Are your kids planning to go to college by 16 or earlier?

[newbie]

No, you see because he is taking a class their now and has been to a grand total of one session, he "goes to UCLA."

 

When I picked him up Monday, his kindergarten teacher sort-of waved me over and said quietly: William tells me he goes to UCLA.

 

I've never know him to be a "sports fan" until this week. Now he walks around singing the UCLA fight song. :lol:

 

Bill

Again, Bill you are right, so he is not foretelling the future.

 

You are so funny. Can he put it on his transcripts and future resume??

[newbie]

We spend a lot of time on and around the University of Pittsburgh campus. By the time dd was 5, she had decided that's where she will be going to school, and has since checked to make sure they have her intended major(!), and grabbed a freebie apartment finder magazine to see where she might live. When asked by other kids where she goes to school, she tells them "I'm homeschooled now, and then I'm going to Pitt." :D

 

Hey, can she find us an apartment while she is at it. We are having a heckuva time.

[AnitaMcC]

Do community colleges in general only allow 1-2 classes for a student under the age of 16, but allow a full schedule after 16? Also, the permission process sounds tedious. I had read somewhere else that taking too many CC courses would essentially change the status of the student into a college student rather than a high school student taking some college courses, so that when applying to universities, the status of the student changes to that of a CC transferee rather than as a high school applicant. Can anyone verify this or correct me? My impression was that it was not an advantage for the student to take too many CC courses because of how universities viewed the applicant - maybe it's choosier with transferees than high school applicants? Personally we would prefer the CC route to save money, but not to be limited by being a CC student.

 

Also you mentioned that your son will take AP courses. Will he study subjects at home or take CC classes?

 

 

Some CC's don't admit high schoolers under 16. Ours just happens to allow early enrollment for students who qualify. The number of courses they can take is partly due to that they are still in "high school" and will be doing high school as well. The CC course(s) are just additional courses.

 

I don't know about changing student status after so many college credits. For us.. it doesn't really matter... We plan on our kids to earn their associates degree before going off to a 4yr+ school.

 

My son will basically self study for the AP exams or CLEP. His plan is for him to be attending CC full time starting 11th grade. We shall see...

[vonfirmath]

I have a 3rd grader starting pre-algebra/algebra right now too. Maybe I'm in denial, but I'm keeping him away from full time college as long as possible. I can see we'll need to do some college level classes in high school. I'm going as wide and deep as possible.

 

How do you go wide and deep in math? How do you stretch math out when they are doing algebra that early?

[nmoira]

How do you go wide and deep in math? How do you stretch math out when they are doing algebra that early?

Here's some of the thing we've done or have coming up soon:

 

Done or in process:

LoF: Fractions and Decimals & Percents

Venn Perplexors A-D (we use them without the pre-drawn charts)

Can You Count in Greek? (highly enjoyable)

Selected MEP units, including codes and ciphers

It's Alive, and It's Alive and Kicking (found a couple errors in solutions)

Logic Countdown, Logic Liftoff, Orbiting with Logic

The Cryptoclub

Becoming a Problem Solving Genius

Challenge Math

Brain Maths (puzzles, from SingaporeMath.com, we found a few errors in the solutions for Book 1, many for Book 2)

Mathematics 6 (Russian Math, selected sections and problems; this text is a thing of beauty)

CWP 5 and 6 (slowly working through the series)

LoF Pre-algebra books as they come out (DD loves Fred, the first, Biology is out now)

 

We haven't started these yet:

Alien Math (working with different number bases)

Piece of Pi (looks OK, on the fence about this one)

 

And I think I've just added Patty Paper Geometry to the list.

[TandLMommy28]

We decided that our kids can leave for college at 17 if they want (she's not even five until next week so it's soooo far off but both of us went to college at 17 so we just assume it'll be an issue for them). We'll let them take a class or two at the local Christian college at 16. And leaving at 17 is assuming they attend a Christian college with some sort of code of conduct. If they want to go somewhere non-religious, they have to wait until they are 18.

[Charles Wallace]

Just out of curiosity and to learn how others have planned, are your accelerated children attending college by 14-16 years old? I know that some kids are eager to go to college even though they are on the younger side, so I was wondering how the parents managed to include all areas of study, SAT and AP prep, etc. For those parents whose children have taken the SATs or APs in their 6-8 grade years, how did you all do it?!?! It seems overwhelming to plan for such a course if the child insists on starting college early.

 

For those parents whose children did start college at a much younger age, were there any academic difficulties at first, anything that might have made your child reconsider and attend at 18 instead, or anything we as parents should think about as we prepare our kids who would like to go to college earlier?

 

We might be going that route. Our dd is starting high school quite early. We're doing some SAT and ACT practice in her area(s) of strength (English, science), mostly to get her used to the test format, working at speed, working with the MC answers in order to improve her score, and so on. We do a little every day -- no big deal right now, of course, but bitty bites at a time.

[Bostonian]

My daughter is almost 5, but I wasn't planning to teach addition until 6. However, since I thought I would give addition a chance, just to have something other than Latin to study, we progressed quickly to multiplication and now division, all in several months. I think every kid has the potential to learn quickly if taught correctly and, just from my limited experience with one child, children seem eager to learn so why not see what they can do.

 

Alas, most children are not as smart as you daughter, as people like Charles Murray would explain.

[Bostonian]

I suggest that parents interested in early college for their children read the book "The Academic Acceleration of Gifted Children" (1991), by Jones and Southern, where research on early college entrants (mostly finding good results) is presented. My 6yo boy is doing 5th grade math and will be ready for college math courses long before he is 18. I am using Singapore Math as well as EPGY. If he exhausts the offerings of EPGY, we will have him take math classes at a nearby university.

[Truscifi]

I have really got to stop reading these threads. They prompt me to ask ds all sorts of questions when I am not prepared for the answers. I asked him when he thought he would go to college, and he informed me that he is going when he is 16, and that he is going to college in Brazil. He wants to build a zoo outside Brasilia, so of course he should go to college there so he can get familiar with the country. That is also why he needs to hurry up and learn Spanish and Portuguese. And oh by the way, the online Spanish program isn't enough, he needs a Spanish speaking teacher to practice with, so please find one. :001_huh:

[Storm Bay]

I have really got to stop reading these threads. They prompt me to ask ds all sorts of questions when I am not prepared for the answers. I asked him when he thought he would go to college, and he informed me that he is going when he is 16, and that he is going to college in Brazil. He wants to build a zoo outside Brasilia, so of course he should go to college there so he can get familiar with the country. That is also why he needs to hurry up and learn Spanish and Portuguese. And oh by the way, the online Spanish program isn't enough, he needs a Spanish speaking teacher to practice with, so please find one. :001_huh:

:lol::lol: Time to live up to your sig line. How old is he? Sounds like he's little. When I was 6 I was going to move to England at 16, meet the queen, marry Andrew and become the queen. That's a lot closer to home than my dd wanted to be around that age; she was going to be the first woman to go to Mars.

 

However, studying Spanish and Portuguese is a good idea. Where we live, that's easy, but my dc are doing German!

[Truscifi]

:lol::lol: Time to live up to your sig line. How old is he? Sounds like he's little. When I was 6 I was going to move to England at 16, meet the queen, marry Andrew and become the queen. That's a lot closer to home than my dd wanted to be around that age; she was going to be the first woman to go to Mars.

 

However, studying Spanish and Portuguese is a good idea. Where we live, that's easy, but my dc are doing German!

 

 

I'm trying!

 

Lol, yep, he's 6. I keep waiting for him to change his mind, but he's been on this zoo in Brazil thing for almost 2 years. Ah, well, he still has plenty of time.

 

Actually, he told me tonight he wants a tattoo (another :001_huh: moment). We had a good conversation about how a person's wants can change over time, and he agreed he should wait until he's in his 20s to decide if he really wants one, and if so what it should be.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin has been doing high school level work for some time, taking his first SAT subject test equivalent exam at 11. He's taking two more similar exams over the next month. My strategy is to give him an education that is broad as well as deep. He has studied subjects that most school children don't, diving deeply into his areas of interest whilst gaining a good basic education in all subjects.

 

He's not much interested in maths and sciences, and loves languages, literature and myth. His maths and sciences are a little ahead of his age group, but not much: he just doesn't want to spend much energy on them. At the same time he has spent two years on classical civilisation and studies three foreign languages, as well as reading very widely.

 

He is going to school in August to study 9 SAT subject test equivalent exams, then will go into the International Baccalaureate programme. I don't expect him to be bored. He'll be 17 1/2 when he leaves school and we hope he will take a gap year before university.

 

Laura

[Storm Bay]

I'm trying!

 

Lol, yep, he's 6. I keep waiting for him to change his mind, but he's been on this zoo in Brazil thing for almost 2 years. Ah, well, he still has plenty of time.

 

Actually, he told me tonight he wants a tattoo (another :001_huh: moment). We had a good conversation about how a person's wants can change over time, and he agreed he should wait until he's in his 20s to decide if he really wants one, and if so what it should be.

 

 

My ds has been into airplanes since he was 5, minus a 6 month interest in big trucks after a road trip. However, now that he's 9 he occasionally talks about becoming an aeronautics engineer instead of a pilot (much better for my peace of mind and his long term stress level. Commercial pilots have high stress!!!)

 

However, you may find he does end up working in a Brazilian zoo with a tattoo ;).

[SunshineMom]

My ds has been into airplanes since he was 5, minus a 6 month interest in big trucks after a road trip. However, now that he's 9 he occasionally talks about becoming an aeronautics engineer instead of a pilot (much better for my peace of mind and his long term stress level. Commercial pilots have high stress!!!)

 

Karin, my husband is a commercial pilot. I think the stress comes from working for years to become a commercial pilot (private pilot to regional airlines to major airlines). Pilots generally are laid back however with engineer type minds:)

[Storm Bay]

My ds has been into airplanes since he was 5, minus a 6 month interest in big trucks after a road trip. However, now that he's 9 he occasionally talks about becoming an aeronautics engineer instead of a pilot (much better for my peace of mind and his long term stress level. Commercial pilots have high stress!!!)

 

Karin, my husband is a commercial pilot. I think the stress comes from working for years to become a commercial pilot (private pilot to regional airlines to major airlines). Pilots generally are laid back however with engineer type minds:)

 

 

Good to know. Ds isn't laid back, but perhaps he'll learn to be. In the mean time, he loves flight & airplanes and has broadened his interests from commercial planes to all planes so at least when he's talking airplanes there's more variety!

[Truscifi]

If he becomes an aeronautics engineer he could help forge ahead in the new field of space planes. They're just cool. :D

[Gooblink]

I am planning on a community college for my boys when they're 16ish.

 

The one caviat I've been given is that if plan to transfer 30+credits from the community to a four-year school, they would be ineligible for many scholarships.

[crazyforlatin]

 

The one caviat I've been given is that if plan to transfer 30+credits from the community to a four-year school, they would be ineligible for many scholarships.

 

Thanks for letting us know about this. In my previous post, I was trying to pinpoint the disadvantages of taking too many CC courses. I had read some book discussing this issue, but now cannot remember what book or what the specific disadvantages could be.

 

I think kids taking 30+ credits, even if they are under 18 years old, would be considered transfer students, in other words, college students, not high school students.

 

Is there a higher standard for admissions to a 4-year college for someone who has taken more than 30+ credits at a CC? Or do most parents on this board who are advising their kids plan for them to take less than 30 credits?

 

Also, is it more difficult for 14-16 year-old or younger students to be accepted to more prestigious universities (e.g. U.C. Berkeley or any U.C. for CA residents) given their age?

 

If DD wanted to go to college at a young age, I too would only allow her to go to a nearby college, and we have a few of those here; whether they are friendly to homeschoolers is another issue. Unfortunately our CC seems to be overcrowded.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I am planning on a community college for my boys when they're 16ish.

 

The one caviat I've been given is that if plan to transfer 30+credits from the community to a four-year school, they would be ineligible for many scholarships.

 

As a transfer student you are ineligible for some scholarships, but then there are others offered specifically for transfer students. I transferred from a CC to a state university at the beginning of this year with 38 credits and was offered scholarships from my CC honor society, the state of MD, the school I was entering, plus grants.

 

As for my daughter... even if we progressed at the typical rate from here on out she'd be starting college a year earlier, since we are starting kindergarten now when she is actually preschool age. I see her going through quicker in most subjects. For example, we are starting with Singapore 1A and she already knows most of that, I just want to be sure of a solid foundation.

 

She is free to live at home at go to CC/university at 14 if she's ready, but she won't be going away to college until AT LEAST 16, most likely 18. I'm a college student now, and I know what goes on around campus!!!

[Storm Bay]

If he becomes an aeronautics engineer he could help forge ahead in the new field of space planes. They're just cool. :D

 

 

:D:D:D Clearly, you get this! Hopefully he will, because that's how he thinks.

[Embassy]

I don't plan for my son to graduate high school until 18, but he is free to take any college classes when he is ready for them. He is doing his first college class this year (video lectures only, no outside assignments or tests) and loves it.

[Bloggermom]

We plan to start college by doing CLEP tests and independent study courses at age 14. The goal is to finish with a bachelors degree by 18.

[Mommyfaithe]

First 2 started at 18.... But were well into college level work and tested out of several classes.

#3 started @ 17

#4 was planning to start and was ready @ 15, got Lyme disease and was derailed for 2 years.....we have remediated much and hope he will begin @18

# 5 would like to begin @16, but she has her work cut out for her....we shall see......

 

#'s 6&7 are too young to determine yet....

 

Faithe

[Mommyfaithe]

I am planning on a community college for my boys when they're 16ish.

 

The one caviat I've been given is that if plan to transfer 30+credits from the community to a four-year school, they would be ineligible for many scholarships.

 

My girls graduated from CC, and because they had such awesome grades, they received BIG transfer scholarships.....to the tune of over $30,000 a year. Transfer scholarships ARE available to A students.....just so you know.....it may help you plan and see what is offered where they are interested in going.

 

Faithe

[crazyforlatin]

Wow, I think this was probably my first post when I joined the board. :D I was hoping for DD to attend college early, but that writing thread in the Logic board has me worried. I may need those extra couple of years....

 

Faithe, I didn't know this about transfer scholarships. That's a lot of money!

[SkateLeft]

JFor those parents whose children did start college at a much younger age, were there any academic difficulties at first, anything that might have made your child reconsider and attend at 18 instead, or anything we as parents should think about as we prepare our kids who would like to go to college earlier?

 

My 15 year old daughter is a full-time college student. She took her first college class a couple of years ago, but this is her first year as a full-time student. If we'd stayed in CA, we would have graduated her already. After moving to MN a couple of years ago, we decided to take advantage of the dual enrollment (PSEO) program here.

 

This way, she can move on to college work, but not graduate high school too early. She'll be 16 when she officially graduates next year. Going the dual enrollment route will also ensure that she's a freshman applicant at most of the universities that she's considering, rather than a transfer applicant. (We don't want her to end up in an upperclassman dorm at 16, etc.) Many private universities won't consider her a transfer applicant unless she takes classes after high school graduation, or unless she is matriculated as a "degree seeking" student.

 

There haven't been any academic difficulties at all. She has a 4.0 GPA, and is absolutely thriving.

 

As far as preparation goes, time management and study skills are important. Organization is also a big part of being successful, and being able to set short and long term goals. Her biggest challenges haven't been academic. Instead, she's had to learn how to handle quirky professors, how to deal with the bureaucracy of the bookstore and business office, how to plan for multiple long essays or exams all due on the same day, and how to tutor a lab partner who doesn't understand redox reactions, etc.

 

ETA: Bah... I didn't realize this was a necro-thread. Oh well.

Edited February 28, 2012 by sailmom

[wapiti]

LOL, I'll just paste my answer from the other thread: We are a long way out, but my perspective is that I want my kids' college applications to be as strong as possible, hoping for admission to selective/highly selective schools. The more they do before they graduate from high school, the stronger their applications will be. So, I have no plan to graduate them early (they will probably attend a private school for HS anyway; the school in question is affiliated with a university, with the option to take college classes there should the need arise).

 

I should add that if our financial situation changed or the college funds melted (as might happen), our plans might change, i.e. in that case, we might aim for a less expensive college option and worry more about admission to the right grad schools.

[Julie of KY]

No, my son wishes I could homeschool him through college.

[Runningmom80]

My kindergartner, who attended his first "Math Circle" at our local University last Sunday has been going around all week telling anyone who will listen that: I go to UCLA! :lol:

 

Bill

 

Love it. :lol:

 

As for the OP's question, I don't expect him to start college any later than 16. We'll see how it goes, obviously he is still very young, and no one knows what the future holds. But, if I had to guess, and based on the rate we are going, I'd say he will definitely be going early.

[Brindee]

My dd will start Running Start (our dual enrollment program) next year. She'll be 15. She is taking 3 classes this year at a co-op place with accredited teachers that are teaching at advanced levels. She had an adjustment period for the first little while in the Fall (she's always been homeschooled), but these are WONDERFUL teachers, and she's doing very well now! These teachers have helped with how to do note-taking, writing essays, organizing and prioritizing, etc., and are very encouraging and supportive. DD has become vocal in the classes, meaning she's answering the Teacher's questions, volunteering to help with things, asking questions of her own, and has learned by leaps and bounds! DD and I feel so blessed that she got into these classes! She will be WAY better prepared for the college-level classes next year! She'll work on the Pre-Nursing program they have at the CC and Graduate from high school and with a Pre-Nursing AA right after turning 17. After that we have some ideas, but not formalized yet.

 

I agree with the poster near the beginning of this thread that said it needs to be THEIR plans, NOT mine! She's the one that has advanced through her work and asked to advance a grade. I told her she needed to do the work required to do so, and I would help as needed, but I wouldn't push her. She did the work, so is at this level.

 

Our CC requires students to be Juniors or Seniors to enroll in the dual enrollment program, so some kids that COULD have gone earlier (other homeschoolers in this area that we know of) have had to wait 'til their Junior year. I'm glad dd had to wait, as this has been a great learning year at the co-op, and she is MUCH more ready now!

Edited February 28, 2012 by Brindee