My parents won’t let me go to public high school. They are middle class but right at the level where I would be given almost free tuition at MIT/other top schools. The amount leftover for ‘Parental contribution’ I will make up for or take out loans for I suppose.
I was thinking that perhaps if I can make sure no community college credits will transfer, then I could enter as a freshman and get merit-based scholarships to pay or smth (if I don’t get into schools that cover tuition based on need)
What is a great idea – going to the public HS? I’m kind of surprised if that hasn’t been discussed as an option already in your family… lots of kids do take a few classes at community colleges via dual enrollment or a state sponsored program to allow them to do so before graduating from high school. For example, if you get beyond your HS’s math offerings, or want to take a foreign language not offered at your HS.
Sure, work on your personal projects, but academics have to come first. Your GPA and test scores, and making sure you stay eligible for colleges as a freshman so you have that option, are important. You should Google each college you are interested in and look at what they allow regarding transfers vs freshman regarding CC classes. But I will also say that (1) several of the Ivies aren’t very good choices for comp engineering, (2) there are a lot of good schools between your state U (depending on which state) and the schools you listed – some will give very good need based aid if you are low income. So don’t just focus on tippy top schools, there may be other excellent options.
Also, “personal projects” that don’t have much to show for themselves in terms of demonstrating accomplishment for admissions aren’t very helpful. So think about that – work on research that can be entered in science fairs, or create an app and sell it, or work with a prof on research at a nearby college if you can. (All of which you can still do while attending the public HS if you want to).
Sorry, I was responding to the previous commenter. My parents have put me through private schools and private tutors, but they firmly have decided no public school for some reason. My area lacks the type of private schooling they want me in, and I’ve exhausted most of the courses so they thought this was the best option.
Thanks, I mean personal projects like app building and my parents want me to do research at a public uni here with a prof or smth. I don’t want to go to any Ivy League schools in particular, but if it was my best option I would do CS rather than CE since most don’t have those programs.
I know that my local public high school is very good and I want to go there (it has the best music program in the state!) and the opportunities I would have there are just as good or better, but my parents are veryyy vehement about not letting me go. Completely non-negotiable.
(I know, it’s ridiculous)
Okay, got it. Just FYI, CS isn’t all that at several of the Ivies, too. And CS as a profession is very much a “what have you done for me lately” profession. Your school isn’t that critical in a lot of cases. When do your parents expect you to actually graduate from HS? That plays into this conversation.
Ahh, you’re right. I haven’t done extensive research on many unis yet. I want to put that off till the future for the most part haha.
Expected graduation spring '21.
This makes less sense as we go on. If you withrdaw from high school, who grants your hs degree? “Dual enrollment” is in the high school context, not a separate optional program. If you withdraw (from a private hs?) there is no high school transcript that will reflect the cc courses. The private won’t carry you on their records. Unless you enroll in the public school and it allows a full cc courseload (kinda doubtful.)
Keep in mind, you won’t have a guidance counselor, to support your app, write that LoR, or even monitor that the classes you take properly accrue toward a hs degree, those requirements.
Will the cc even allow a freestanding kid to take all these classes and bestow “college” credit unless you matriclulate at the cc? And then, you won’t be a freshman applicant.
Seems you have work to do, to understand.
One option is homeschooling, but each state has requirements to fulfill. And it does NOTsound like your parents are aware of these or how one turns homeschooling to gold.
You can’t be “completing something like my second year of high school.” You need to count it all up and figure out where you do stand. Not just hours, but the breadth and depth expected.
If you want a top college, you don’t mess with some sort of DIY process and assume it all works out. In fact, if you do research the colleges more, you’ll learn they do expect more than some “advanced” studies. They expect a level of conformity (you to conform to their standard expectations for hs learning, coursework and credits.)
Yes, DE is very successful in some areas. But it’s usually a hs program. Even where there are “middle colleges” or “early college” programs, they are under the aegis of some official policy.
It’s not random. Nor is MIT looking for random.
Be careful.
Adding: bulding apps s no tip to these top colleges. Research? It’s not going to fall into your lap if you aren’t in some school context. Lots of stem kids do it, but as an enhancement, not a replacement for a solid program that meets all the standards.
This all is like looking at bullets, without any plan.
How are you going to pay for your college if your parents won’t contribute? You can only take out $27,000 in total over all four years.
I live in a state where dual enrollment is not uncommon for advanced kids. It’s a free program here so those who can take advantage will. The VAST majority of these kids will be applying to college as a freshman unless they knew exactly what their major was ahead of time and finished out an AA/pre-reqs to align perfectly for transfer to a state school. That said, sometimes they are able to transfer some credits. It just depends on the college. More often it might fulfill some general ed requirements but you may not really be able to graduate much faster. It might be easier to pursue 2 degrees for instance in the same amount of time.
My oldest kid just finished out the year as a dual enroll student at a CC. There are some other dual enroll students there but it’s a large school and there is not good built in socialization with other high schoolers doing this. What do you do for extracuriculars and fun? That is where you should be looking for socialization. My kid has had classes with a really wide vareity of students. From working parents, to new immigrants, to senior citizens. It’s actually be a good experience but it’s not like he’s going to find his ideal peer group there. Even though he has had fantastic qualify PhD holding profs and classes with smallish sizes. I guess that can depend on the school too but I’ve been impressed with program quality. Many of the profs are teaching at $$$ private colleges in our urban area as well.
One thing I will say both as the parent of a profoundly gifted kid and someone who has taught and led groups of GT kids and teens of varying ages. Adults are not going to see a 14 year old as a peer. They may be polite and inclusive. But they will not be true friends. There’s actually some issues for adults being TOO inclusive of a young teen. Sometimes parents of GT kids aren’t even cognizant of this and don’t recognize the social implications. I would also say, it’s harder to get into competitive schools as a young applicant. You’re competing against people who’ve had another year or 2 to hone their extra curricular and academics and maturity and executive skills. When you go away to college after dual enrolling (or whatever) you want to make sure you are ready in all ways to embrace the environment. It’s kind of too bad your parents won’t let you try the public high school actually. Especially since you are interested in the programming!
It’s hard to apply to elite schools if your parents aren’t helping. It is possible you don’t know the ins and outs of their money situation either. My kid has stats to apply but we likely cannot afford our share at all and huge debt is not where it’s at. Just keep in mind, a lot more doors can be open for grad school.
It sounds like your parents need to talk to somebody knowledgeable pronto. Your current school counselor, maybe, or a private college counselor (may be expensive), or just start a thread on CC. Do you have other relatives who might talk to them? If you cannot change their mind, maybe other adults could.
@lookingforward Hi. Thank you very much for the information.
My education is very complicated as I have moved over six times during my high school life and along the way my parents figured out a way for my diploma to be completed in a way that will be appropriate for college applications. I have an advisor but I don’t see having one as strictly necessary. My letters of recommendation will most likely be coming from a prof, CH tutor, music director, or others.
I am already enrolled in the community college and I will have college credit depending on where I go to school - the college has partnerships with just a few schools and if I go out of state the credits will not transfer. MIT does not accept any dual enrollment, AP or IB credits.
I lack freedom to direct much of my education but my parents do know what they are doing, save the public school bit probably. Dw, my projects aren’t ‘DIY’ or anything. I participate in legit & directed ECs that are v/ structured and by no means self-driven.
I’m most definitely not counting on being accepted to MIT or an elite school, so I will not be shaping the next three years of my high school experience around getting into them.
It looks like you are in a homeschool situation. Am I. correct about that? If so, then your two years at the CC could be dual enrollemnt for homeschooling.
Just make dead certain that you do complete a high school diploma. You won’t be eligible for federal financial aid without a high school diploma or state approved equivalent such as a GED.
@yucca10 Hi! Thank you for your advice. Tbh my parents are a bit strict about this but they’ve put three of my siblings through top unis so I guess they kinda sorta know something. I don’t think I want to change their minds as much as find a way to make the situation work better for me.
@happymomof1 Sort of. Moving during the school year has prevented me from starting school right away, which has caused me to complete a lot of independent study. But I’m enrolled in schools so ig not completely.
I’ll be sure to make my diploma clear! Thank you
I don’t know what your parents are thinking. Once you are past 12 years old, the ship has sailed.
Kidding, of course. Your parents know you better than anyone. However, the fact that you are asking the question here implies that your parents have their own agenda separate from your own.
I don’t understand the rush, the aversion to public schools, etc. If you are truly prodigal, just go on to college. Otherwise, do your best in high school and work on psychosocial development which, almost by definition, lags your academic development.
You’re “enrolled” (matriculated) or you registered for some classes? Critical difference, if you want to apply as a freshman. You’d need to look up how different colleges describe their limits.
I think maybe some confusion is in how we use different terms. If, by “partnerships,” you mean a form of “Guaranteed Transfer” arrangement, again, that’s transfer, not first year. You complete the two years in cc, then transfer for the last two years.
“All of the courses I complete at the CC will be on my high school transcript; nothing will transfer.” But as you describe this, you won’t be affiliated for a high school transcript, going forward. Just the cc. And you suggest you’d try to hide the cc classes, in order to apply as a freshman at some schools outside the state. ??
MIT adcoms do recognize DE or other sorts of college courses taken. The sort of kids they seek often are involved with college classes. The issue is whether you earn MIT college credit, if accepted and depending on your status. But MIT (as an example,) says, “No [college] credit can be granted for courses listed only on a high school transcript, even if they were taken in a college or university.”
So what do you have in mind? What is the status at the cc?
If you are describing homeschooling (which is where a student forges his own path, in line with state or school district regulations for a diploma, and someone other than a school creates the transcript) you need to learn what those requirements are. You would have a homeschooler supplement to the app for a college outside the state GT program.
Bottom line: if you want my imo on dropping high school and attending cc, you can go for it, as long as you meet state and college requirements for completing the high school portion. AND have the recommended courses the college wants to see. Lots of kids do this, despite any age differences, and many are successful. They join activities, get into study groups, and more.
But I think some of the confusion here may be because, you don’t quite understand how your parents have this planned. So you can’t quite explain it to us. There’s some contradiction. You need to either trust their experience with your siblings (they went to state colleges?) or seriously bone up on all the considerations that will matter when applying to a different (non GT) college or two.
This really is the heart of the problem, but not much I can suggest or do about that.
As a parent I viewed middle-school age as transitional with the idea that my offspring would be given considerable freedom to direct their own education, within the various public school options available to them. (Public because private school was not an option financially-- but there were still several different options and paths).
So my kids chose their high schools, and they picked their courses at school, to the extent that the schools allowed them to. (I mean, my son signed up for Spanish and got assigned to French; my daughter signed up for Spanish and got assigned to Russian – so they certainly didn’t always get what they wanted – but the point is that I wasn’t telling them what to try for).
But at 14 you are still a young teenager, so I can’t exactly categorize your parents’ level of control at this age as being out-of-line. Just different philosophically, as I wanted to foster independence in my children and give them the freedom to explore and develop their own interests. Your parents clearly have something else in mind.
Unfortunately it doesn’t seem that you are comfortable with their plan… but don’t have the power to change it either. Any possibility that your parents would be open to family counseling? A family therapist might be able to help improve the lines of communication in your home, but that does require that your parents be willing to listen to someone else’s opinion.
Make sure you’re dual enrolled and will receive a high school diploma for the cc courses.
You WILL need a counselor to complete the “school profile” for all secondary schools attended and send your transcripts even if your recommendations come from other sources, unless you’re classified as homeschooled and your parents will do it.
You have no control over this. You submit all your transcripts to the colleges you apply to and they decide whether or not to accept the credits. If you withhold transcripts you can get expelled or have your degree revoked and you’d be required to repay any aid you received. That’s not a place you want to be.
You said you’re a freshman and you’ve moved 6 times since you started high school. Is all this moving around in state? If not, your parents need to read the homeschool regs for your current state. If they move frequently and plan to continue homeschooling you that may be a challenge. Every state has it’s own homeschool regulations.