So we are on to child #4. Quirky talented computer guru, interested in computer science. Great grades, GPA 3.9+ unweighted, December ACT 34 composite. Does not really like high school. Last week he comes home after already talking to his HS counselor and wants to put together some applications and get them out before Jan 1 or deadlines. Has a list of great CS schools that do not require SAT2s.
My concerns are: 1) seems rushed 2) not sure he could do a great job on applications/essays/getting teacher recs 3) may limit his overall college options significantly based on SAT2s 4) he could probably benefit from another year of HS maturity-wise.
But, I am intrigued by his plan, and I do not doubt at all that he could handle it and flourish.
Anyone have any experience in a situation like this? Thoughts?
Actually, there seems to be a lot of colleges that will consider high performing juniors. Not sure what the stats are on acceptance though. His high school has had some students do this, and they award HS diploma when presented with credits from first year of college.
I agree with your concern regarding time to get this done. Applications (especially the essays!) take time. And could he even get teacher refs at this point? Our HS has a rule you must ask a teacher at least 2 weeks in advance and that doesn’t include holidays (which of course is now!).
A traditional choice is Bard College at Simon’s Rock, which is an early college designed specifically for students who feel they are ready for college after the 10th or 11th grade. They have rolling admissions, and they admit for the fall and the spring. USC has the [Resident Honors Program](https://dornsife.usc.edu/resident-honors-program/); the website both says that the deadline was December 1 and that they are currently accepting applications for 2016-2017, so I’d call and ask. [The University of Iowa has a similar program.](Error - Belin-Blank Center) The University of Washington has an [Early Entrance Program](Early Entrance to the UW - UW Robinson Center for Young ScholarsUW Robinson Center for Young Scholars), but it seems to be geared towards younger students.
If he’s bored with high school but you think he could use another year at home or close by to mature, another option is an early college closer to home. Sometimes your local public regional universities do this, allowing the student to get a HS diploma and an associate’s degree simultaneously; I actually think most early college programs are day programs reserved for students from that county or state. I had two friends from HS do this, both at regional public schools pretty inexpensively. One went to the Georgia Academy of Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (GAMES) at Middle Georgia College and then transferred to Georgia Tech. The other did the Advanced Academy at Georgia at University of West Georgia. I don’t know where she went afterwards.
A third option is dual enrollment. Another option is him applying to community college a year early, and spending a year there, then transferring to a four-year college after that. (But the problem with that, of course, is that first-time freshman get the best financial aid.)