I currently have a “S” that attends at charter school; he is currently a sophomore. He says that he hopes to graduate a next year (which would be a year early). Due to health issues, he didn’t take PSAT last year and the school says "they will do it in October.
Should I even start planning for college since it is not definitive that he will graduate in June 2019? There seems to be so much to do in such little time.
Any help for a parent who feels they are “lost” will help.
Thanks
Welcome to CC… you’ll find many well informed posters here. You ask where to begin – and CC’s answer is usually with the questions:
What’s your budget
Where do you live
What are the grades/test scores
What are the interests/possible major
What are the preferences (large?urban?research university?LAC - which stands for liberal arts college)
Most parents start out by checking out their state universities, evaluating child’s ability to get in there, and what the possible costs are. I would recommend you too familiarize yourself with your in-state options since those are often the most affordable/familiar.
Is there a reason your son wants to graduate early? There are pluses and minuses of doing so, and you should be aware of them as you make plans for next year.
First off…is there a compelling reason for him to graduate early?
It’s fine to do preliminary looking now…but without a GPA at the end of this year and an SAT or ACT score…it’s a shot in the dark.
Here is what I would suggest…as we did look at colleges with our kids starting at the end of their sophomore years of HS.
Back to my opening comment…why graduate early? Could he instead do duel enrollment courses with his HS and a college? Are there electives and/or advanced courses he could take?
Thank for the responses, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.
I am not sure why he wants to but I think it is because he feels it will help him. He is ADHD and gets bored extremely easily and often relates better to people older than him. Last year, was an extremely tough year for him health wise and I think he wants to prove to others that he can do this.
Budget? Would like to stick between the 10K-30K but haven’t really discussed this with my husband. My husband always says that he paid off his college loans and our son will have to do the same (which is why lower is better)
State: CA
Grades? Charter school really doesn’t give me a report card but right now, I believe it is all A’s.
Major? Software Design or Engineering
Size? I think smaller school would be better for him but he says “it doesn’t matter” Currently, he wants to go to Univ CA San Diego and if not accepted there, M.I.T. (knows his chances are slim) Georgia Tech, Northern Arizona Univ, or U.S.C.
Currently, the school is having him finish is Math, English classes. So, he just started 11 gr English Honors, Algebra II/Trig, and Spanish I. He still needs his Chemistry (10th gr) He will be taking as many A-G classes as possible.
I think he wants to remain close to home (SD is a train ride or 2 hour car trip (no traffic) . On Sunday, he will be attending a college seminar class that he signed up for; it is my understanding that they will be touring college campuses as well.
I tried asking him today about what he was looking for in a college campus but didn’t get very far.
Do you have financial need? Not what you THINK you can pay…but what would be expected based on your income and assets? If not, those OOS publics could be mighty pricey…and so will MIT, GT and USC.
There are TONS of instate public universities in CA that he should look at in addition to San Diego.
MIT, GT and USC are not a slam dunk for admissions.
Re: graduating early…if he could do duel enrollment at a college for his last year…that might be a better choice than graduating early. Just my opinion…the grass might NOT be greener on the other side.
I’d like others’ input on this – but to ME it sounds like graduating early isn’t likely to help your son get into these very selective schools. MIT, GT, USC – and yes, even UCSD – look for rigor in high school curriculum and impressive ECs. Your son is losing a year of both – and possibly putting himself at a disadvantage when competing against the state’s/country’s top STEM students with considerable accomplishments outside the classroom.
I would seriously consider trying to have him do dual enroll and live at home rather than graduate early and launch to a 4 year right from there if he does have ADHD. That will give him opportunity to more gently segue to the work load and expectations of college with better supports in place.
If he is interested in competitive programs it’s an advantage to have another year under your belt to get that higher ACT score, have a stronger sense of direction, stronger academics, have stronger extra curriculars. I would definitely NOT make the decision to graduate a year early lightly. Even for a kid that was very academically ahead.
If he’s serious, just sign him up for the next ACT or SAT and throw him into it and see how he does. That will tell you if it’s even realistic if he really wants to apply to places like MIT. Or has he taken it? My 2019 graduate is taking the ACT for the last time (hopefully) in April. If he’s graduating next year, he might as well not take the PSAT because he won’t be eligible for NM as a senior. You will be doing applications this fall if he’s graduating 2019 and needs to have a clear list where he is applying by the end of summer…
How about Bard College at Simon’s Rock? That is a special “early college” program. Many students then transfer to prestigious colleges. I do not know much about it, but you might take a look and see if it would meet his needs for now.
Agree that graduating early will not help your son. I’ve worked with a number of students who graduated early, but they had not only run out of high school courses, but had taken multiple college courses in advanced subjects like differential equations, organic chemistry, advanced computer programming, etc.
Unless your son has some super high achievements, graduating early is most often a liability, not an asset.
Is the health issue now fully resolved?
If he wants to graduate after next year, it is best for him to take the SAT and ACT this spring, so that he knows what he will be applying with. However, it looks like early graduation may not be the best option for him, as others have mentioned.
As the parent, your top priority is to make or check your financial plan to figure out what you can comfortably afford (without compromising your retirement or college money for younger siblings). Then, for each college of interest, find the net price calculator on its web page and use it to get a financial aid estimate. Better to go into the process with estimates of what is realistic for cost and financial aid than to be shocked in April of the student’s last year in high school.
I wonder if part of the desire to graduate early is to get out of an awful HS social scene and the thought that he’ll find more kids like him in college. Being the youngest in college, though, could put him at a disadvantage socially.
FWIW, Extra Curriculars can be anything that he enjoys spending time on, and definitely does not have to be something that he does at his HS. If he takes dual-enrollment classes, he might end up spending very little time at his HS Senior Year. And, the DE classes might end up enabling him to graduate college early, thereby saving you money.
Go spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum, and read through the threads there to start getting a notion of how the money side can work.
If he could be happy with the CA CC to UC or CSU option, then finishing early and enrolling at a commuting distance CC may be the best way to keep everything inside your budget.
Will he have taken precalculus/math analysis and calculus before graduating?
I sympathize. We looked into graduation for one of our kids. The solution ended up being a different attitude towards school itself with more emphasis on activities outside of school which, for that kid, were focused in one area of the arts. Boredom at school decreased with the decreased emphasis on it (though grades were maintained of course).
Does your son have a 504 plan or IEP for the ADHD and health issues? If not, make sure to establish one, because having one in high school will help with accommodations on SAT or ACT (apply early, it can take 6 weeks) and with accommodations at college. He should register with the disabilities office wherever he ends up attending.
Simon’s Rock was founded for kids like this, who are a bit betwixt and between high school and college.
Another avenue would be to address the ADHD and the boredom. Something like martial arts, dance, Tai Chi, yoga, kickboxing, Tae Kwan Do and so on can really help. Tai Chi is based on martial arts and really helps with focus. Is he on meds?
There are many ways to be around mixed ages and some of the above can accomplish that as well.
How is his health? Health issues can make college a little harder, but everything is doable even for serious chronic issues. However, if extra time at home will help resolve them or help establish a management plan, that extra time in high school is well worth it.
I know kids who did dual enrollment entirely at community college (or maybe they left high school early and went directly to cc). I talked with a really engaging young man who was bored in high school and was doing community college instead. He was taking flying lessons and getting his license at cc and seemed happy.
There are also online options to finish: check out Virtual High School. Some kids who were unhappy in our high school loved the online courses and the discussions with kids all over the world.
Finally, given his ADHD diagnosis, you could see his desire to graduate early as something to be discussed and restrained. We cannot tell if that is the right way to go: sometimes unhappiness with school is very valid. I do think that finishing the 4 years at his school is the easiest, least path of resistance, way to go but clearly he would need something else in his life to be happier with that route.
Colleges DO love outliers. He could also finish early and do something interesting for a year and then apply. Check out National Outdoor Leadership School for instance 
How are his computer skills? Maybe doing something extra curricular with them might make school seem less onerous.
Re: Bard…it’s a great place for some students. BUT don’t apply there without visiting… because it’s not for everyone.
Yes, the major issue has been; there are still occasional flare-ups
His computer skills are “outstanding.” He knows 4 coding languages (has to get certificates)
Thx; for the helpful information. I never considered graduating early a hindrance but instead was quite happy to see him motivated. Middle school years were terrible (bullying, lack of motivation or showing full potential) :-S He likes his school as he is able to complete his work at home and then take test at school; he works at his own pace. You have given me quite a bit to ponder.
Graduating early would put him at a clear disadvantage for elite schools like MIT. He will have precalc in 11th grade; he should continue on to 12th and take calc.
MIT (admit rate in single digits) would be more difficult, not less, than admission to UCSD (admit rate 34%). He should calculate his UC GPA. Some stats he should become familiar with: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/files/freshman-profiles/freshman_profile_san_diego.pdf
https://admission.usc.edu/docs/USCFreshmanProfile.pdf
http://mitadmissions.org/apply/process/stats
Of course, he should also have matches and safeties on his list. This is a good a time to begin thinking about the process. Up above you will see links to discussions for parents of the classes of 2019 and 2020. Welcome and good luck!