<p>My daughter is a homeschooled sophomore who is very mature for her age. She mostly hangs out with college-age kids, is extremely well-read and well-spoken, found herself very unhappy in the public school setting (our system isn't the best to begin with, but she was unstimulated intellectually and hated the immature social setting, which eventually led to depression), etc. Her counselor sat down with us today and told us that he thinks she would be happier and extremely successful in college and recommended to apply in the fall. He thinks she's ready to live away from home and have complete independence, and honestly, I don't disagree - she's responsible, stable emotionally, has a healthy amount of common sense, absolutely adores learning, and gets along famously with an older crowd. Unfortunately, the community college is unavailable to homeschoolers and online classes are too expensive; homeschooling isn't ideal, but she likes the freedom better than being stifled in traditional school, so I'm not sure what her best option is.</p>
<p>She has two AP tests under her belt and feels very confident about her scores. Took the SAT and scored 2390, planning to take the biology, math II, literature, and world history subject tests in October and the French, psychology, calculus, and chemistry APs in May. We had hard financial restraints this year, so her testing is pretty barren as it stands. She has a 3.75 from public school, but she missed a lot of days from pneumonia and the flu, if that matters? I have no idea how that might affect where she should be looking. For extracurriculars, she organized a tutoring group for middle schoolers, works 15 hours a week, volunteers at the museum as a docent, and contributes to the local newspaper. She's an excellent writer and her recommendations should be very good.</p>
<p>Would it be wise to plan to apply in the fall, and if so, where should we consider? Should she get a GED? Our EFC is low, but we could swing it if the school otherwise met full-need. I have very little experience with any of this; with her amount of testing, I don't even know if it would be in her best interest in the long run to apply next year. I would very much appreciate more opinions on this.</p>
<p>What are her goals? It is not unreasonable to be 17yo, applying only a year early with 6 APs but she won’t have those AP scores back in time for applications. I see no reason why she would test for a GED. Is she interested in a university or liberal arts school? Does she know what she wants to study? If you are aiming for a top college/uni, it may be hard to get accepted a year early-- because those are lottery schools for everyone and because many of the accepted students add something ‘extra’ to the class (athlete, top musician, underrepresented area, etc.) </p>
<p>For lots of $, you really have 2 options: Apply to meet-full-need schools which are the most competitive and apply to generous merit scholarships. I think with that strong SAT, she is likely to get merit from a lot of schools that are ranked lower than tippy top. Would she qualify for any guaranteed merit at your instate flagship?</p>
<p>Have her take the PSAT next year. I’m not sure how Natl Merit works if she goes to college a year early, but it might give you more options with schools that are generous with merit aid to NMFs. Also, google Questbridge.</p>
<p>In most states you cannot take the GED unless you’re at least 18 years old and have not attended school for 6 months. The GED is a far easier test than the SAT and lots of smart but bored students would try to graduate two years early if they had a mechanism for doing so.</p>
<p>I’m sure the community college would let her in if you went in and talked to them and found the right decision maker. Just show them her SAT score and declare that she has finished high school – make up transcripts and a diploma if you need to. If your state allows homeschooling, the community college cannot discriminate against those who opted for that choice.</p>
<p>You have twin issues to deal with – early admission with no “formal” diploma and the finances to pay for college. It gets complicated when you need to try to solve for both. I know of 3 situations that dance around the edges of your situation but don’t quite match it:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>My older son graduated high school at age 14 and went to the nearby state university. But he had a diploma. And he didn’t get financial aid (it didn’t occur to us to apply!)</p></li>
<li><p>My younger son is graduating a year early, finishing high school in 3 years. He will be attending Brown University and financial aid will cover all but $3000/year.</p></li>
<li><p>My son’s friend is homeschooled, first attended a community college, then managed to sign up for a couple classes at Northwestern University. The registrar’s office later declared that he wasn’t supposed to be there, but he had been getting A’s in his classes, so somehow they were able to get him accepted with the help of his professors. The kid is now 17 and a year away from finishing his bachelor’s – but I don’t think he was ever eligible for financial aid consideration.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>For what it’s worth, the top-20 schools hold early graduates to a higher standard than the rest – and that’s with a diploma. There’s a certain mindset with them that you need to justify wanting to attend at a younger age, when you could just be taking extra college or online classes while writing peer-reviewed papers and solving world hunger issues in your spare time.</p>
<p>There are programs that are designed to accelerate bright kids into college work a year or two before the typical age of entrance. Some high schools offer dual enrollment with a local college. Some colleges offer special programs for high school-aged kids within their regular programs. There is even a 4-year program that exclusively takes kids after sophomore or junior year of HS: [Bard College at Simon’s Rock - The Early College](<a href=“Why Simon's Rock”>http://www.simons-rock.edu/about</a>). </p>
<p>Many of these programs provide their early-entrance students with a social support network to help them adjust to college. That might be beneficial to a 16yo, even one who is very mature and self-sufficient.</p>
<p>My gifted son finished public HS at age 16 and went to our top flagship U and did well (he did early K entry and skipped/compressed an elementary grade- he did 4 years of HS including academic, music and sports ECs plus boredom). Is there any way your D can meet HS graduation requirements this coming year with her accelerated studies? There is no problem with a 16 year old being in college. Post your questions on the homeschooling CC site- they will know the ropes regarding getting into college with homeschooling. Also consider the Hoagies and Davidson gifted and talented websites for more information.</p>
<p>As noted by 2collegewego, be sure she takes the PSAT on the October test date at her high school. It will be Wednesday, October 12, 2011 or Saturday, October 15, 2011, but the sign up will be earlier, in September. A 2390 SAT kid is likely to ace the PSAT. I guess if she finishes early she won’t be a National Merit Scholar semifinalist but if she stays in school and does the NMS paperwork, she should be. A fair number of schools will give her full rides or full tuition for her NMS status, so if she decides NOT to finish early, you want to be sure she has National Merit Scholar semifinalist status. </p>
<p>If your EFC is low enough, she should get a near full ride at Meets Full Need schools. If she does not get scholarships/financial aid at schools she applies to this fall, I am sure she will if she waits a year and does traditional applications in the fall of her senior year.</p>
<p>My daughter started college at 16 – she was also homeschooled. She will graduate next year a month after her 20th birthday. She was just ready. It almost didn’t make any sense for her to postpone it. She’s done very well academically, socially, etc.</p>
<p>CMU states in their brochure that they welcome mature students who have outgrown their HS. Caltech and MIT were the same. No HS degree was necesary.
In my son’s grad class, a young man entered at 16.</p>
<p>Your daughter sounds amazingly smart. Socially, she reminds me my D1 a few years back. She will be a Sr at a public hs…same school system since kindergarten. Honestly, I sense something wrong - certainly NOT with her intellect but with her possible inability to create and maintain relationships with kids her own age.</p>
<p>Personally, there is a tone and it signals a red flag. My daughter was very depressed her freshman year and halfway through sophomore year. She didn’t go on medication but saw a counselor for a couple months. It did wonders for her. She felt estranged from peers her own age. It sounds like she withdrew from her school due to immature kids…exactly what my D thought. But it was an excuse, she felt deeply inadequate and her social skills were blunted. She is very bright. The counselor recommendsed to us that she enroll in post secondary to be in a more mature environment…but something felt wrong to me.</p>
<p>She stayed in her school. There were tears and alienation, but as the depression weakened, her relationships with her friends grew stronger. Now she is perfectly functional with wonderful friends. She is out of the depression i am not saying this is the case with your D but I see many similar issues with your D and what my D went through.</p>
<p>I think a year more of homeschooling and researching colleges would be a smarter move then starting college in less then 3 months. The students that I know that started college early, started preparing for that in the beginning of their Junior year so they had time to formally apply to good colleges that would give them merit aid. At this point of the year the choices of colleges that will give aid are very slim. I don’t really see the reason for rushing it.</p>
<p>I agree with Kathiep – why rush this important decision especially as you would be applying off cycle? That said age is not the most important factor in applying to college and your daughter sounds ready. It would just be best to take the time to plan and get the best result for your D. Plus another year will strengthen her resume.</p>
<p>Take a look at the SAT testing site…your daughter can only take three SAT subject tests in one day. I don’t think this has changed since my kids have taken them. The community college would be a great idea if they allowed her to take courses for credit. My kids did this and graduated highschool and CC just a couple weeks apart from each other. The CC would not issue the degree until they had their HS diploma but that was not a big deal. Can you make some college visits very soon? If so your daughter would probably be a candidate for some of the very top schools and considering your EFC is low she would get alot of FA at the very top schools, and she could apply this Fall. She would likely get merit aid at many of the liberal Arts schools or top state schools…check on UVA’s website. She sounds like the type of kid who would enjoy a challenge so certainly look into the many personalities of the Ivy schools and top Liberal Arts schools. Does your daughter have any idea of what she would like to study? I will give Cornell a plug here because even if your daughter changes her mind and decides to study something else there are so many schools to choose from on the Cornell campus that she would be able to transfer withing the college without any problem. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>How sure are you that your daughter is no longer depressed? If you have any doubs I would not go ahead with early admission to college.</p>
<p>The last few posters seem confused. I read the OP as saying her D wants to apply to college next fall in order to matriculate at college in fall of 2012, one year early. </p>
<p>I also have a daughter who went to college early. She entered K early and then graduated HS in three years and so entered college at age 16. She was not homeschooled, however, and did earn a HS diploma. However, it is certainly possible for a homeschool student to enter college one year early as well. The college doesn’t have to have a special early entrance program. However, those who enter college early tend to be scrutinized much closer than regular college applicants. It sounds to me that your D may be a good candidate for this path. Make sure that the recommendations she secures also speak to her early readiness for college. My D also included a separate statement with all her apps (not the regular essays) with her rationale for being an early graduate. </p>
<p>Your D may be a candidate to top schools and many of these meet full need and so these may be good ones on your list. She also could apply to schools a few tiers down that have great merit aid and where she would stand out among applicants.</p>
<p>It depends so much on the kid, and the situation. My niece went to college two years early, having skipped a grade in grammar school, then earning enough credits to graduate from high school at 16. She is at a university overseas now, living with her older sister’s family. It was the right decision for her-- she really does have it all together and her hometown school is tiny and remote. </p>
<p>I went to college a year early and it wasn’t the right thing-- yes I could do the work but I wasn’t ready socially and I wasn’t ready to get all I could out of it. I really regret it now. It was a bit closer to the situation mspearl describes. I am so glad, as I see my own D coming into her own as she enters senior year, that she has another year to mature and spread her wings, so she will be able to really explore all that college has to offer. </p>
<p>So, there’s a lot to think about. Clearly she’s very bright and capable, but it might be worth finding her some enrichment options near home instead of sending her off so young.</p>
<p>You have received some good input both on early college logistics and red flags. I agree with others that increasing her academic stimulation is a secondary issue to her mental health. It is not always clear that a change in environment will address the negativity. I would be focussed on helping this student get “her sea legs” in terms of navigating her mood issues, increasing her coping skills, seeking out ways to have a social life, etc. If she can make things work at home, that may be a good indicator for college readiness. College is not a panacea. Once students are living away, they must negotiate all of those resources much more independently. That can be overwhelming to begin with, never mind if you are depressed. Depression is not always related to specific circumstances and one can not count on a “geographic cure.” I would proceed with caution and avoid moving quickly on this. Good luck.</p>