid. If I get nothing, then of course I couldn’t go.</p>
<p>I just read wis post. I do not understand where you are coming from. As I said earlier, someone got 30k with a 2.8 GPA. Also, read my above post.</p>
<p>It falls under the “you don’t know what you don’t know” category. It does not sound like you have exhausted the learning available in HS, your grammar alone showed this. You also don’t sound very mature, but normal for your age. Teenagers are typically champing at the bit. Find a way to make your HS work for you. BTW, my own child got ahead 2 grades early on and did the full 4 years of HS and was ready for college at a younger age, so yes, I do believe in “early college”, if the child is ready for it.</p>
<p>Um I’m actually very mature and how should you know. As I said earlier, this is a message board and I’m not going to check my grammar a million times.</p>
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<p>The school costs $50K per year. Where are you going to get the OTHER $20K.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but I stand by my original post. Stay in high school…work hard and get terrific grades. Show an upward trend in your GPA. You would then have a better chance at getting into schools with the possibility of merit aid.</p>
<p>And agree with others…I can’t imagine spending $50K to see if you might fit in better than you do at your current school. Your posts are somewhat contradictory as well…you say you want to get into drama BUT you have the swim team as a priority. I’m sorry, but that makes NO SENSE.</p>
<p>Go ahead and do what you want to do. You seem to be seeking a post here that says “wow!! you will surely get great finaid to Simon’s Rock so go for it”. Sorry, but I don’t think you will get terrific aid at Simon’s Rock and I don’t care if “someone” got $30K with a 2.8 GPA. That isn’t really going to help you anyway as it leaves a $20K gap for YOU to fund. You need to be realistic.</p>
<p>You say you can’t take a CC course until your junior year? Why not? We have homeschoolers here who take CC courses when they are 13 and 14 years old. You just have to go to the school and get permission to do so. AND yes…college costs money…CC, online…Simon’s Rock.</p>
<p>I think my parents could pay some of that 20k, I’m not sure how much they can pay, but before I knew they could pay that much. I don’t know how much they’ll give me, that’s the point of applying and to see what happens. I cannot take CC courses and I don’t have time. You are not aloud to until your a junior and it’s school policy. I swim because it is healthy and it gives me exercise and I enjoy it. I have been acting since I was 6 and I have already gotten into it and I have agents and it’s my passion. I haven’t done that for swim team.</p>
<p>Early_college,
As you know, I have responded to MANY posts of yours over time, a lot in particular on the Theater/Drama Majors forum and have addressed some of these things before. There are many issues here. I don’t think the Simon’s Rock path is the best for you but you can apply and see what happens. </p>
<p>First, it is not likely that you will get a big enough scholarship to go there. And it surely won’t be a full ride and so your parents will have to pay something significant. Your current GPA reduces your odds of being one of the stronger candidates on their application pile for scholarship consideration as well. </p>
<p>Money aside, however, I don’t think this is a good option. For one thing, you have mentioned many times that you would like to go to Simon’s Rock for two years and then transfer. You have considered BFA Acting college programs. You have been told that if you apply as a transfer, the odds of getting into a BFA are even slimmer than the already very tough odds as a freshman applicant. Further, many BFA programs will make you start over as a freshman or at the least as sophomore standing and this means MORE years of college tuition for your parents. Even if you enter a BA college as a transfer, you talk about the desire to double major a lot. That will be much harder to accomplish at your second college if you only have two years there. </p>
<p>Many students who want to graduate HS early or go to college early want to be further challenged but that doesn’t seem to be your main reason. You just don’t like high school (you seem challenged academically as you are not getting top grades in the rigorous classes). Others, including myself have suggested many other solutions to your dilemma. For instance, many suggest taking community college classes or dual enrollment to be further challenged. Lots of kids do this. Some have suggested online courses. You have said “no time” and “no money.” On the money front, an online course such as through EPGY or CTY costs a LOT less than your parents would have to shell out for Simon’s Rock for two years. As far as time, I don’t buy it, sorry. My two kids had WAY more extracurricular activities than you do (including varsity sports…I know you are on ONE team) every afternoon, every night and every weekend and all summer, and both have taken CTY college level courses online (one did it in 8th grade and one did it in 12th grade). This was on top of their HS classes. </p>
<p>Another path is to graduate HS one year early. You have said you can’t do that but I feel that could be explored further. As you know, my own kid did it. It was her initiative not ours. And in fact, she went to college at age 16 because besides graduating a year early from HS, she also entered K a year early. But for her, this was the appropriate decision academically, socially, emotionally, and artistically. She was able to articulate in writing her reasons in all these areas that were hard to argue with. She also got scholarships at all her colleges and so they were more than willing to accept her and she flourished at college (just graduated at 20 and won awards there, got more scholarships even upon graduation and was a leader there, got great grades, and so her age was of no issue). I’m just saying this to point out that I am not against early entrance into college for the appropriate reasons and the right kid. It is HARDER to be admitted to college early and her application received further scrutiny being an early graduate. This path is not right for all kids. Colleges will want to feel certain you are MORE than ready to succeed there. </p>
<p>I think there are many other solutions to your issues. For one thing, you want to go into acting in college. I support doing swim team but anyone serious about entering college for acting, needs to be heavily involved in drama at school and in the community. If you can do that AND swim team, great. If not, you should by tenth grade be putting your eggs in the acting basket and be way more involved in and out of school in that area. You speak of dramatic writing. You should be writing plays. You could write one and initiate it being performed at your school or in your community. You talk about journalism…you could be on the school newspaper staff or intern at the local newspaper office. There are so many ways to challenge yourself and be a MUCH more viable candidate for college than you are now. Early entrance or early graduation makes more sense for students who have truly run out of academic and extracurricular opportunities in high school. That was the case for my D. Further, besides those areas, one must be socially very mature and BEYOND their chronological age in this way. For instance, nobody at my D’s college would know she is as young as she is. She is a leader and excels among an older age group. Her friends have ALWAYS been kids older than herself. Colleges will weigh such factors for a young student to enter at 16, believe me. </p>
<p>So, I would not ignore your issues but I would problem solve them a different way and seek guidance from your school counselor, your parents, or other trusted adults about putting together a really good program in and out of school during the high school years. And rather than pay for two years of Simon’s Rock (your parents WILL have to pay SOMETHING toward it if admitted), perhaps the money could be spent on a summer theater/film intensive program or a pre-college program. (in one breath, you think they can afford to put some money toward Simon’s Rock which they will HAVE to do if you are admitted and then in other posts you say you can’t afford a summer program, a CC course, an online course, etc.) Lots of ways to solve your issues besides Simon’s Rock. Again, that aside, I don’t think Simon’s Rock for two years (even if you had the money and got in) will get you to your college goals in the fields you wish to pursue and may work against those as explained to you several times on CC by me. One option may be boarding school for two years at a school that has scholarships but in order to win them, you have to perform better at school than you are now. Start with that this year…better grades, more involvement in the areas you wish to pursue, and so on. I think your best bet is to stay in HS and excel and increase your odds of going to the colleges you have mentioned (which are quite selective) and of winning scholarships (which your family will need with four children). Perhaps you can graduate one year early.</p>
<p>Oh, dear – it’s deja vu all over again!</p>
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<p>So you can start at the CC at the same age at which you’d start Simon’s Rock if you were to go there.</p>
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<p>If you expect to go to college at all, you already have a head start in life. </p>
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<p>Your mom doesn’t want you to leave, and just because you are middle class doesn’t mean that your parents could pay some of the tuition, especially with another kid heading to college, a baby on the way, and a start-up business. </p>
<p>Even if you wound up with the best AEP scholarship at Simon’s Rock (which I think is unlikely), you’d still have to come up with at least $13K for room and board, books, travel, and other expenses. </p>
<p>I would send my kid to Simon’s Rock, and am, and it’s not to give him a “head start in life,” but because I think it is the best education option available for him right now. Just because I’m sending my kid there doesn’t mean it’s the right place for every kid – it isn’t!</p>
<p>Here are some of the reasons why my son, who is 15 and just finished 10th grade, is going to Simon’s Rock in the fall:</p>
<p>1.) He is in the “best” public high school in our school district in a competitive magnet program, and we – he and his parents – have been very disappointed with both the school and the program.</p>
<p>2.) I’ve never seen him study for a test, and when he did homework, it was often on the school bus. Every once and a while, he’d spend some time in the evening, or in the morning before school, doing schoolwork. He had a 3.87 GPA this year, was in all honors classes, had one AP course he was taking at school, and one he was taking (after a fashion…) through distance learning. He hasn’t seemed very challenged in his courses. </p>
<p>3.) He’d be taking ALL AP courses next year if he stayed in high school: AP Latin, AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP World History, AP English Lit, and a couple of others. AND he’d take a college course for math in 12th grade if he stayed in high school. He’d rather take college courses instead of AP courses.</p>
<p>4.) Because of numerous issues with the school, including wasted time in classes (don’t get me started on what passes for “engineering” classes at his school!), the kid was not under any circumstances going to return to his public high school next year. </p>
<p>We looked at a number of alternatives, including private high schools, local college courses, homeschooling, and early (away) college. Simon’s Rock was the best alternative, the best academic and social fit for him.</p>
<p>He handles his money well, is familiar with living in a dorm (he spends six weeks at “nerd camp” every summer, including this one), and has most of the self-care skills needed for college life (does laundry, knows how to cook, deals effectively with roommates). We’re confident he’ll pick up the skills he doesn’t have yet (making his own travel arrangements, holding a work-study job, for example) once he’s in college, as most other college students do.</p>
<p>Now… </p>
<p>I’ve read your posts here on CC and elsewhere, and I have to concur with some other parents: you don’t sound very mature. You sound like a typical 15-year-old (and there’s nothing wrong with that, of course!). You asked for suggestions, opinions, and so on, and then argue with people when they post an opinion with which you disagree, an opinion that runs contrary to what you want to hear. All you want is agreement! </p>
<p>Current Simon’s Rock students have already told you you don’t sound like a good fit socially for SR, and your academics don’t appear strong enough for you to tackle college-level work. </p>
<p>soozievt has listed lots of great alternatives for you. EVERY option soozievt listed sounds like a better option than Simon’s Rock for you! Try exploring them – own them and figure out how to make them happen, rather than creating excuses as to why they won’t work.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>early_college - It appears that you have received your feedback. soozievt and owlice have spent quite a lot of effort to respond to you point by point and I hope you will honor their effort by thinking about what they are saying… Good luck and hang in…</p>
<p>Thanks soov! I honestly appreciate all your posts and all the hard work you put into them. I’m going to respond as I read each section of what you wrote.</p>
<p>I will like to start and tell you my swim team schedule. It is from 3:30-4:30 and I don’t get home to 5:00. I eat dinner and then do my homework, go to bed. I usually have to wait at the school/swim pool for some time, because I carpool with a friend. I am very stumped now, should I apply and see what happens? That has been my plan from the beginning. Maybe it will show me that it is indeed the right path or it is not.</p>
<p>I agree with you that going to Simon’s Rock and then to a BFA would be very stupid and a waste of money. I already know if that happen, I may just want to go the liberal arts education. </p>
<p>I do agree again, I am very challenged academically and I know that. If I wasn’t I’d have a 4.0 and I certainly do not have that. I do not think I could handle what your children did, and god bless them because I couldn’t have done it. We only could play one varsity sport at my school at a time and I am physically/mentally tired after each swim practice. I almost did year round swim team, but I’d think it would be too much. I can only handle one thing at one time and that would be too much work for me. I’m also going to be in Advanced Drama next year, so I will be in a play and I’m sure I’ll have to stay after school. Dual Enrollment in my school is usually taken during the day in replace of regular classes and people cannot take them until junior year. I for one do not have a car and my father works and after school is swim team. It could work after school if I didn’t have swim team. I also just applied for an internship at a local talent agency (not my agent). I did not get the job, but I did try. </p>
<p>I know in the summer I could take classes to try to graduate early, but these classes are College Prep courses and are $250 for course and is most of the summer. How could I do that AND a summer theater/film intensive program. I couldn’t do both! Also, I don’t think it is possible to get enough credits. I know Simon’s Rock cost money and my parents could pay. It just come downs to the offer and what they can and cannot pay. I know I could in fact do theater when swim season is over. Would that work? I was going to get the other internship in the summer and until swim season started, it was about 3-4 months. I tried to be in journalism class (newspaper), I did not get in. Trust me my teacher and I were both shocked. This lady who is in charge has been only letting gifted people in all the programs she offers. Also, mostly junior and seniors are aloud to do this. I also want to take AP courses, wouldn’t Drama be more important then an extra AP course? Do you think 4-5 AP courses would be enough to get into schools like Tisch or USC?</p>
<p>I am going to ask my guidance counselor all the questions as soon as get back to school. Is going the first week I get back too much trouble, or should I wait longer. I have to ask her if there is any way I could graduate a year earlier. Thanks again soov, :)</p>