Early CC application, not California

[Dmmetler]

If you are not in CA (where the CHSPE provides a clear cut route to CC regardless of age), but your DC have taken CC classes before they officially qualify for dual enrollment, how did the application work? It looks like DD could just do the online application and have her ACT scores sent, but I'm wondering if that's the best route, or if we need to talk to someone at the school first. She has high enough ACT scores to qualify for college classes in all subject areas, and is way over what is required for DE.

[Muttichen]

Where I live, you need to talk with someone in the counselling office.  Our CC has a counselor who handles all of the underage students.   She is the one who reviews their test scores, etc. If you go through the admissions office, they'll tell you no one under 16 can be admitted.  In our case, and I'm sure it varies, we had to meet with the counselor each semester.  She'd have to approve the courses before they kids could sign up, but after they'd had a few courses and done well, it was just a formality.  The kids would stop by her office and she'd sign their form and it was done.

[quark]

I know you said not in CA but ^^ (meeting someone there) was our experience at one CC even with the CHSPE. They were extremely wary about DS's age (11yo) despite the law saying that they couldn't deny him when he had passed the CHSPE.

 

We eventually did not use this CC but that was because we had decided to move about an hour away to be closer to the university.

 

What made them agree (we felt bad that we couldn't use them in the end seeing that they went through the trouble to help):

1. DS did the advocating (we had role played ahead of time) -- he asked to speak to the "person in charge" and thankfully, the admin person in the office led us directly to the Dean of Student Services.
2. DS spoke to her, asked the questions and assured her he was okay with the social challenges. She asked him some leading questions like "what will you do if this happens..." and he told her exactly what he would do (not rocket science).
3. I sat there with a bunch of binders with all of his scores (even though CA CCs don't look at SAT, we still brought them with us but she didn't want to see them) and letters of recommendation from three teachers (also not required but she did look at them briefly).
4. They agreed with the caveat that he do well enough in the placement tests and they arranged for him to test a day later.
5. DS surpassed all their expectations with the tests (the admin folk all came out to shake his hand -- it was so sweet :tongue_smilie: ) -- this is priceless because it's not something you prepare for. I suspect this might be the deal breaker for the college.
6. They said okay and gave him his student ID etc. They were insistent that I stay on campus on each day of class.

[Guest]

We went thru the school district, since ds was attending and the class could be taken at either campus. The high school math chair signed off no huhu as she knew him, but the college admin refused....stuck to the policy of junior or better for credit. Fine by me, because they let him take the class for high school credit and it wouldnt transfer anyway to his eventual college, cause really College Alg and Trig are normal 9th, 10th or 11th gr courses here at wealthy high schools. Another CC in the area does now let younger students attend and they spell out the policy on their webpage these days...when mine was that age it wasnt done at all. If he had had computer access at school, we would have gone with online, because CC is lite. The old Dolciani was helpful.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Heigh Ho

[Dmmetler]

DD wrote Introducfion e-mails to attempt to sent up an appointment at two different schools with the academic advising program. For one school, there was a specific person in charge of dual enrollment/high school enrollment, so she contacted that person. For the other, she contacted the person in charge of "non-traditional" enrollment. We'll see what response she gets.