My daughter is adamantly interested in attending an early college entry program starting her freshman year of High school. Has anyone had a child do this that can give me perspective?
A residential program or a dual enrollment while still attending high school?
Ahh Sorry, a residential program. She would be about an hour from home
Have you visited this early college? The ones I know about have a very distinct “personality” that is quite unique. Some kids fit into it and others don’t.
The one I’m most familiar with is Simons Rock. There are plenty of very young students there.
This is the Program for Exceptionally Gifted at Mary Baldwin University. So this is not the same as an early college program…
That’s about the same age that kids go to off to boarding school. Do you think your D will be able to handle being on her own?
The title to your thread…and the first post indicate an “early college program”.
Is this program at Mary Baldwin a college program, or is it like a boarding school fo gifted HS kids.
Bromfield2 - Yes, I do feel that she has the maturity to handle it. I also understand that the school itself does a few counseling sessions as a part of their application so as to try to see for themselves if the student will be successful
I apologize. To be honest, I did not realize there was such a thing as “early college program” until I started this thread. Is there a way I can change the title of the thread?
This IS an early college program. I can’t take credit for this link…it was forwarded to me by someone else. But clearly, this program at Mary Baldwin is an early college program…awarding college credit and degree…for gifted girls.
I agree with above posters…you need to check it out, and really feel comfortable that it is the right thing for your daughter.
Is she academically too advanced in too many areas for regular high school (with the usual advanced offerings) to be worthwhile?
Another well known early college program is https://simons-rock.edu/
But that is for 11-12 graders who generally have exhausted the courses at their HS.
To me that would depend on the kid. I had a kid with college ready scores/academics from middle school on. He socially and emotionally benefited from homeschooling and dual enrolling and deep diving into some extra curriculars and more hands on parenting.
I do know a couple kids that did similar programs that spun their wheels for a few years after completing it because they weren’t sure on path and/or they didn’t necessarily have the internship experience or confidence of a 22-23 year old new college grad. I think you need to consider budget too. Are you burning up college budget for a student who may want additional schooling or unsure on major? Or are you financially set for anything that may come.
I rarely think even the most gifted 14 year old understands all the nuances of this type of decision. I also think it’s hard to get honest reviews of the downsides of choosing such a program. Even one of the parents I know whose kid really floundered afterward would give it positive reviews if asked. And obviously some kids do well with it and go on immediately to grad school, etc.
do a search for Mary Baldwin" on CC. I seem to remember a lot of different opinions from Parents whose gifted daughters attended that school- some very positive, others not positive at all.
Virginia has dual enrollment programs. Dual enrollment allows students to maintain their incoming freshman status while earning college credit which can be important for keeping options open.
Can she attend this program as a dual enrolled student or will she have to give up her incoming freshman status to participate in the program at Mary Baldwin University?
I think that is an important question to get answered because the financial aid information mentions the ability to use the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant and federal student aid programs. That implies she would be giving up her incoming freshman status. If that’s the case then she really is choosing a college as opposed to an enriched high school experience that allows her to earn college credits.
If she has to give up her incoming freshman status to attend then there are lots of additional questions. How many colleges has she considered, does this one have the major she plans to pursue or enough options if she is undecided that she won’t need to transfer to complete her bachelors, are you financially ready without the four hs years you were probably planning on having and if she were 18, would this school still be her top choice? Or is this the only one she has considered because it’s the only one she’s heard of?
Here are a few early start programs to consider, though there are lots of colleges that accept students early. https://cty.jhu.edu/resources/academic-opportunities/college-entrance/
You and your daughter should visit Mary Baldwin, have the tour, sit in on some classes, chat with students currently in the programs, maybe have an overnight in the dorm where she would be living. Ask the students she meets with if it’s OK for you to speak with their parents to learn more about that side of the experience. For some families it definitely is a good choice.
Happykid and I drove past the Mary Baldwin campus on a get-off-I-81-before-the-road-rage-hits-us detour last winter. What a pretty place! We were ready to go for a tour there ourselves. 
When I read the info on the link 8 posted above, it sounded to me like this is college…not high school. These gifted students are earning college credits toward a degree from Mary Baldwin. It does sound like they have separate and supervised lodging from the rest of the campus. I was not clear whether or not the classes were for just this group, or regular Mary Baldwin classes.
The program has tours, and its own info sessions. Attend those.
I guess my question is…why are you considering this option? The academic part of the program sounds fine to me…but I would want to make sure the social part works too. Your child won’t be doing any of the high school activities her friends are doing…because she will be in college. That could be a perfect match…or it might not be.
A thread from a couple of years ago
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1994568-mary-baldwin-program-for-the-exceptionally-gifted-peg.html
discusses the Mary Baldwin PEG program, including a couple of posts from parents whose daughters had been in the program.
You might want to look into certain boarding high schools. They are obviously age-appropriate socially, and the larger among them are fairly college-like and probably enroll a fair number of students whose academic gifts are similar to your daughter’s.
I’ve never understood the compulsion to have kids raise through school and graduate from college. Maybe it’s because I live in NYC & there are a lot of educational programs for gifted kids.
Why does your D want to skip high school? Is it for social reasons? IME, that’s often the reason and IMO it isn’t a good one.( And for what it’s worth, I DETESTED 10th-12th grades.)
I too think your D should check out boarding school options. If she gets straight As (or whatever the highest grade is) at a top boarding school for at least one full year, then think about college.
I would visit. For some kids, this will surround them with their peers and that is a happier alternative to being an outcast in high school or homeschooling.
If you just want more advanced content, boarding school could be a great option.
I would look at outcomes here. Is this college level classes to get a high school degree (interesting option for some) or is it a college degree awarded to an 18 year old (which has a different set of challenges.)