<p>We have moved to a new town and my dd has had to start her senior year at a new school. This school is on a "block" schedule which, for her, means she will have her college requirements finished by December. She does not like her school and wants to graduate early and get a full time job and/or some sort of internship. She could also take some classes at the junior college. Does anyone know how colleges feel about this type of situation? Are there any suggestions for the best use of her time? Thanks!</p>
<p>I think it depends greatly on the colleges and universities she’s targeting, and whether she wants only admission, or also merit aid.</p>
<p>One very important consideration is that if she graduates from high school and then takes classes at a community college, some four-year colleges and universities will consider her an applicant for transfer admission, not for freshman admission. Unfortunately, colleges’ policies on this matter aren’t uniform–some will consider her for freshman admission if she’s taken less than a year’s or a semester’s worth of classes after graduating from high school, while others will consider her a transfer if she’s taken any college credits after high school–so this is a matter that would require some research. In addition, some colleges and universities have much more merit aid available for freshman applicants than for transfers, and some have much more competition for transfer admission than for freshman admission. (Princeton, in fact, takes no transfers at all.)</p>
<p>So there is a possibility that she could be shooting herself in the foot by taking community college classes after high school.</p>
<p>I have a hard time predicting how finishing early per se would affect college admissions. The block schedule makes it hard to say. If she stayed in high school, any classes she took next spring would be whole courses that she’d take after her school has sent its mid-year reports. Senior-spring classes must not show up on the records of any seniors applying to college from this high school, and colleges must be admitting them based on seven semesters’ work, with the eighth semester being something of a wild card, all the time. I would guess that colleges would tend to look favorably on a spring semester that she spent productively outside of school, much as they do with gap years, but I’d totally be guessing.</p>
<p>I hope this question elicits more answers. I’ll be interested to see what other, more knowledgeable, posters have to say.</p>
<p>Sikorsky brings up a very good point about the possible negative side of taking community college classes after graduating early.</p>
<p>But in general, it’s not uncommon to graduate a semester early, and usually there are no problems with colleges afterwards. Niece did that - applied to colleges in the fall, was out of high school by end of December. She didn’t even mention it in her college applications. Her plan was to travel, she went to Argentina where she lived with a family and attended high school just for the daily dose of Spanish. She was in Argentina when acceptances were announced, and she communicated with the schools online.</p>
<p>I am considering the same thing myself as I will have run my school dry of classes by next year. Both your daughter and I would likely be applying while still in high school, so at the time we would be be considered freshmen applicants. Therefore, it would be odd to apply as a transfer while in high school, so I am wondering if applications are sent before graduation but then community college is attended after applications are sent, is there really any rule being broken? My HS councilor would know my plan but at the time I would be a freshman applicant. I am looking at UCLA, UCB, and possibly Stanford and some Ivies. Any help is greatly appreciated here. Thank you</p>
<p>Ranells, you make a good point. You will still be a high school student while you’re applying. (On the other hand, if you’re not applying ED/EA, you will cease to be a student while your application is still pending.) I don’t know whether community college courses taken after graduation would affect your application status or not. I still suspect it’s a question you need to ask the colleges you plan to apply to (and I wouldn’t count on my guidance counselor to know the answer for every college).</p>
<p>But you also remind me of another point that’s sort of in parallel to the first one. Many colleges restrict the number of credits you can bring in with you. Sometimes your agreement to enroll prohibits you from enrolling in college classes elsewhere for credit without the prior permission of the college you’ll be attending. Still wise to check with colleges or universities that interest you.</p>
<p>Taking a gap year is not a problem at most schools (in fact, it is sometimes recommended) so I can’t see how taking a gap semester would be any different. As long as she is using her time productively, I’d encourage her to do it. </p>
<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Taking Time Off](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html)</p>
<p>Great responses - thank you! Need to talk with her hs counselor again, but the counselor did mention that she herself had graduated mid year, gone to cc and then to Knox. She said knox would not give her credit for any of her cc classes so it was all a big waste of time. My dd is not an extremely outstanding student - weighted b average but did get a 27 on the act and a combined act score (took it twice) of 28. She will have 4 years of engish - but only 3 of math and science. Is tying for U of I, Miami of Ohio, Rollins, Stetson, DePauw and KU (safety) and, maybe Elon. Will be applying to all of them before Nov 1. Here’s another question - suppose she gets deferred and they want to see more grades and she tells them she’s done but working? Would that be bad?</p>
<p>Sorry, meant superscore - not combined.</p>
<p>I doubt they’d hold it against her that she was working instead of doing one more semester of high school. 7 semesters and test scores is more than enough to evaluate the academic competence of an applicant. She can always send an email to admissions at a few schools that she is considering applying to and ask explicitly what their policy is towards students who graduate a semester early.</p>