<p>My Sophomore d is seriously considering attending Early College High School at the local Community College. She will be able to get a HS diploma and Associates Transfer degree at the same time. She is very smart, but has not applied herself in HS, and has an accumulative of about 3.4 for 3 semesters. She would really like to attend a small liberal arts college, and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with students attending community college for their Junior and Senior year, then transferring to a good liberal arts college. Her other option is going to the state schools beginning as a Junior, which would also not be a bad option.</p>
<p>Any experience stories good or bad would be helpful.</p>
<p>I know some kid at my school who got into the USC Resident Honors Programs which allows the student to test out junior year and attend USC one year early. He’s pretty damn lucky, because he also got a half-tuition scholarships. I know one of the many requirement was that he need a SATI score above 2050+ i think. To bad that the student doesn’t receive a HS diploma (and it’s really something that has to be negotiated with the HS)</p>
<p>Thank you w00t. This program is actually through the local school district and she can receive both a HS diploma and AAS degree at the same time. She would then be a Junior in the state colleges when her peers are Freshman. I did tell her that she could apply to a 4 year liberal arts college if she could get her grades up at the Community College, and was wondering how colleges viewed a degree like this compared with one from a traditional HS.</p>
<p>We live near Simon’s Rock (early college) and know lots of kids who have gone there in lieu of 11th and 12th grade and done well. It can be great for the kid who is smart but turned off of high school because of the social scene, or the general climate of high school (honestly, how many adults would ever want to repeat their high school years?- yuck). Your D would be living at home, saving lots of money for two years. And with poor HS grades, she’s not going to get into a really good liberal art college by staying in HS.</p>
<p>I am hoping she will rise to the challenge, and I do believe would like the college experience. I was also thinking colleges may look at the grades differently than the same grades at her HS, hopefully more favorably.</p>
<p>orygunmum, my daughter is going through a similar process and it is a great thing for her. Some “elite” colleges do not want to recognize the college credit, regardless of the fact that the school is accredited - our state requires all the state schools to do so, and it appears most of the in-state privates will now accept at least a year of it. The process here is different in that the high school is physically located on the college campus, allowing the students to take the college classes at the college along with “regular” students, or take some classes at the high school if they prefer - not all students attempt to complete an Associate’s degree commensurate with their HS. Also the students are still associated with the high school for athletics, which greatly matters to my daughter. </p>
<p>Our state also has some additional requirements that demand the kids be present in the high school one semester their senior year (e.g. a high school economics class that can only be taken at the high school, regardless if the kid has taken Macro and Micro at the college), and the high school also has a year-long senior project the kids complete and defend.</p>
<p>Most 4-yr colleges will accept the kids as Freshman, and many will grant transfer credit, and the kids then get Junior class priority for class scheduling, etc., and can graduate early or perhaps earn a combined Bachelors/Masters with a little more flexibility and (hopefully) less stress than the traditional route.</p>
<p>From everything I’ve heard, doing this looks good on college applications (although she may or may not be able to get junior standing). There are two things that you need to consider though:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If she does this, then she’s no longer in high school. So she misses out on the social aspects of high school as well as the academics, which may not be what she wants.</p></li>
<li><p>In community college, the teacher doesn’t make you do homework, study, or even come to class. If she doesn’t start applying herself, she may well not even get a passing GPA.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you for your comments. The program here is similar to thrills. The classes are taken at the Community College and not at the HS. She would graduate with her neighborhood school, but has been attending a magnet, so she would probably choose not to walk which we have discussed in length. She will continue to do debate, and may try LaCrosse again if she feels she has time at her neighborhood HS. We have talked A LOT about how we as parents will not have any say on her attendance etc., and she is aware of the consequences. My gut says she is mature enough to handle this, but her organizational skills in the past have been lacking. </p>
<p>She would be able to get Junior standing at the State schools, but I realize not at Private schools. I am not sure that matters to me, as much as her having a better academic experience than I think she will currently get. </p>
<p>I am glad that schools seem to view this favorably, since I think staying at her current school will only bring more of the same.</p>
<p>orygunmum, one thing my daughter’s HS does is require the students to spend Fridays at the HS, since the college seems to detest scheduling classes on Friday. The kids spend that time in a college seminar, where they can get tutoring help and teachers can see that the kids are learning to manage their time - the kids still get out early that day, so they see it as a good deal - also it ensures all those little announcements from the HS at least have an opportunity to get heard by the kids.</p>