<p>My son is a 6th grader. He is very advanced academically (reading at post-high school level, taking geometry H, qualified for AIME, advanced in all subjects, etc.). He is very social and mature for his age. His school principle recommended him to skip 7th grade and start 8th grade this fall. However, we are very hesitated to let him skip since he is already the youngest in his grade (he skipped 2nd grade in elementary school). We are not concerned about the transition from 6th to 8th, either academically or socially. He already has a lot of friends in higher grade. But we are concerned about his high school life and college life. What will it be like for being 2 years younger than others at teenage age? Is it too early to start college at 16? When colleges read his application, will they concern about his young age? Will he be in a disadvantage when applying those top universities? Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Rather than worrying about the application, I would be concerned that he may not have the ideal college experience if he is 2-3 years younger than his classmates. He will have limited dating oportunities, and won’t even be able to legally have a beer through his college experience. To many kids that won’t matter. He will still have the ability to get a great education, but it may not be the college life that he will want. I know it seems crazy to worry about that when your child is truly a child, but think back to your own college experience. Would you change it?</p>
<p>Of course, getting through high school early would allow for foreign travel, service learning, etc. Your DS does not need to go to college at 16.</p>
<p>I went to college at 16yo with 1-2 years of transferable credit and placement in grad classes. I wouldn’t recommend it because of social, not academic reasons. If your son is that advanced, I would look for a new school that can accommodate him. The truth is that if he is that far ahead, moving him up a year will just buy you a bit of time because he’ll still find the classes move too slowly for him. </p>
<p>Oh, and colleges don’t care. When he applies, they will evaluate him exactly the same as other seniors.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the kid. </p>
<p>I was 1 year ahead of where I should have been and went to college at 17 and never had any problems. In HS I had friends, but I was closest to the kids a grade or two behind me. When I went to college it didn’t matter. I had friends right off the bat that ranged from freshmen to juniors. There is a big difference between a 15 and a 17 year old, but there isn’t much of a difference in my opinion between a 17 and a 19 yo. If your son goes to college at 16 I think that judging by your description of him now, that he will fit in fine. </p>
<p>I know it was back in the dark ages, but my dad was 16 when he went to college, and he prospered. My aunt was no more than 16, and might have been 15, when she went to college after skipping 2 or 3 grades, and she doesn’t regret it. </p>
<p>My son however didn’t do quite as well being a year younger. In his case though it wasn’t socially related at all, it was academically, and being too immature. </p>
<p>Maybe you could have him stay in his same grade and just take most classes from the next grade ahead. He could take AP classes and dual enrollment and really get his freshman year (and maybe soph) done while still at home and in high school. </p>
<p>Or as Mizz suggested, he could take a gap year.</p>
<p>My worry would be that if you keep him on his current path, without skipping him ahead, that he will get bored. </p>
<p>I think the social aspect of it is probably the biggest worry, and if he is mature and social then I would expect that to be even less of an issue as he gets later in HS and really not be an issue in college.</p>
<p>2collegewego, you are right. Skipping one year is probably not enough to keep him challenged. But it’s better than staying. BTW, my son prefers to skip. He thinks many of his 6th grade friends are too “little” even though they are about 1 year older than him. He thinks his 7th grade friends are more like real friends.</p>
<p>I would not recommend skipping. I am currently a junior in high school. I skipped 2nd grade, and it was recommended that I skip 7th as well. I begged to go ahead at the time, but now I’m very glad that I didn’t. Starting junior year at 15, I was already one of the last to get my driver’s license. Last summer, I wasn’t allowed to apply to many lab opportunities because I wasn’t 16. Your son wouldn’t even be eligible for programs like these the summer after his junior year. I think that since he is so advanced, he should be looking for additional enrichment or perhaps a new school. If he qualifies, check out the Davidson Think Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno. They are very qualified for highly advanced children. When he is a sophomore in high school, if he still feels very bored and ahead, you could consider an application to Bard College at Simon’s Rock, an early college where most kids start at 16 or 17, and then either graduate from there or transfer (many kids have success at top rated universities). As a last consideration, check out UWC. It’s an absolutey amazing two year IB program for kids around the world. He would have to be 16 when the program starts, and have finished either 10th or 11th grade. So if he skips now and finishes 11th at 15, he would be ineligable. Just some options to consider :)</p>
<p>Whoops, meant Davidson Academy of Reno. Here’s the link: <a href=“http://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/[/url]”>http://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/</a></p>
<p>To TV4caster, thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure he won’t have social problems now. He has many 7th grade friends and they treat him just like he is one of them. His school principle and teachers have been observing his social skills carefully before they make this recommendation. In their judgment, he is as mature as a 8th or even 9th grade in some sense. That’s not what I feel though. I think he is a little maturer than his age (he just turned 11), but still just a kid. He still makes a lot of silly jokes and are quite messy…
I am not sure if he will have social problem in high school. High school seems a bit scary to me, thinking about dating, drugs, etc. I don’t know how he will change in his teen year.</p>
<p>alwaysleah, thanks a lot for the information and for sharing your experience. That’s very convincing. I was concerned about there might be opportunites that he won’t qualify due to age limit. Now you gave me good examples. Yes, my son begged me to let him skip now. But he is too young to understand the complication. I will tell him your example:-) Thanks again.</p>
<p>You’re very welcome 
just a couple more thoughts: high school will be much harder. Middle school was also very, very easy for me, but AP/IB classes are in a completely different league. He could also look into dual enrolling at a local college. I think these advanced options would solve more problems than skipping, though I realize they don’t really help in the short term. </p>
<p>If it is financially feasible and you are comfortable with it, he could also look into applying to boarding/prep schools for high school. He sounds like the type of kid who would really thrive in that environment. There are lots of amazing parents in the prep school forum who will answer any questions you have on this topic. It would also give him something to look forward to, and to work toward, instead of being bored in the typical middle school environment. </p>
<p>Socially, there will be a big transition from middle school to high school. He might feel socially advanced now; I did too. I’ve always been an extrovert with a large circle of friends. There might be an awkward gap though, when the other boys go through puberty and when they start to date and he is much younger than his peers.</p>
<p>A somewhat relevant story:</p>
<p>I went to MIT. One of my fraternity bothers (and roommates) skipped 2 grades so he was only 16 as a freshman. Everyone at MIT was a top student in HS, so that makes you “average” at MIT. It is something you (and your ego) have to deal with. Well, my fraternity brother had a particular hard time with that concept which I believe was somewhat age/maturity related. He ended up taking a “gap” year after his freshman year (totally his choice). He came back after the gap year with a much more mature attitude and did just fine, he just needed to grow up.</p>
<p>Only you know your child. Talk it over with him. Ask if there are any resource people you and your son can talk to within the school district (I would imagine that there are although they might be consultants that they have part time), they may have some valuable info/insights; if not a person just to bounce some questions against. </p>
<p>You could skip 7th grade with the possibility of a gap year before college if he doesn’t seem ready.</p>
<p>Thanks again. I know a typical middle school environment is not a good fit for him. His principle said he was willing to make any exceptions and provide all flexibilities to my son. I really appreciat his support, but there is just so much he can do in a public school.
Paying for a boarding school or even a regular private school for 6 years and then college for anothe 4 years is just too much for us. I feel sorry that I cannot provide opportunites my son needs.</p>
<p>My 2 cents.
My son is a young 11th grader. He started school early and attends school in a state where most parents hold back the boys in 1st grade – so he is 2 yrs younger than the oldest in his grade and 5 months younger than the next youngest. </p>
<p>Our issues started last year. He “appears” fine socially to most, but he is not really ok. He is overwhelmed with college and career decisions. He is out of his league in the dating scene. Basically, the “adult” life is just coming far too quickly. His change in attitude and behavior took me by surprise. He started doing poorly in academics claiming he was overwhelmed with the work. After some tutoring and talking with his teachers, he certainly had a good grasp on the subject matter. It was more like self-sabatoge in hopes of finding an off-ramp.</p>
<p>If you NEED to skip him to keep him challenged, I recommend it so he continues to care about school and learning BUT I strongly recommend you encourage a High School Gap year around age 14-15. A Rotary Exchange program is something I wish we would have encouraged.</p>
<p>Another option may be to explore boarding schools for high school. Many kids repeat grades when stating BS which would realign him to age peers. Don’t rule out BS on finances until you look into them. Many of the elites have financial aid with very high family income.</p>
<p>If he is self-motivated, you may even be able to do a “homeschool” year in high school.</p>
<p>This is not an easy decision. Good Luck!</p>
<p>EDIT – Really, look at Exeter or St. Pauls financial aid and George School and Mercersburg merit aid before ruling out Boarding schools. You may be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>If you are diligent, you will be able to provide everything he needs. You has already started out amazingly by worrying for his academic future. He is lucky I have such a concerned and involved parent. </p>
<p>There are many boarding schools that offer financial aid, so that is an option. If you are in Nevada, the Davidson program is free. I’m not sure of cost for OOS. He would have to score in the top 1/10 of 1% of IQ to qualify Check out the website for more info. UWC is absolutely free for Americans, so perhaps mentally file that away and pull it back out for him to apply to during his junior year, if interested. </p>
<p>If he remains at home, I am confident that he will still receive everything he needs. Scout local math/science/whatever he is interested programs and competitions. I think this will be a temporary problem. When he gets to high school he will hopefully have an array of advanced classes to choose from. Are there AB/IB/dual enrollment classes offered at your local high school?</p>
<p>HPuck35, thanks. Do you know how to apply for a gap year? Do we need to apply for it on the college application? Will that negatively affect the application? </p>
<p>I am sure there are many kids smarter or same level as him but didn’t skip any grades or only skipped one. I guess not skipping is safer than skipping. In the long run, skipping may not have real benefit.</p>
<p>At most schools, you simply apply for admission. Once accepted, you email the admissions department and ask to defer enrollment for a year. Most schools are happily to oblige.</p>
<p>HPuck35, do most kids in MIT enter in normal age (18)? Are there many kids entering at 17 (the age my son will be if he won’t skip again)? Very few 16 and younger? I know you don’t have statistics on that:-) But any info will be helpful. My son knows there are a lot of smart kids at MIT. I think he doesn’t want to be too much different from the kids there:-)</p>
<p>To alwaysleah, our local high school is a good school. They don’t have IB program but they have a lot of AP classes. I think he will have enough to do in high school. You are right, it’s just these two middle school years that will be too slow.</p>
<p>Perhaps in the mean time he could take some high school courses. I know at my local high school some kids have been able to take freshman biology in 7th grade, sophomore chemistry in 8th grade, and an AP science class in 9th grade. If he does decide to do this, it shouldn’t be with college in mind, but rather because he is excited about learning the material. You don’t want him to get burnt out too young!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your suggestion, Longhaul. What is Rotary Exchange program in high school? Where can I find out information?
Skipping him annd then holding him back (I was thinking about skipping 9th grade) was my initial idea. I posted that idea in a wrong sub-forum and didn’t get many responses.</p>