<p>treemaven, to retrieve previous discussions, in addition to using searchwords for the thread names, I'm wondering if you've yet noticed a function called "search for more posts by [the same poster].
To do this, click on the name of any poster here, as we appear down the left side of any thread page.
A menu pops up to give you that choice.</p>
<h2> You can kind of tell from the words that open each old post of ours if it addressed early grad issues.</h2>
<p>That said, our family's experience in a nutshell: last child is graduating in a few mothhs, after 3 years of h.s.; was accepted to 3-out-of-8 places applied; had the unusual "wrinkle" of wanting an arts program within a college or uni (playwriting/screenplay writing) and NOT Ivy. I see another inquiry about Arts + Early, which is another story than IVY + Early, so I'll try to address both ideas. Although Ivies aren't our preference for undergraduate education, my two older kids attend top-25 LAC's (Amherst, Oberlin), so I also am conversant with life in the 800-land where Ivies dance. </p>
<p>Now, reflecting upon this youngest S of ours, now a h.s. senior who turned 17 on Dec 31 of last year...:
of the 3 colleges/unis that just took him this month, all were midsize universities and colleges, none were the huge places (UCLA, NYU, Syracuse).
Perhaps that personal, holistic review of his entire app was what it took to gain entry into the 3 places that welcomed him.</p>
<p>On reflection, I admit that a boy might be considered less mature than a girl, so I'd always wonder about the gender issue, and assume the girl is mature.
The boy might have to prove it (via teacher recs, for example).</p>
<p>Your Ivy-hopeful D does sound brilliant !! -- b/c of all the things you've described that she's done! Congrats and enjoy!
But these colleges are full of people with things equally remarkable. It's hard to believe, but that's what I'm reading and hearing back from my college-age kids.
At least I'd want feedback to know the difference before setting up a h.s. student for a year of Ivy college apps (very hard and time consuming processes!). She'll have to compete with 10 equally outstanding, who ALSO come with the age maturity. So why SHOULD they prefer your D when she'd be even better ready a year later? It's just logical they'd choose someone stellar, age 18 over your stellar, age 17. </p>
<p>Well, that's all conjecture. But this part, I do know for sure: my actual S's finishing in 3 years cost him, here and there, on his trasncript or study time for SAT's, which undercut his applications. His schoolwork was squeezed around early research on colleges and deciding where to apply, then writing the apps while taking SAT's for the first time. We always felt that missed llth grade in terms of the calendar year re: college search process. So we never set foot on a single campus and found no time for a single interview! There was time to excel in coursework, study (rushed) and take SAt I's and II's...do intercity travel to carry out responsibly a national leadership post he was elected to...learning to DRIVE...OMG! And the personal stuff: a first girlfriend,
a grandfather who died, out-of-town funeral...more and more. Way too many overlaps, now that I look back.</p>
<p>By personality he never stresses (I do). His delightful, bouncy personality got us both through. And I could always say: YOU made us do this :)</p>
<p>If a kid's personality hardwiring sounds very serious, tense, stressable, then I'd think about that piece long and hard before attempting a 3-year-run through h.s. </p>
<p>Here's just one example: We moved cross-state in the summer between his 8th and 9th grades. He had already finished his foreign language grad requirement (Hebrew, regents-tested, all done in a Hebrew day school... Ta Da!)
But he loves to learn (like your kid) so wanted a second foreign language. To get the language he wanted (Spanish), he took 3 weeks of tutoring in August because 9th grade has only "Span 2" and he couldn't schedule in trips back to their middle school for Span I...
Now, if you have the patience to hear about all that, you might understand why there's that "C" in Spanish 2 for first term 9th grade, and be impressed that he parachuted into a second year to start with, and it came up to an A by Springtime...and he stayed with it into advanced...and he now has 2 completed foreign languages when only 1 was required for graduation...</p>
<p>OR, you might be a great big university and just see that nasty "C" staring up from the transcript, and say "Nope!" and move on down the file. </p>
<p>There are kids who can "do it all" including the 3-year timeframe wiithout ANY slipups. But we did experience compromised SAT scores, rushed study time for SAT's, etc because of jamming in college search research, learning to drive,
early AP's and all of that. In the end, he looks more like a B+ unweighted student (and 5 AP courses), but others applying do all that and make A's, so who cares about his "story"? The college is admitting a semi-finished product and you set her up to compete against other outstanding students who are "finished" with time to do every bell and whistle, no rush...that'd be why not to do it. </p>
<p>So I'd say: choose which you want MORE, Ivy or Early? If you're D is Stephen Hawkings-ette, of course, go for it all.</p>
<p>But, if you want Early and Top Quality Education, then why not open up and look at some elite LAC's? There, the admissions offices are smaller and more holistic in how they view each application. An elite LAC might take more time with her application than an Ivy, and yet I've heard some elite LAC's don't enjoy seeing these from the outset. But at least they'd tell you by phone now if they consider early apps.</p>
<p>A side-comment, not that anyone uttered the "b" word on this site (in our house, we call "bored" the "b" word and don't allow it; if you're bored it's your problem and responsibility to find interest within even a dull situation. Perhaps that's why my D is doing a lot of improv comedy these days?) That thought just popped into my head.</p>
<p>My S didn't want Ivies, rather he wanted to graduate EARLY. First, he was sophisticated enough to see from his older sibs that the flaws on his transcript (due to rushing) would weaken his apps to Ivies. But, more important, he wants to write for the theater or film, so a different kind of university with strong vocational approaches to screenwriting works for him.</p>
<p>And, btw, it's all working out great! His top choice admission is Chapman U, Dodge College of FIlm and Media, which has average SAT's around 1850 all 3 scores but a powerhouse program for film students within a B.A. system -- perfect for him! far for us across the country, but we're figuring it out).</p>
<p>But back to that Ivy concern:
I notice from the 8 schools where he applied, the 3 that accepted him were small or midsize universities/colleges with specialized arts portfolio reviews.
He was rejected from very large universities (not Ivies, but: UCLA, NYU, Syracuse). </p>
<p>Whether that was due to transcript flaws or the early grad, we'll never know...but logically, I can't see how the age immaturity HELPS anywhere! </p>
<p>I've gotten interrupted a few times while writing this, but am just going to send now, hoping the two readers can ferret out what they need. My apologies for length and poor organization on this posting. Regards to all.</p>