<p>My S is currently a sophomore in HS. He wants to graduate a year early. I'm not crazy about the idea and am concerned it could be a disadvantage when applying to colleges. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with this and have any advice/suggestions/caveats? How would college admissions committees consider this? He's talked about applying to non-competitive schools (state publics) but also to some competitive LACs.</p>
<p>It depends on his reasons to graduate early. Did he take full advantage of what his HS has to offer? Did he run out of classes to take?</p>
<p>It is somewhat a disadvantage in college admissions to be an early graduate. The colleges do not give any “extra points” to early grads, so they compete with kids who had a year longer to take challenging classes, excel at ECs, improve their scores, etc. Early grads also have a shorter “track record”, so the colleges have to make their decisions based on 2.5 instead of 3.5 years of grades. Colleges also worry about the maturity level of their students, so being younger is definitely not an advantage.</p>
<p>That said, some kids are so accelerated in HS, that staying an extra year does not make sense, and they often do very well in college admissions. </p>
<p>I would listen to his reasons, and discuss all the options with him.</p>
<p>I did it, granted it was 20 years ago but I think the way I did it helped overall. I still graduated with the “advanced” diploma designation and after my sophomore year I completed 11th grade english/history that were the only classes I needed to then give me senior status in the fall. So I truly “skipped” 11th grade and went from sophomore to senior. I graduated still with 4 credits of FL, math through calculus and 4 science credits. I think if it is presented well to adcoms it won’t be a negative but it can’t be seen as the easy way out, I think class selection still needs to be challenging. For me it was the best decision and I have no regrets and had no issues heading to college at 16 (I also skipped a year starting school) but I think it really depends on the student too. Have you asked him why he wants to do this? Find if the root of the issue is not feeling challenged, a social reason, or something else and go from there. Some schools may view it as a negative but I bet when persented in the right light it won’t be a detriment for him!</p>
<p>As was posted, it depends on your S’s reasons. My D was forced to graduate after her junior year in HS. It worked out OK, but she started CC & hung out with her HS friends who were seniors and didn’t transfer until they had started their freshman year of college. It would be important to explore what your S hopes to gain by his early graduation.</p>
<p>It also depends on your S’s social maturity, since that will have a bearing on how well he handles college, with its new temptations and options.</p>
<p>I’m not 100% sure the reason - I suspect it is due in part to an older gf, and I’ve attempted to give him the message that even though she’s wonderful, neither of them should be making college plans based on their relationship. She’s currently a senior and has a full-ride to an out of state school.</p>
<p>He also started HS in 8th grade, so is ahead of the game as far as credits. He’s currently in AP Physics and does well in school.</p>
<p>When he visited colleges in 8th grade when his older sister was college-shopping, he asked then if he could just skip high school and go straight to college.</p>
<p>His teachers say he’s very mature in class, a leader, etc. but at home he’s the baby of the family and sometimes acts that way, but not usually. </p>
<p>When we discussed this with his guidance counselor yesterday and she asked the question, he said he was just ready to move on and felt he had accomplished everything he wanted in high school. He’s a varsity athlete and has had leads in school plays and musicals and held other leadership positions usually reserved for upperclassmen. He attended prom as a freshman and will attend again this year.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be too critical because I didn’t really enjoy high school but loved college, but I also want to make sure this doesn’t hurt him in any way. His older sister got incredible scholarships but she also spent most of her senior year working on applications. I’m afraid by accelerating the process he might be too rushed.</p>
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<p>My answer would be no. These reasons aren’t valid reasons to wanting to be finished with high school early.</p>
<p>bigtrees, the son didn’t give those ^^^^ as the reasons. His parent is citing how he has accelerated in terms of his academics, socially, and in his ECs.</p>
<p>Soozeivt, so does the above information suggest that he should not attend his senior year of high school?</p>
<p>IMO–I don’t think it’s a good idea. It might be a better idea to let him finish out his high school years normally. This will force a bit of separation between him and the girlfriend.
His wish to graduate early may change once she goes off to college and explores her own independence in a college setting. In other words, there’s a very good chance that the situation will change once she goes off to college and starts meeting a new set of friends.</p>
<p>If there is any suspicion that his primary reason is the gf, I would not allow it.</p>
<p>Bigtrees:
Those quotes were not the only thing the parent mentioned. So, I would not base the decision on just that, no. The mom mentioned entering HS early, accelerated academics, leadership/achievements at a young age in his ECs, social tendency toward older peers, and so on.</p>
<p>This is a very individual decision and I’d have to know more. But if the child has accelerated in HS and will have gotten the most out of it in three years, has also been advanced socially and gravitates toward older peers and is a leader among older peers, has achieved as high as he can in his ECs locally, and is mature developmentally…and can articulate reasons why graduating early is an appropriate path for him…it can work out. I have a child who has done so myself and came to us with her idea in tenth grade and articulated a well thought out rationale that related to each developmental area…academics, personal, social, and in her case, artistic. I can now say, after she has since graduated from college, this was the right path for her. She excelled at college (had a great admissions outcome), received great scholarships, was a leader in college even though much younger (she entered college still 16 and graduated at 20), and has succeeded since graduation day from college. It is not for all people but it is appropriate for some. I don’t know enough about this boy but his mom has shared a few things that may point to this as an appropriate path, though I’d have to hear more. </p>
<p>For the OP, in terms of college admissions, it can be a bit tougher for an early graduate as the college will examine their application and scrutinize it further to be sure this kid is ready in every respect. My child included a statement about her rationale for being an early graduate with every application and her guidance counselor and other recs spoke to her readiness. She had a wonderful outcome. This was all her idea. In retrospect, my D knew herself and we supported her, even though it was not our intentions for her to graduate HS early (she already entered K early).</p>
<p>PS, I cross posted with nysmile, but I agree on one point…this decision should be entirely independent of girlfriend. I’d want to hear many reasons that have nothing to do with her.</p>
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My daughter applied 2 years ago, and there was a question on the common application requesting a letter from early grads. So she had it as a part of common application. She was accepted ED.</p>
<p>OP, if your son wants to have an option to graduate early, he should start by finding out the graduation requirements at his HS. At most schools graduating early would require taking classes over the summer or online (if the school permits that) in order to satisfy the district requirements. It could be that he will change his mind once he knows what it would entail.</p>
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<p>This is a giant factor for boys who are planning on graduating early. We’ve had success stories relating to boys going to college one year early. But we’ve also had some real flame outs–boys who weren’t mature enough to handle the freedom that college brings.</p>
<p>Decide wisely…</p>
<p>What would you think about graduating early, but then taking a meaningful gap year? It would be important for him to have a peer group during this year, though.
That being said, I think that you have a gut feeling about this and you should follow your gut. I was just bringing up the above idea as a compromise and a way for him to mature further before college.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments/suggestions so far.</p>
<p>He has already researched the graduation requirements. If he takes one class this summer (junior English) he can fit in all remaining graduation requirements next year. He also found out what is necessary from the school administration - he will need permission from two AP instructors next year if he wants to take their classes, since it’s restricted to seniors only, and he needs permission from the school district to graduate early. He already spoke to his counselor and she said she would include it in his IEP (individualized education plan) since he’s identified as special ed/gifted. </p>
<p>He has a fall birthday so he would be 17 (and soon turn 18) if he were to graduate early. FYI, he was born in NY and there the cutoff for entering kindergarten was being born by December 31, which he met. However, we moved to the midwest before he started kindergarten, and their cutoff was September 1, so he waited another year. So theoretically if we had not moved, he could be graduating a year early anyway.</p>
<p>His counselor was going to query a few schools he’s interested in and see if this would hurt him regarding admissions/scholarships.</p>
<p>I don’t know where he falls in the maturity/immaturity scale. He loves to cook, but isn’t great at cleaning. He got his learner’s permit to drive when he was 14 (our state permits this) so has been driving for over 2 years now. He’s seen as a leader and as mature by his teachers/coaches/community leaders he works with. But he sometimes quarrels with his older sister (both can bring out the worst in each other).</p>
<p>Lots to think about . . .</p>
<p>Your son certainly won’t be chronologically younger than other freshmen in college. </p>
<p>Before we let our D put this plan in motion in the winter of tenth grade, I anonymously called the colleges on her list and asked if they admit early graduates and they all said, “yes” as long as they have a diploma. I never got into specifics of her case.</p>
<p>The alternative we used was for S to take college courses beginning in his junior year. We’re lucky to have a public university nearby and an excellent CC, that have programs for high school students to register for college courses. S hates computer-based learning and really needed in-person classroom connections. He’ll have 36 college credits when he graduates in June.</p>
<p>This experience paid off in several ways. S took some life-changing courses that opened up interests he hadn’t dreamed of as a rising junior. He learned that true college courses demand more work, and more organization, than AP classes (at least at his school). He gained independence in moving around a university campus and dealing with professors and offices on his own. He maintained his high school social life and avid participation in the music program. </p>
<p>His guidance counselor had offered him to graduate after junior year, but this pathway worked better for him. He is oh-so-ready to go to college for real, now. :)</p>
<p>we know a couple of kids who graduated high school early. imo, it can make sense if you know, going in, that you are going directly to graduate or professional school upon graduation from college. otherwise, i’d counsel that there’s really no reason to rush into adulthood. you’ve got 7-8 years to enjoy and make the most of your high school and college years. you’ve got the rest of your life to deal with the responsibilities of adulthood.</p>
<p>We (parents and counselor) discussed the option of taking college courses his senior year. I work at a local public university and get 1/2 off tuition for my dependents. He said he’d consider it for his senior year if he couldn’t graduate early. It’s also one of the universities he is considering attending, because of both the cost factor and its reputation.</p>
<p>17 soon to turn 18 as my son (NY) is just that age. He sounds like he’s done his homework and is ready to move on. Obviously I don’t know him, but he sounds at least as mature as either of my sons were. (Other son was on the old side for NY.)</p>
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Yes, but some kids are not enjoying it. Some do outgrow HS by the end of junior year…</p>