<p>I heard about something called the Resident Honors Program, where honors students can leave high school after their junior year and start college at USC. Does anyone know anything about this or know someone who has done it?? Or other early entrance programs?</p>
<p>I don’t know specifically about the USC program, but there are some colleges that don’t require that you have a high school diploma/GED to apply. However, to be admitted to these schools, you must be competitive with applicants that have finished high school.</p>
<p>I see, thanks for the info! I have heard about others schools not requiring a diploma, but this one seemed interesting to me since it’s an actual program that early students can be a part of, rather than just being an anonymous younger student.</p>
<p>The USC program is well-established and has a good rep, but I don’t have any personal knowledge of it. [Here</a> are some other programs of that nature (details vary)](<a href=“Early entrance to college - Wikipedia”>Early entrance to college - Wikipedia). </p>
<p>I was an early entrant at age 16, at [Shimer</a> College (now in Chicago)](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimer_College]Shimer”>Shimer Great Books School - Wikipedia), and it was certainly a worthwhile and positive experience for me; a couple decades on, my only regret is not having gone a year earlier. 
My sister skipped high school entirely through the PEG program at Mary Baldwin, and although that particular program proved to be a little claustrophobic (she eventually transferred out), I don’t think she has any regrets about the acceleration aspect. </p>
<p>Moving from anecdotes to data, the studies that have been done of acceleration into college (all the way back to the 1930s when the first such programs began) have generally been quite positive, particularly in the case of cohort programs (like the ones at USC, Shimer and elsewhere). [Here[/url</a>] is a brief summary of the research, from the Encyclopedia of Giftedness. [url=<a href=“Resources for Gifted Children & their Families | Davidson Institute”>Resources for Gifted Children & their Families | Davidson Institute]Here[/url</a>] is a more thorough review of the literature, from Gifted Child Quarterly. If you want more breadth & depth, Michelle Muratori’s [url=<a href=“http://books.google.com/books/about/Early_Entrance_to_College.html?id=mQT5Mvc8E10C]Early”>Early Entrance to College: A Guide to Success - Michelle C. Muratori - Google Books]Early</a> Entrance to College](<a href=“Encyclopedia of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent - Google Books”>Encyclopedia of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent - Google Books) is a good book-length overview.</p>
<p>Obviously it’s a decision that merits careful consideration, but IMHO, if a student is sufficiently disciplined, emotionally mature, and academically advanced for college, there’s really no point in just sitting around in high school for X years.</p>
<p>Thank you! This is such great information. I will definitely take a look through all of these links. </p>
<p>What was your experience like with Shimer in terms of feeling like a true university student? It seems to be such a small college that it could easily feel like a small private high school rather than a university. I liked that USC lets early students integrate into the wider college experience, but I’m still trying to figure out what sort of environment will be right for me.</p>
<p>usc is in a bad bad area</p>
<p>Hmm, have you been there? Because I have, and the “bad neighborhood” stuff is way overblown. It’s just like any urban area.</p>
<p>It’s definitely not just like any urban area, but to say that you wouldn’t go to USC because of it being in a bad part of LA is pretty shallow. There are plenty of great things about SC, but surrounding area is not one of them. If you like SC, it’s not at all a detriment. Just make sure to be careful in the evenings. </p>
<p>With that aside, USC’s program is pretty reputable and by what I have heard of it, you basically apply as a sophomore instead of going senior year like normal apps.</p>