My child attends a small private high school which is undergoing huge changes next year. Because of the changes, including the elimination of his merit scholarship, we are looking at alternatives for his senior year. He’s an excellent student, an independent learner and a class leader. He loves the outdoors, travel and international studies. It looks like we are too late for him to apply for most study abroad programs, so we are looking for other suggestions. We are also wondering how colleges look at alternative senior year programs. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
I’m confused. Will he graduate HS?
I’m sorry if my post wasn’t very clear. We are still trying to deal with the recent, very upsetting news from his current school. He’s currently a high school junior and will finish out his junior year at his current school. We are looking for creative alternatives for his senior year (such as another school with an outdoor curriculum, an internship offering high school/college credit or a high school abroad program).
What is your budget for this alternative senior year?
What was the value of the lost merit scholarship?
You could homeschool him and use that as an opportunity to dual enroll at a local university or CC. By homeschooling, you would have complete freedom to do whatever you want to do.
He could try to graduate a semester early and then spend his last semester in a high school abroad. Daughter of a friend did that, she did that final high school semester not so much for academic credit, but rather for language acquisition.
It is terrible that they are taking a merit scholarship away when he will be a senior in HS. If you haven’t yet, I’d also try to make an appointment with someone at his current school and let them know that he will not be able to continue as a student there without a merit scholarship. If he is a class leader and such, maybe the school can help you find a way to make things work financially for his senior year. If they can’t I’d try to talk to his guidance counselor or someone at the school to see if they can help you find a good place for him next year.
I also would be looking at ways for him to continue at his school.
Recommendations from adults who have known him over time, will be important when applying to colleges.
What sort of changes are they making that prompts the move?
Perhaps if they know how strongly parents feel, they will reconsider.
He can ask for LOR at the end of this yr. He could simply ask if they would be willing to write them in the fall even if he is unable to continue at the school for his sr yr. Depending on his aspirations after high school, many publics do not even ask for LOR.
Is the school discontinuing merit awards? Why is he losing his? Worth asking if this can be reinstated.
Is it too late to apply to Rotary for their exchange program?
I would ask for LOR from 2 teachers, and get them to write them during this semester. Circumstances might change, politics could come into play, administration may make it difficult to get the LORs, or the teachers may be too busy to help a former student. Better to have something in your hands now.
Find out the high school graduation requirements in your county and state. Lots of times students have way more requirements done than are actually required. My daughter was playing around late in her junior year looking at requirements and realized she had enough to graduate HS. She stuck around and dual enrolled her senior year and it was a great experience for her. She took one class at her HS, and then took 11 hours each semester at a local 4 year college.
I would try to leave on good terms with the current school, get transcripts, etc. and smile and nod even though it may be a sad, frustrating time for your student and family. And then brainstorm about all the creative ways your child can finish up high school requirements.
This is not a horror story for college admissions. In fact, if handled correctly, it could make for an interesting experience and thus a unique essay. It is not what happens to you, but how you handle it that can show what you are really made of. Having a major scholarship taken away is brutal, but a student who can figure out how to turn that situation around would be an interesting asset to many colleges.
Without discussing the specifics, I will say that the school is pulling all of their previously awarded merit scholarships, not just my son’s award. They are also discontinuing two of the three languages that he studies. We don’t want him to have to leave, but the combination of reduced academic programs, no scholarship and the possibility that many of his peers may not be returning has us looking at other options for him for next year.
Do you have a particular budget in mind?
@erin80
Any chance the public high school would work? Perhaps they have duel enrollment at a CC for some courses.
@thumper1 I’m curious as to why ps with a possibility of DE would be preferable to homeschooling and being able to DE for whatever courses the student desires (well, as long as they meet the pre-reqs) There are also online courses (AP classes) that her son could enroll in w/o having to jump through any hoops at all.
But, it is my “home territory,” so for me, it is the preferable option anyway. 
I don’t know about other states, but I live in Ohio and it’s possible to take dual-enrollment classes for free during the school year at participating colleges and universities (dual-enrollment can be done at universities and not just community colleges, and if they’re both free I would recommend the former). Home-schooled students are not eligible.
My dd left high school after junior year to attend the Resident Honors Program (RHP) at USC in Los Angeles. It was a wonderful experience for her and she received a merit scholarship as well. You are facing an immediate deadline so check it out soon. Your son could continue his languages and be part of an exciting honors humanities program (TA) as well. This is a small cohort and special programs and housing are offered.
I just googled bc I was pretty sure I knew people online who had kids taking funded DE, and it is inaccurate to say that homeschooled students are not eligible for funded DE. http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/School-Choice/Post-Secondary-Enrollment-Options-PSEO/PSEO-EnrollmentNonpublic_HomeSchool.pdf.aspx
(It sounds like ps students are first to receive funds and then private and homeschool students. It sounds like it is likely that at least 1 course would be funded. The process starts this school yr, however. As a private school student, the process is probably equivalent and could be started. That would need to be verified.) There are states (none where we have lived) which fund DE for all courses for homeschooled students.
Also, ps students need permission to DE. Would a private school student entering ps automatically garner that sort of support? Are the number of courses limited?
FWIW, we have always paid for our kids to DE, but the investment has been paid back times over in scholarship $$ at their 4 yr schools.
In our experience and that of a few friends, colleges love “outliers,” those who followed a path that is a little different from most.
National Outdoor Leadership School came to mind. Putney School in Vermont. The Rotary exchange program that someone mentioned. City Year or Americorps may not be available at his age (I don’t know).
He can get a GED or get a diploma from North Atlantic Regional High School in Lewiston Maine, if he wants to take care of the paperwork. Community college has dual enrollment but really he could take classes anywhere. I believe that completion of one year of college means an automatic high school diploma, at least in our state.
He could take languages at language institutes and document his work for credit.
He could also do public school, which would probably, relatively speaking, give him more free time to pursue interests.
Lots of options.
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Mom2aphysics…I never said public school would be preferable to homeschool. It was a suggestion.
One reason…we don’t know the family finances. Where I live duel enrollment courses through the local public high school have no cost to the student. Homeschoolers pay full prices for the courses…as noted in post 15…and I’m from a different state.