I’m just curious. Can you really attend in colleges before common age ?
Yes.
how?
A girl who used to go to my school is doing a combined senior year at some college. She was in my grade and we’re all seniors but somehow she’s doing some special program. I think a few schools offer them. I’m pretty sure it’s not like you skip a year though. Pretty sure you do five years of college and it’s supposed to be like your senior year is more advanced.
@Tinit Do, Aren’t you an 8th grader? Why do you want to leave high school early?
It looks like you are in 8th grade. You would be wise to get off of CC until you are a junior in HS.
There’s a 14 year old in my daughter’s college sophomore engineering class. So yes, it’s possible. Not sure how he/she got there though.
Are your parents supportive?
Are you already identified as gifted?
There are programs specifically for highly gifted kids such as
https://robinsoncenter.uw.edu/programs/eep/
There are several options for enrolling in college early. Here are some of them:
- Some students (especially home-schooled students) start taking classes for credit at their local community colleges or 4-year colleges/universities in late elementary and middle school age.
- Many high schools (and some middle schools) offer the option of dual-enrollment. This means that students take a class at a community college or 4-year college/university that will count as a high school class. Often those students finish up an associates degree at the same time they finish high school.
- Some students are very advanced in one subject area (usually math) and run out of classes to take in their high schools, so they arrange to take more advanced work at a community college or 4-year college/university while they take the rest of their classes in their regular high school.
- Some students find a class that looks interesting or fun to them at a community college or 4-year college/university, and enroll in that class as a special student. Most often this is something for summer because it is harder to juggle that extra class with regular school work during the school year.
- Some students are far ahead of their classmates in general, and elect to enroll in college early as full-time degree-seeking students. Most colleges and universities in the US will allow this if they believe that the student is ready for college level work. Some colleges and universities offer specific programs for those students. Here is one list: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/early_college.htm
One difficulty that students face is paying for these kinds of programs. Some dual-enrollment programs are free for high school students, but not all of them are. If you just want to take a fun class in the summer session at your community college, you can bet that you will have to pay for that! And of course every college/university that does admit students early will have its own financial aid process. Be prepared to do a lot of research about the money issues.
OP #5 in the post above is what the girl I know did. She is now at Clark.
Some school districts have “early colleges” that are special high schools where students start by taking accelerated classes their first year or two in high school and then take classes on campus (some are with community colleges, some with 4-year colleges). Students typically graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree at the same time.
Then there’s always Bard early college at Simon’s Rock: https://simons-rock.edu/
Yeah I was going to mention Simons Rock and Clark U. Those are probably the most well known programs.
here’s a list of others
It’s not nearly as common as it used to be, but skipping grades in elementary and middle school would result in the ability to attend college as a younger person. Also, in some states if you have met all of the requirements in high school you can graduate after your first semester.
I did that years ago and started at UIUC in January. My D2 could have done it this year, but chose not to. (BTW, she bitterly regretted that choice the first day back after break!)
USC (California) has a Resident Honors program for HS students ready to start college in lieu of a senior year of high school.
@Tinit Do, if you’re in 8th grade as another poster mentioned, and if you want to look further into early college, check out Bard Academy/Bard College at Simon’s Rock. The Academy is a 2-year accelerated high school (boarding and day) and then you go right into Simon’s Rock college the third year (so instead of 11th grade). My D is in the program now, so if you have any questions, just PM me.
My 9th grader is considering finishing high school in 3 years. She took some high school level classes in 8th grade and at the end of her sophomore year, will apply to be reclassified as a senior. It’s up for consideration at this point, but honestly, I am leaning against it. We will see…
As I mentioned before, I was just curious. I am not that smart.
I would like to email you. Have a son who is looking at it for 2017-2018
I am looking at Bards early college for 11th grade for my my son for 2017-2018 school year. Can any of you share your experiences with this school especially around the social and diversity area? Do they have cultural diversity etc. thanks. Please email me if you prefer. Will really appreciate your help!
My friend’s daughter skipped one year in elementary school and one year in middle school. She was in college at age 16. Now she is a MD at her early 20s.