Early Entrance to College

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi parents! I am a sophomore from Washington state and I have a very big dilemma I would love your input on. </p>

<p>I desperatley want to go to college next year as part of an early entrance program which allows talented students to enroll in college after their sophomore year. However, my mother does not support me at all in this because of the financial cost of college. She would prefer that I go to community college because it would be paid for by the state as part of "Running Start" which is a dual-enrollment program in Washington. I was wondering what other people think would be the best program for me next year and also if anybody has children or has entered college early, it would be very helpful to me if you could share your experiences.</p>

<p>Thank you and happy holidays!</p>

2

<p>I have a child who is graduating high school a year early which is not quite the same as you are talking about which is entering college early before graduating, and in fact, an entire year earlier than she is doing (though age wise, she is the age of a soph but otherwise she is in her third year of high school). </p>

<p>Now, I don't quite get your mom's reason though I can see many other issues arising regarding your desires. As far as the financial reason, college does cost more than CC. BUT, you were planning to go to college eventually, right? So, the cost is the cost. Going early has a host of other issues but the cost is the same no matter when you go. The only financial thing that I can see that is affected by this decision might be that the cost is coming sooner than they expected, but that may be able to be figured out in some reasonable fashion. </p>

<p>I must say in regard to my own daughter's wish to graduate early, cost did not come into play and that is NOT because I can afford college (nope) but cause I have to pay or get aid, etc. no matter which year she goes. I guess the only financial affect of her decision to go earlier is that she is starting just one year behind her sister which means they overlap college three years instead of two as expected. Otherwise, the cost itself does not change no matter which year she goes. In fact, my D likes to tell me (though this truly bugs me) how much money she is SAVING us because it means one less year of high school and all the expenses we incur for her activities and such and we will be paying one less year of those! UM, we will be spending so much on college that it is hard to hear that she is somehow saving us money! Ok, I digress, my peeve. </p>

<p>Anyway, the issues we discussed had to do with her strong reasons she articulated in many areas of why she felt this was the best route for her to take. Frankly, most of her reasoning made sense though I will admit, I was not anxious for her to leave home early but we have supported her decision. I would think in your case, there would be much discussion as to your reasons, and all the alternatives in meeting your needs. In fact, you have a fairly good alternative in this dual enrollment option where you live that she would not have had. I would suggest you guys discuss pros and cons of each situation. One idea might be, given you are just a soph, to do dual enrollment for one year and then early entrance the next year, which is a compromise solution and it also allows more time to plan. The early entrance is not something ALL colleges allow and you would be limitting your college options. In fact, I think the early entrance option, when it even exists, is usually meant for after junior year and I would think you will find less schools willing to take you after soph year and perhaps you might benefit from waiting one more year to open up more colleges. You also could study abroad for a semester or a year as another way to not attend your own high school, just a thought. My D has a close friend who wanted to go to college next year (currently a junior) but did not plan ahead like my D who is able to graduate early and so she would have had to do early entrance and not as many colleges offer that and she might be compromising where she'd go and there was not a lot of lead time to plan. She is going to study abroad one semester of senior year as another alternative to our high school. </p>

<p>I think you need to discuss pros and cons of all your options with your parents. I think the dual enrollment might work as option for next year and then use the entire year to apply to colleges for early entrance. I would ask her what she meant about the cost of college in terms of what the difference is if you go a year early vs. the regular time as the cost does not change but is just sooner. I think there are several solutions for you and if you can discuss them in a mature way with your parents, articulate your rationale for the options you prefer, you should be able to work out something. Be willing to hear your mom's reasons for possibly not wanting you to go to college next year, which I would imagine go beyond the cost issues. Try to talk about those hesitations she has and what you think about those particular issues. Good luck.
Susan</p>

3

<p>Thank you Susan for your detailed reply. That was very helpful to me and I feel that I should explain more thoroughly the issue my mother has with the cost. </p>

<p>The dual enrollment program at the community college pays for all of the college classes, so that while in the program you earn high school and college credit for free. However, I like the early entrance program so much more because the quality and selection of classes is so much higher than that of the community college. Also, at my current high school none of the students share the desire I have to learn and I believe that at the university I would be able to meet more people that have the same goals as me. </p>

<p>I have come to the conclusion that she probably has more concerns about the program because I would probably be quitting a sport that I was very close to training for the olympics in and even trained at the olympic training center a couple times. She also told me tonight, that she believes I will regret skipping the last two years of high school and will not be able to go back. </p>

<p>I guess I have a big decision ahead of me and I thank you for your wonderful advice. I will try to discuss these issues with my mom soon. My dad is very supportive of whatever I do and I know deep down my mom just wants the best for me too.</p>

4

<p>Ok, so I understand a bit more. You do have legit concerns about your current educational program and thus, I think it is great that you are discussing options for solving it. You need more challenge. I think you need to look into several options and discuss pros/cons of each. </p>

<p>The cost issue as you describe it, if I understand it, is that you will be able to get college credits for free (nothing to write off on!). BUT, you need to look long range. Does mom then want you to be a transfer student later on? </p>

<p>It does sound like your parents are discussing issues beyond the cost. In terms of your sport, it boils down to how much YOU want to continue it. If you do, then the dual enrollment might allow you to do that one more year. The dual enrollment could be a short term solution for the next year with major planning for what happens next, perhaps entering college one year early, not two. Also, I don't know your sport but can you play it in college? How important is the sport to you? </p>

<p>If the issue of the challenge of your high school, coupled with the student body needs to be solved.....might you solve it a bit by doing some college courses in dual enrollment? You could also look into graduating a year early. You could look into GAP year. You could look into long distance learning courses that are more challenging. I don't know if you have private day schools in your area and if that is an option. You could study abroad. I think there are various solutions. Also, can you accelerate in your high school? My children have done that to increase challenge and appropriate placement. Can you do independent studies? My kids have also done those. Same with long distance learning courses. For you, if you can do some of those things, coupled with dual enrollment this next year, it might help solve the learning needs. Then you need to plan a longer range goal for what would be your senior year. I think this way, you will be home one more year but may be able to arrange an option to graduate early and go to college one year early with more adequate planning with your parents too. The sports question, only you can answer. I guess this way you could do it one more year and decide how important it is to you. Don't ever do your sport cause someone else wants you to. I can't tell from your post if you care about the sport training and continuing or not. Nor can I tell if you can play this sport in college. How much of a passion is it to you? I know my child would NEVER give up her sports. But she is continuing them in college. I don't know your situation with your sport. </p>

<p>Talk out all the issues and options with your parents. There is more than one solution here.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for your reply again Susan. I will probably try to talk to my parents about my dilemma today and hopefully I will be able to find a solution we all agree on. </p>

<p>My sport is taekwondo which is a korean martial art. I have been doing it a little over nine years but I have recently realized that all of the goals I set for myself when I started have been achieved. (I wanted to get my black belt and win regionally, nationally, and internationally). I would be able to continue taekwondo at the college I would like to go to, however I think that I would rather try new things. For the past nine years, I have limited myself to taekwondo and I would like to try new sports probably. Thus, my sport is not an issue to me. But it is to my mom, because I am on an intense competition team which I agreed to be on until August. However, taekwondo is no longer fun to me and I feel it is pointless to continue doing a sport you do not enjoy anymore. </p>

<p>But, enough about my issues with taekwondo. I think that you offered some really good suggestions about other options and I think I might take a couple classes at the community college the next quarter to see if I would be able to learn as much in them by pushing myself as I would with the early entrance program. After all, I believe that it does not matter how good the college is, it only matters how motivated the student is to lean. I also am hoping to pursue other extra curricular activities after school to help offset the boredom from my high school this year such as volunteering at the hospital downtown or applying for an internship at Microsoft.</p>

<p>Thanks again for all of your advice and suggestions!</p>

<p>Kelly</p>

6

<p>Kelly:</p>

<p>Another parent of an early college entrant here. My S is graduating from high school at the end of junior year and has already been admitted to college. He won't be a very young freshman, however. </p>

<p>Since 9th grade, he has taken college classes, though not as part of a dual enrolment program such as yours. He has also been able to take one or two AP classes per year. Thus, although some of his high school classes were not very challenging or interesting, he has been able to work at his highest level in the more advanced classes; this, in turn, has made him more enthusiastic about the rest of the curriculum.</p>

<p>If there are still classes you could take at the CC and if you can couple them with AP classes, I would suggest you explore this option. When you apply to colleges, you will have a wider range of options than going through the early entrance program to UW, especially if you were interested in a smaller size college or university. Since finances are a concern, doing well through your junior year would also open up possibilities for merit scholarships at a host of colleges. </p>

<p>Your idea of volunteering and pursuing an internship at Microsoft is excellent. You don't mention what your academic interests are, but you should use this time to explore them and develop them. You can also seek out mentors, either through the university or online. Some summer programs might also be of interest to you. </p>

<p>Let us know what you decide.</p>

7

<p>Thank you Marite for the valuable advice about the experience your son has had entering college early. (Also, congragulations that is great that he has already been accepted). </p>

<p>At school, I was only allowed to take one AP class this year, AP European History. The history is interesting to me, even though history is not my forte, but I am often bored because the class is one of my easiest classes this year. We never have homework and the tests are all multiple choice including questions like "who is the best teacher?" However, I have been able to take pre-calculus this year which is the one class that I am thoroughly enjoying because the teacher is very supportive and goes at a fast pace with out leaving too many students behind. I have found that I really enjoy math and science and have begun self-studying calculus. I am not sure of my career aspirations but I would love to be a biomedical engineer, astrological engineer, or some sort of a doctor I think.</p>

<p>I also am excited about enrolling in a couple classes at the community college in calculus, chemistry, or physics.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the great advice and I'll keep everybody updated!</p>

<p>Kelly</p>

8

<p>zpmqxonw,</p>

<p>I will not pretend to be as knowledgeable as Susan or Marite regarding college issues, but I am a mother of six, so I will speak strictly from a parent's perspective on this issue.</p>

<p>I personally would not be in favor of cutting off two years of your high school experience. Whereas I completely understand your academic needs and totally support you in your desire to pursue a course of study that will keep you challenged and motivated, I am a proponent of "lateral" enrichment versus "upward" acceleration. </p>

<p>This is why:</p>

<p>Nothing can "derail" a student faster than the social issues that can arise as a result of being on a different developmental level than one's peers. I've seen extremely brilliant kids who, because they didn't fit in very well socially with their peers, have headed down paths that were less than constructive. </p>

<p>My own son had a friend who skipped a grade and thus ended up one year ahead of him. He did O.K., finished high school (though not in as stellar a way as he could have), and is now at a local college. But, I think that his route could have been more successful and pleasant if he had been in with his same-age peers.</p>

<p>I have steadfastly refused to accelerate my own son (except in certain specific courses, such as science) because I felt that the cost would have been too high for him. I wanted to sustain as much normalcy as I could for this gifted and ambitious kid, and I think I have made the correct decision. </p>

<p>I wish our school had offered the CC concurrent credit in the same way as your district does. I have had to pay for each and every college course he has taken, and his last calc. course was 5 credit hours (expensive!!). I would have definitely encouraged him to pursue that route and to supplement it with other enrichment opportunities (such as the Microsoft internship, etc.)</p>

<p>Please understand that I am not standing in judgment of either Susan or Marite or the many others who have chosen early college entrance. They know their children the best. My opinion is based on MY perception and experiences only. My older sister graduated early and though she now is a PhD counseling psychologist with her own private practice, she never DID fit in with her peers, not then, and not now, even at the age of 47. Her social life has been one continuous struggle.</p>

<p>As far as the Tae Kwon Do...PLEASE do what YOU want to do. I was a state champion diver and an All American in my sport. My mother was insistent that I continue my sport in college, even though I did not have the desire to do so. I was offered both academic and athletic scholarships, and I wisely chose the academic one but attended a school that had a top-notch diving team (and whose coach had been the Olympic coach the year prior to my attending). I ended up quitting my freshman year, much to my mother's chagrin, but thankfully I was able to retain my scholarship because I had chosen the academic one!</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck with your decision. My thoughts are with you! ~berurah</p>

9

<p>Thanks for the wonderful support and advice! The more I think about it, the more I think I will do the dual enrollment program next year.</p>

<p>I realize now that I could probably get just as good an education at the community college because the specific school does not matter as much as the determination of the student in achieving their academic goals. Also, I really don't want to look back fifty years from now and regret a decision I made to sacrifice the rest of my high school life. I realize that many others have had excellent experiences entering college early, but I think that the dual enrollment program is a great opportunity I have that I should take advantage of. Also, the dual enrollment program would save my family some money which would help me feel better about them paying for college. And if I were to participate in the early enrollment program I would have to live at home for the first couple years and then move out into an apartment, but I really want the full college experience when I go to college such as living in a dorm. Plus, with the dual enrollment program I would earn a high school diploma and an associate degree, but with the early entrance program I would not get a high school diploma. </p>

<p>However, one thing I think I will change is my extracurriculars. I think I will take a break from taekwondo in order to pursue my other interests right now. But, I will remember to leave on good terms so that I know I can always come back to taekwondo when I think it will be fun again.</p>

10

<p>"And if I were to participate in the early enrollment program I would have to live at home for the first couple years and then move out into an apartment, but I really want the full college experience when I go to college such as living in a dorm."</p>

<p>This is precisely the type of thing I'm talking about. I couldn't agree with you more about the importance of having the complete college experience when you do attend full time. I think you will be making an extremely wise and mature decision if you decide to do the dual enrollement program. As I said, I only wish that were offered in the same way here. ~berurah</p>