<p>My son went through this last June. On the way to a college visit, he expressed an overwhelming feeling that he was ready to move on. He had taken many AP classes as a junior, and felt that the learning essentially ended with the AP exams. Our school does not get out until June 10. When considering his next year's schedule he felt he had reached the point of diminishing returns. He was also very ready to set his music education into high gear and felt he needed to be among musicians to do this. We live an hour from the largest city where he could find a musical peer group. He had enough credits to graduate, but was missing a couple 1/2 credit requirements like P.E., Mass Media, a Gov. Class and an English class. Because of low interest, a few of the advanced classes he would have used to fulfill requirements were cancelled meaning he would have to take regular level courses. In our school, this would have made for a miserable learning experience.</p>
<p>He was 16, had played three years of varsity tennis, would have had little opportunity to hold a leadership position because of the demands of music study, had gone to the junior prom with a date, had his driver's license and had taken the PSAT, SAT, SATII's and ACT. He was quite sure he would qualify to be a National Merit Scholar Finalist. (he did, but did not receive an award) They said that lack of a diploma was no problem if he qualified for entrance and that once one receives a bachelor's degree the point would be moot. (I asked for help on CC the minute I got home that night and received very valuable advice that helped us make a decision.)
My son consulted his English teacher and HS guidance counselor who both said, "Go for it, there's little left here for you." Within about 14 days he had applied, auditioned, and received admission and a scholarship. He decided to enroll. </p>
<p>{I will preface the following by saying that in hindsight, we truly believe it would have been extremely counterproductive for our son to have stayed in high school this year and he is grateful for having had the opportunity to move on. After much discussion last summer, we approached our school board and surprisingly enough they were willing to accept his college classes in place of the missing requirements. He will finish his college finals and come home to graduate with his original class}</p>
<p>These are the issues he encountered as an early admit:
1. No one cared how old he was. Some knew but never made an issue of it.
2. He was never excluded from activities because of his age (or preference not to drink or smoke) nor was he pressured to take part in anything he didn't want to do. However, he did say that he was disappointed that students who are paying so much for an education are willing to party away so much of their time. On the flip side, he prefers the pot smokers to the drinkers because they are not as loud and don't throw up in the hall.
3. He gets along great with his roommate, a 19-year-old international student.
4. He has thrived in both the academic and music environment.
5. He has not missed his family or high school friends and only comes home for the big school breaks.
*6. He's only 2 1/2 hours away and his dad and I would visit often if we could, but he's too busy.
7. He carried some time management issues with him to college and has been learning how to work them out.
8. We needed to sign a lot of releases for retreats and off campus performances because of his age.
9. He has found extracurricular activities and different groups of friends with whom he shares his different interests.
10. He loved having a fresh start and meeting people from a variety of backgrounds. </p>
<p>Now the negative:
1. About six weeks into the term, he felt remorse that he hadn't taken a shot at one of the more elite LAC's and Conservatories. Among other things, he had one prof. that was not inspiring and a class where the students were not engaged. He focused on getting out, which diminished his newfound enjoyment. We supported his desire to apply to his dream school because of his dual enrolled status; he could technically apply as an incoming freshman. The hard part was telling his piano teacher and getting prepared for an audition.
2. He did not get in to the conservatory and was waitlisted at the college.
Here is the really hard part: we are nearly sure that he would have gotten into both had he waited. We took the chance and it didn't work out.
3. The positive side is that he's still at a fine school, he has great friends who he would have had a hard time leaving, is finished with the freshman classes and has figured out most of the good profs. to take classes with. </p>
<p>He got over the rejection much faster than my husband and I and still feels that early admission was the best solution for his senior year. </p>
<p>If we had to do this over, while we didn't think we could afford it, we should have considered the advice of some CC parents and looked at Interlochen both for its music and academic programs. Many of my son's current friends are Interlochen graduates and they are very independent and well prepared for college. My son was just so focused on getting out of high school that none of us took the time to consider other options. </p>
<p>I'm sorry this is so long, but I am sure there may be other high school juniors out there that might be experiencing the same thing. I hope others can gain something from our experience.</p>