<p>Does anyone know the odd of being accepted to colleges if the kids apply during their junior year (only 2 or 3 more classes needed to graduate from high school)? Will there be any penalty when the kids re-apply the following year if they could not get in the desired colleges at the end of junior year?</p>
<p>Most colleges require a high school diploma; if they accept a GED (and some schools don't), you might be admitted if you could earn the GED. I suspect that it would look kind of naive to apply to a school where you hadn't met even the most basic requirement for admission.</p>
<p>Have you considered asking your school if they'll call it "skipping 11th grade" so that your child has senior status next year? There are definitely pros and cons of doing it this way. But then, the application comes in from a senior.
Some of the ramifications here at this school: no class ranking could be assigned (only you know if that's a good or bad thing for your kid); he got to go to senior activities and prom before graduating; he had no "second chance" to stick around for that second year; friendship circles were a bit odd because his closest friends were still the juniors; few electives just the required courses; had 4 AP's on his h.s. transcript that year but no test outcome to show for them when he wrote the college apps; it made him sound like the eager beaver that he is to say "skipped 11th grade." It REALLY rushed our college search process, however, but if you have some idea where he wants to apply, maybe it's for you. We just never found time to visit or interview anywhere!! Still he's thrilled to be going off to college in about 5 days... also he had a Dec.31 birthday so was within a day of being a senior by birthdate. Should definitely be a confident, upbeat, optimistic person to take this route; someone who can handle stress and rebound, without breaking into pieces...at least that was my S's formula. For me it's been hard!!</p>
<p>Several schools allow you to start college a year early. When my son was a junior, he applied and was accepted to USC's Resident Honors Program. They allow 30 students a year into this program.
<a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/RHP/#faq%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/RHP/#faq</a>
<a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/RHP/#program%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/RHP/#program</a></p>
<p>This program doesn't require a diploma or a GED. My son thought it would be hilarious to someday have a PhD. and "brag" that he was a high school dropout!</p>
<p>Bard College at Simon's Rock is another institution that's set up specifically for students who want to start college after 10th or 11th grade:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.simons-rock.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.simons-rock.edu/</a></p>
<p>P3tuitions - How does this situation differ from home schooling situation? By the end of junior year, kid will have 4 years in math, 4 years in science, 4 years in English, 3 years in foreign language, 3 years in history, 10 APs (6 by sophomore year), 2 years in art.</p>
<p>momofchris/marathon - Thanks for info about USC honor and Simon's Rock.</p>
<p>Mine applied and was accepted in what would have been her sophomore year.</p>
<p>NONE of the colleges she applied to (which were all top LACs and Unis) required either a high school diploma or a GED, and she had/has neither. (We know that she would have been accepted a year earlier, and was actually enrolled in classes at Evergreen in what would have been 8th grade.)</p>
<p>A year ahead of her, we had a friend at Harvard who entered at 14 (a homeschooler) without a single high school course.</p>
<p>Some of the tech schools, e.g. CMU, Caltech & MIT, have accepted juniors. Other posters have had acceptances at H and NYU. I think its more competitive, as one is being compared to students who have had an extra year to gain experiences. Still, if your child has exhausted the HS curriculum, then there is nothing to lose. At least, I don't think there is a penalty.</p>
<p>Mine applied early and was accepted at both colleges he applied to.</p>
<p>Is your child homeschooled? In that case lots of tests (SATIIs, APs) to determine achievements are a good idea. </p>
<p>If your child is attending a high school, keep in mind that many colleges, though by no means all, require a high school diploma, and that high schools may or may not waive some requirements. Ours waived the 4 year PE requirement that would have necessitated another semester of Health. We knew going in that S would want to graduate early, so we worked with the GC to ensure that he met all the graduation requirements save for PE. That meant doubling up on English. </p>
<p>What I was told by ad coms: One, contacted when S was a sophomore, said that he should build the strongest profile he could; his youth would not be an advantage; instead, it could be a disadvantage if his profile was not strong, as there would be the perception that if only he spent 4 years instead of 3 in high school, he could improve his profile and his level of preparedness. Contacted again early in junior year, the adcom said early graduating applicants were better off applying RD, again to improve their chances of burnishing their credentials.
A dean of admissions at another college, contacted early in junior year, encouraged S to apply EA, as he by then had taken not only several APs but also quite a few college classes. Applying RD, she said, would not give him any more of an edge. The adcom said nothing about maturity.
Note that S had already taken the PSAT and all the SAT tests that were required by the end of sophomore year.</p>
<p>Most colleges will accept under "Early Acceptance" but expect that the student will matriculate after completion of that junior year of high school. The high school in turn, usually will award a degree at the end of the student's first year of college, using college credits to meet graduation requirements.</p>
<p>If the problem is 2-3 classes to fulfill the HS graduation requirement, check if the HS will accept correspondence courses for that purpose. Many high schools will (thou they will not calculate those grades into the GPA). You can easily find HS or college level classes by correspondence (HS classes are much easier, and much cheaper (<$200 per class), so if your child does not have much time to spend on them, he can still complete them in a short time with almost 0 effort).</p>
<p>An issue is what kind of college is a student shooting for? The colleges I contacted were all the most selective ones. I did not see the worth of graduating early from high school to go to a so-so college if S could improve his chances at a top college that would better meet his academic needs.
Another issue would be financial concerns. A student might want to build the strongest possible application in order to qualify for merit money.
Finally, public high school costs nothing. Top college cost of attendance is $45k+.</p>
<p>At least among elite-type schools, this is a lot more common than you might think (until you read all the posts above, of course). Very few of them require high-school graduation as a formal matter. My wife applied to college as a junior many years ago, and I have a cousin who's about to do it this year. Both of them graduated or plan to graduate after their third year of high school, and both deferred or plan to defer actual enrollment until a year later. (My wife only did it, by the way, because her really rather awful high school refused to let her graduate early unless she had a college acceptance in hand.)</p>
<p>The fact that it's surprisingly common doesn't mean it's easy, though. My wife was accepted at Yale, but rejected almost everywhere else she applied, including some schools that would have been safeties for her had she applied in the ordinary course. Unless the kid is an undeniable actual genius (as opposed to a really smart 16-year-old), I would expect to suffer some in the admissions process.</p>
<p>As for what happens if the kid's first choice school rejects him, and he applies a year later? I don't know; others might. This is the kind of question it's probably best to ask specifically to the admissions people at each school. I don't think there is any prohibition on it, although I think I remember some applications asking if you have ever applied to that college before. But there are really only two possibilities: (1) it doesn't make any theoretical difference, but you aren't going to get a better result unless there's something very strong to add to the previous year's application, or (2) it doesn't make any theoretical difference, but in practice it hurts you a lot.</p>
<p>Marite gives good examples of feedback one would receive.</p>
<p>Note that while colleges have their "rules" like HS diplomas, they made the rules and they can also bend them, and do so all the time. They just don't advertise this. (the exception could be state universities, if the state itself legislated certain standards.)</p>
<p>Note also that for college admissions, youth is not considered a hook. Rather it is a negative factor to be overcome.</p>
<p>I do find it interesting that it always seems to be the parents looking into these things, not their kids....</p>
<p>Final note: Julian Stanley, the "father" of the study of highly gifted kids, was once a proponent of early entry to college. After studying such kids in their subsequent years, he backed off from strong advocacy of early entry to college, partly because the kids that did so were too often dissatisfied with their college experience in later years. So he became an advocate for opportunities for extension for these brilliant students both in and out of school, and helped develop programs to meet their needs.</p>
<p>What happens if a kid re-applies to a college that rejected him the previous year?</p>
<p>Andison (not an early entrant) was rejected again at colleges to which he re-applied but accepted to one top college where he had not applied the previous year but where he took some courses during his gap year.</p>
<p>I actually am one of those people who has a PhD and is a high school drop out. Summer of my junior year my home life became intolerable. I went college shopping and found a place to take me (1500 SAT, a bigger deal then than now.) It was no where near as prestigious a school as one I could have attended had I waited. Pros and cons. Greatest pro: Was at college '68 - '69, the year things were happening politically and went to Woodstock. Con: see above. </p>
<p>However with planning, this would not be result.</p>
<p>"Note that while colleges have their "rules" like HS diplomas, they made the rules and they can also bend them, and do so all the time."</p>
<p>We didn't see ANY with such "rules" (among top LACs and Unis.) None.</p>
<p>"Final note: Julian Stanley, the "father" of the study of highly gifted kids, was once a proponent of early entry to college. After studying such kids in their subsequent years, he backed off from strong advocacy of early entry to college, partly because the kids that did so were too often dissatisfied with their college experience in later years. So he became an advocate for opportunities for extension for these brilliant students both in and out of school, and helped develop programs to meet their needs."</p>
<p>Leon Botstein, the President of Bard, in contrast, advocates early college entry (14-15) for NON-GIFTED kids. And has put his money where his mouth is, with Bard in NYC, which accepts 14-15 year old highly motivated but non-gifted students, many from extremely poor neighborhoods and backgrounds, and presents them with full college curricula, with excellent results.</p>
<p>I think we are talking about three different scenarios here. One is early enrollment into college (what I think the OP was asking about), prior to graduation from high school and with no HS diploma. Another scenario is early entrance into college after graduating high school early (after three years) with a diploma. The third scenario is homeschooling. </p>
<p>I think for homeschooled kids, the issue is different because there never is a diploma or high school graduation. I think a homeschool applicant could apply in any year and will be looked at as a homeschooler and evaluated in the ways any homeschool student would be, no matter the "grade" he/she is in. For such students, a diploma is not required, whether applying early or not.</p>
<p>Then there is the scenario of those, like the OP, who want early enrollment without a HS diploma. NOT ALL colleges will take students in this situation. It would be important to find out NOW by calling, if they will consider a student coming out of a high school to enroll early WITHOUT a diploma. One option for such a student is dual enrollment at a local university, rather than enroll in a college that won't yet take a student (not counting home school ones) without a diploma. </p>
<p>The third scenario is early graduation with a diploma and thus early entrance into college. I have a child who did this. Before she even embarked on this path, the colleges on her list were called to see if they consider early graduates and they all said they did IF they had a high school diploma (am not including homeschool kids in this scenario). So, many colleges will require a diploma from those who actually went to high school. </p>
<p>As a college counselor, I can tell you that the conventional wisdom regarding early entrance into college is that the admissions people take extra care to scrutinize if the applicant is ready both academically and socially and thus it is harder for such applicants to gain admission than if they had graduated in four years. Sometimes a personal interview is required or other times a statement from the student or within the guidance counselor report or other recommendations attesting to the student's readiness for all that college entails. Make sure the student has exhausted the HS curriculum and taken full advantage of all opportunities available to a high schooler before moving onto college. A student should be "ready" for college, not only academically, but socially and personally, and even have exhausted their EC opportunities and be ready for the next step. It is not enough to just be smart or advanced. By the way, in order to qualify for federal funds in FA, a student has to have a HS diploma or have earned a GED, or pass an independently administered test approved by the US Dept. of Education such as the PSAT, ACT, SAT, and have completed a program treated as home school or private school under state law. </p>
<p>While newmassdad notes that he observes that it is often parents who look into these things and not the kids....that may very well be true in some cases. I can speak from personal experience and say that was the OPPOSITE of the case in my family. As parents, we had no intentions for our child to graduate HS early and in fact, she had already had an early entrance into K and was younger than her classmates and a year "ahead" in her grade placement from the start. It was a challenge schooling her as she needed many accommodations over the years with acceleration, being put in classes with older grades, independent studies, and so on. But we did not plan for an early graduation. It was our D who came to us in mid tenth grade with a proposal to graduate early. At first, I was reluctant, but she made a well articulated case in every area....academically, socially, personally, and with regard to her training/achievements/opportunities in her chosen field (which she had been involved in her entire life). She is very driven and strong willed. Her GC agreed with her plans. We went along with her plan. She never had taken the PSATs (due to having to miss them for family emergency). She took all her SATs and SAT Subject Tests in tenth grade. She had no problem fulfilling the requirements for graduation as she had been accelerated all through school and had all the credits needed. She wrote a statement to include with all applications explaining her rationale and decision to graduate early. Her GC report also spoke to her readiness to enter college early, as did several of her recs. Yes, it was harder to be admitted as an early graduate but we knew the colleges were willing to consider such candidates. She had a very positive admissions outcome in a highly selective college process (BFA in Musical Theater programs). She attends a competitive/selective college academically and a highly competitive one artistically. Being an early graduate made it harder to be admitted but not impossible. In fact, she won one of the biggest scholarships they offer and was also selected as a Scholar. She is now a rising college junior, and so far she has done very well in school with very good grades, loves it, and is a leader in several activities. So, colleges will take such candidates (and also homeschoolers who are younger than 18). Some colleges, however, won't take students (who are not homeschoolers) who do not have a diploma and so you need to inquire early on if that is even a possibility before you proceed further with such a plan.</p>
<p>I also concur with Marite's example about reapplying to schools you did not get into the first time. Acceptance could happen, but is less likely (see Andison's saga), and it is best to start with a new list, after ALSO improving and enhancing one's profile during the year in between (such as during a gap year).</p>
<p>The reality is that, with maybe the exception of 40-50 private colleges and unis, and hoops to jump through at some of the state universities, none of this is going to make a hill of beans worth of difference. Good warm bodies are hard to find. Really motivated ones even harder. Strut your stuff, show 'em you can handle the work, and it isn't going to make any difference which year you apply. And for those top 40-50, show them that you are gifted enough and motivated enough that you serve their institutional mission well, and they'll grab you before someone else does.</p>
<p>I don't know ANYONE, schooled or homeschooled, who was admitted to any college or university on the strength of their senior year.</p>
<p>The one new item I did notice on this year's common app is the following:</p>
<p>If any of the following apply to your secondary school education, please check the appropriate box and provide details on the lines below or on a separate sheet:</p>
<p>�� graduated early
�� graduated late
�� will not graduate, will receive GED
�� will not graduate, will not receive GED </p>
<p>I agree with the others who stated that it is not so much as graduating early or leaving high school to attend college, but also why you have decided to take this route. It is one thing if you have exhausted all the rigerous course offerings your school has and are taking courses at the local college, but it is another thing to want to leave h.s. because you can and you really have not demonstrated that you are capable of doing challenging work.</p>