CC courses at 15?

[pjssully]

HI- I am wondering if anyone has had their child do Community college courses at 15. I am considering this for my 10th grade daughter-English 101. One part ofme says let her "enjoy" high school and not push so hard, and the other part is wondering why not do the cc courses now. any advice?

thanks

pam

[regentrude]

My DD has taken alg/trig based physics at a 4 year university at age 13. It was exactly the right level for her and she succeeded with a normal amount of work. She absolutely loved it.

She is currently enrolled in a 4 credit hour French course. She will take take French and a calculus based Engineering Physics class in the fall.

None of it is undue pushing; it is the level of work she is capable of. She is enjoying it.

[K-FL]

Both dd started DE classes at 15. Here, they just have to be past "9th grade" to qualify. For the 1st semester they took a fun and an academic class. Both had 60+ hrs by the time their peers were graduating hs. (BTW-they were both considered "freshmen w/credit" for the univ. apps and so eligible for all the Freshman scholarships.)

[texasmel]

Both my older daughter and son took courses at 15 and thrived. The 'head start' allowed my son to double major and sit for his CPA exam in just 4 years. It allowed my daughter to do her pre-med requirements and get a biology degree so she could get on with graduate work. If your student is capable and mature, I highly recommend early dual credit.

[SkateLeft]

My daughter is a full-time CC student as a 15 year old high school junior (she'll be 16 in July), and it's working beautifully for her. She LOVES doing high school this way, and wouldn't change a thing. She'll graduate high school with around 60 credits. Our state pays for tuition and books for academically qualified juniors and seniors, so that's definitely a win.

 

I think it's important to let your child have some say in the decision. Does she want to take the class or do *you* want her to take it? In our case, my daughter made the decision that this was how she wanted to handle her last two years of high school. She's interested in pursuing chemical engineering, so being able to take multiple science classes and accelerate her math sequence is very appealing to her.

[G5052]

I've taught 15 y.o.'s at the local community college, and some were ready, and some were not. It can be a tough decision because a poor grade stays on their record. People often talk about how wonderful the local community college is for dual enrollment, but the reality is that I fail about half of my homeschooled students. A lot depends on what your expectations have been in homeschooling. If they are ready for deadlines and a good amount of work, it can be fine.

 

I'll also note that I would go look at the book they're going to use if at all possible. The college I work for uses the Bedford Reader for English 101, which unfortunately has a fair amount of adult content which means that the writing assignments and class discussions may be on the mature side. That might be a concern for you. Frankly I'm doing my level best to get mine out of English 101 because of that, but every situation is different. If we do dual enrollment, I'll probably go with IT, speech, or a foreign language.

[Laura in CA]

Agreeing with all of the above, especially GVA's post. My 14/15yo son is taking multivariable calculus and diff eq's right now at our local CC and LOVES it. He is an extrovert and thrives in a classroom with real live people :D. Plus we're *very* impressed with his teacher (we had checked out his reputation on the online ratings beforehand -- did not want a dud for my son's first CC class!).

 

Obviously math is one of my son's strong points -- I would not consider English for my son because he is convinced he doesn't like English, because the level of students at our CC is, in general, pathetic, and because of the mature themes he is, frankly, not interested in. (The math classes are UC/CSU-compatible and the level is kept high -- in fact 75% of the multivariable class dropped the class before the final. :001_huh: But some of the humanities classes are, we've heard from a local teacher, below the local high school's *regular* class level, much less an AP class level. Just because of the demographics and the majority of kids needing remedial work.)

 

So it all depends on your student and your local CC. But no, I am not "pushing" my son, at least with math, for him, with this teacher. It has been a fabulous experience!

[Barb_]

It's a case-by-case thing. For the right student, community college is just the thing to prolong enjoyment of high school--giving her the challenge, increased expectation, and competition she craves. For the wrong student, pushing community college is a disaster. That said, 15 is not too young to start. My oldest jumped in with both feet at 14, but she couldn't wait to get out the door. She would have started at 12 if I had let her. The next one down started at 15. Em is taking a voice class this year to get her feet wet and will start academic classes in the fall. She will turn 16 in September.

[Photo Ninja]

My dc started at age 15, 10th grade. My dd was full time at the cc in 11th grade, age 16 yo. It was a good choice for them. It is important that your child wants to do it.

 

But I don't think the age is as important as the individual student's maturity level, in more than just academic areas.

 

For my dc, it was a good choice. It allowed them to earn college and high school credit at the same time, maximized their time by completing a high school credit in only one semester, and allowed them to have different teaching styles. They were able to take courses that I couldn't teach them as well at home and courses in their interest areas as well as academic areas. They liked that they could complete college and high school courses in one class instead of taking a high school course, then take the same content again in college, especially if it was a class they did not like. They just wanted to get it done. They were able to move forward with their goals, and they liked the schedule of class twice per week.

 

Some things to consider:

 

Skill level: is your dc academically ready for the level of the content and the pace of the courses?

 

Study Skills: Is your dc prepared to work individually and according to the syllabus of the course? Assignments may be given and not discussed again until they are turned in. Does your dc have good time management skills? Have good study skills? Take usable, thorough notes?

 

Independence: (I couldn't figure out what to call this). Is your dc willing and able to speak up if necessary? Is your dc willing and able to go to a teacher and point out a grading error and ask for it to be fixed? Is your dc comfortable asking a teacher for clarification or help? Is your dc able to read and follow instructions before asking for help? Is your child able to recognize he/she needs help or tutoring and willing to get it if needed? Does your dc work independently and meet deadlines? What if your dc needs to be at the cc at night? Is your dd comfortable asking for an escort to her car if it is dark?

 

Maturity: While a student may be prepared academically, there is a lot more involved in taking cc courses than academics. Your dc may be exposed to different language, or different lifestyle choices and opinions than previously encountered. Is your dc ready for that? Some instructors teach their personal views (social, political, economical, etc.) as much as they teach course content. Is your dc prepared to handle that, especially if the view discussed during class is different from his/her own? Does your dc know when to enter a conversation/ debate and when it is best not to comment or take the bait? Content in the courses is different than that in high school textbooks. My sons took Spanish at the cc. The first chapter in the Spanish textbook was about going to bars and how to order different kinds of alcoholic beverages. My sons thought it was funny since most the cc students were 19 or 20 and not able to drink alcohol legally yet, either. Another high school student they knew was offended by some of the content in his courses.

 

Social: Most students will be several years older than your dc. How will your dc handle this? Do you have any family rules on this? Do you allow your dc to go for coffee or lunch with other students between cc classes?

 

How will your dc handle group projects? Will you allow your dc to meet at night in the other student's home for group projects, or only in the school library? What about meeting other students at Starbucks, to work on projects, or to study? You may want to discuss some guidelines before the situation arises. My 15 yo ds had several group projects to work on in one class, one of which required them to go into the city an hour away for a day to do the preparation - he and several students much older than him. We had not thought about this possibility. It all worked out fine, but we were caught off guard at the time it happened because we had not thought about it. Our dd handled it by having her groups meet at the library to work on projects.

 

How will your 15 yo dd handle being asked out by a 19 or 20 yo young man? It could happen. There is an assumption that students in the cc are at least 18 yo and high school grads. Is she ready to handle this? What are your family values on this possibility? Will your dc join any cc clubs? Go to dances? What about cc activities? Sporting events? Because of the big age difference, it may be something to consider.

 

These are not necessarily negative things, but are situations that you may want to consider. You may want to work through some scenarios and decide in advance what you allow and won't allow, or guidelines for your dc to follow (e.g. let's meet in the school library to work together, not in another student's home). We had not considered the group projects that were involved in some courses, so we needed to make decisions on those as we went along. It all worked out well, but when my dd started taking classes, we already had some strategies worked out.

 

Anyway, if the student is ready and wants to do it, I think taking cc courses while in high school is an excellent option.

[Ellie]

Both of my dds began taking c.c. when they were 14. They did not attend full time, though.

 

I heard a workshop presenter in 1983 who said it didn't make sense for children to take four years of Enlgish, three years of social sciences, two or three years each of science and math, and so on, then have to take them again in college. His POV was that they should just take those classes once, in community college, and be done with it.

 

Of course, this was California, where it's much easier to do community college (less expensive than other states, no requirements for ACT/SATs or high school diploma, most classes transfer to the California State and University systems). I have come to understand that it isn't as easy in other states. :)

 

But heck yeah, if your dc can take some classes at the c.c., I say go for it. That doesn't mean that you're pushing your dd, and frankly, I'm not sure what people mean when they say that children should "enjoy high school," but it will be a good experience, she'll earn college credit, and you won't have to teach those classes. :D

[Sunshine State Sue]

Here, hs'ers are allowed to take CC classes in 10th-12th grade for free provided they can pass the college placement test. We are encouraged to start with something called The College Experience and/or something the student is strong in. Ds has had no problems so far (other than his own disorganization). This is his 2nd semester. He started when he was 15.

 

That said, I do not consider CC completely college level. I treat it more like a good high school education.

[Amy in TX]

Study Skills: Is your dc prepared to work individually and according to the syllabus of the course? Assignments may be given and not discussed again until they are turned in. Does your dc have good time management skills? Have good study skills? Take usable, thorough notes?

 

This turned out to be a big stumbling block for my dd. In 10th grade, she took one Spanish course at cc while doing everything else at home, and did fine. We thought she would have no further problems, and signed her up for four courses the following fall.

 

Well, she was overwhelmed by the pace of the math class, and by the (insanely complicated) interface(s) of the online Spanish II class. She did not have good time management skills, did not take the initiative re: looking ahead in the syllabus for what was coming and allocating time for completing it, etc. She dropped Spanish and math, but finished Chemistry and English and did well.

 

This semester she is taking three classes and doing well so far. It's been a real learning experience for her and for me, and it's changed the way I am approaching high school for the other dc.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't assume that if your dc is very bright, they will have no problem. Maturity and study skills are crucial.

[SS in MD]

Our dd took her first cc course this year at the age of 15. She really wants to pursue biology/genetics major and was eager to take bio 101 & 102 at cc. She thrived with the challenge and gave her more confidence, but it also helped that another friend of hers took the class also. I would suggest ask you dc what she thinks of the idea and find a friend she could take her first class with. It helped my dd not be as nervous in class and gave her familiar face in the crowd.

 

Good luck on your decision!

[2cents]

My son started his college at 15 and my daughters are doing cleps at 13 and 14 and will be taking courses at the college next year. :)

[Amy in TX]

I typically start mine with one class a semester then 2 classes a semester the next year. If they can continue to handle the pace and wish to, then they take three and so on. Ramp up your expectations slowly.

 

Good advice.

[Teachin'Mine]

If you daughter wants to take a class or two, I highly recommend it. As others have said, start slowly, and if all goes well and she wants to take more, then increase the amount of work done at cc. If you're doing high school on your own, then you can just adjust your high school course load accordingly. All the courses my dd has taken have been excellent. She's been working hard and learning a lot. I think it's great for students to learn to navigate college, while having our guidance, before going to university.

[SkateLeft]

I think it's great for students to learn to navigate college' date=' while having our guidance, before going to university.[/quote']

 

:iagree:

 

Another thing to consider is whether your student can handle a professor who has vastly different political or religious beliefs than your own. That was a tremendous learning experience for my daughter during her first semester, and I'm glad that I've been able to help her navigate through it.