Already met graduation requirements...what now?

[chontaveal]

What are you doing with your 11th and 12th graders who have already meet high school graduation requirements?

[maize]

Have they met the course recommendations of any colleges they might want to apply to?

[GailV]

A couple of families I know in this situation with students who had ALSO met college entrance requirements simply said, "okay,you're finished with high school," and started college.

 

In our area it is sometimes worthwhile to continue to amass dual enrollment credits while being a high school student since dual enrollment credits cost less per credit than the exact same courses for college students (depending on scholarships).  It depends on what you're trying to accomplish after high school -- which colleges you're considering, what degree, what dual enrollment is available, what grades you're getting

[Muttichen]

We had all of our kids do an internship in 12th grade after they'd finished their high school requirements.

[CrunchyGirl]

Volunteer projects, internships, additional electives which might please the colleges they prefer?

[Gwen in VA]

My two younger kids were basically done with high school at the end of 11th grade. During senior year, they both took all college classes, some at the local 4-year and some at the CC. One started his own business and worked part-time at another career-related job; one practiced her instrument for hours each day and took advantage of every musical opportunity that came along.

 

For highly motivated kids, the opportunity to pursue interests without the pain of having to support themselves is a tremendous gift!

 

Both of them were accepted to programs that they most likely would NOT have been accepted to had they planned on graduating a year earlier -- the AP scores from junior year would not have been part of thei record, their college grades would not have been part of their record, and, most importantly, all of their junior year extra-curricular achievements would not have been part of their record.

[creekland]

We saw this coming in advance and slowed down some courses so my guys wouldn't have all their "needs" done to graduate early.  Since English is a 4 credit requirement, it was easy to do.

 

In the meantime, mine branched out and went deeper into subjects they enjoyed plus added a couple of community college classes for things we couldn't easily do at home (like Microbio and Public Speaking).

 

FWIW, it can be normal for many kids to be able to finish early, but even in ps, few actually do it.  Most use the time to broaden their education.  Many of us feel that starting (4 year) college at a fairly typical age is better than rushing it early even if they can academically do it quite easily.  Others differ in their thoughts, so that's another path you could consider.

 

Many (not all) colleges like to see MORE than the minimum credits for entering freshmen.

[regentrude]

Dual enrollment courses at the university plus courses at home, that are of progressively more challenging nature.

College want to see a progression, not a student who rests on her laurels.

 

Also, what graduation requirements are you talking about? The typical state's graduation requirements are far below the admissions requirements of selective universities. In my homeschool, graduation requirements equal the admission requirements of the most selective universities.

[SkateLeft]

My oldest daughter did full-time dual enrollment in 11th and 12th grade She still graduated at 16, but that was after a full four years of high school.

 

I agree that a lot depends on what you mean by "graduation requirements." My graduation requirements were significantly more involved than what my state or local public school requires.

[Mom22ns]

In my mind, high school graduation requirement are so very far from where I actually want my kids to be when they finish homeschooling. My rising senior has finished requirements, however, I wish I still had two more years to get in all the classes we'd love to do! There are college level courses, APs, dual enrollment, following interest, internships... really the options are endless. All of the options will help them be better prepared for college, scholarships, or real life, whatever comes next.

 

Of course, if you feel your child has accomplished all you have for them, you can also graduate them. That isn't a consideration here though.

[Ellie]

What are you doing with your 11th and 12th graders who have already meet high school graduation requirements?

 

If we had been keeping track of credits like that, I would have graduated my dc when they completed their requirements. To do otherwise is almost punishing them for a job well done.

 

Students don't count as "transfer students" and lose scholarship opportunities until they have completed a certain number of community college credits, not when they graduate from high school earlier than most.

[creekland]

If we had been keeping track of credits like that, I would have graduated my dc when they completed their requirements. To do otherwise is almost punishing them for a job well done.

 

In our ps there are many students who could graduate early - esp since we're on block scheduling and they can double up on credits.  Each year maybe 1 or 2 decide to do so (out of 300+ per academic year).  The rest do not see it as punishment of any sort.  They actually do want to graduate with their peers and start college (or trade school or whatever) with their peers.

 

My two oldest did not attend ps for high school, but they still wanted to be with their peers in their church clubs and for chess competitions and similar.  Either one could have graduated early if I had arranged things accordingly and middle son had offers to start college a year early (without a HS diploma) from a couple of colleges as his 10th grade scores beat the vast, vast majority of seniors.  We just opted not to take this route and both tell me (now in hindsight) that they are glad we did what we did.  There were plenty of classes they could continue to take/do to keep them interested at home while they enjoyed their time here.

 

It's all up to the individual.

 

[regentrude]

If we had been keeping track of credits like that, I would have graduated my dc when they completed their requirements. To do otherwise is almost punishing them for a job well done.

 

I am puzzled why it would be a punishment to be given the privilege to learn more in high school than the bare required minimum.

:confused1:

 

[Ellie]

I am puzzled why it would be a punishment to be given the privilege to learn more in high school than the bare required minimum.

:confused1:

 

 

I didn't say that the dc wouldn't learn more. I said they should be *graduated*. That they have been graduated does not mean they are finished learning. I graduated in 1969, but I am still learning.

 

[kiana]

There are many opportunities which are only available to high school students, and many opportunities which are only available to graduates. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, bearing in mind the individual goals of the student and how graduating or not graduating will help them reach those goals.

 

A student who has a goal of going to a highly ranked college, of using the free dual enrollment available in some areas to high school students to get a jump-start on college, or of playing high school sports, probably won't want to graduate as soon as they've met the minimum requirements.

 

On the other hand, a student who wants to enter a program only available to high school graduates, or who has no interest in academics and only wants to get a job/career training and start earning, might very well want to graduate early.

[Ellie]

Public school students are accumulating college credits routinely beginning in 10th grade. The nonwealthy, non title 1 school districts are in a budget crunch. Around here that means all nonrequired classes are only offered if they are ap or college, and paid for by the family.

 

What I am seeing locally are 16 year olds heading to state college for tech degrees, since the CC doesnt have the math they need. A fair percentage has a parent on disability, so they are graduating high school in 3, and putting their SS money towards college before they age out of that benefit.

 

This must vary from state to state.

[chontaveal]

Thank you so much for our replies......my wheels are spinning now.  My DS does not know what he would like to do.  He will finish all minimum college prep requirements this year (11th grade), with the exception of English and Math.  I am looking for some ideas.  The challenge is, he does not know what he wants to do, so I would like to incorporate some career exploration and more exposure beyond academics.  I do understand that we are behind in this area.  He is our first, we are still growing in parenting/teaching/guiding.  Thank you for taking the time to converse...You all have helped me tremendously.  I am definitely going to look into the things mentioned in the previous posts.  Let's keep the ideas rolling.

 

Thanks! again.

 

 

[8filltheheart]

If we had been keeping track of credits like that, I would have graduated my dc when they completed their requirements. To do otherwise is almost punishing them for a job well done.

 

Students don't count as "transfer students" and lose scholarship opportunities until they have completed a certain number of community college credits, not when they graduate from high school earlier than most.

Others have addressed the first paragraph, but the second paragraph is most definitely not true. There are many scholarships that are only available to incoming freshman with freshman being defined as no college coursework completed after high school graduation.

 

There are also many competitive scholarships and honors programs which are only awarded to top, advanced students. Graduating a student simply based on hours completed would completely knock them out of the running for those awards bc the kids applying and winning them are going to have high levels of advanced coursework.

 

Our ds will be attending college in the fall on complete scholarship. He currently has 5 four yr scholarships which will cover all his expenses. 3 of the 5 he won bc of his advanced level of academics. 2 are strictly stat based and if he could have scored that high at an earlier age, he still would have earned them. But his test scores weren't that high when he was younger, so we know he wouldn't have received them.

 

Early graduation here would definitely have come with a hefty price tag, 4yr of tuition, room, and board OR really what it would have translated to was a limited choice of attending the local university and living at home bc we can't afford the hefty price tag.

[Ellie]

Others have addressed the first paragraph, but the second paragraph is most definitely not true. There are many scholarships that are only available to incoming freshman with freshman being defined as no college coursework completed after high school graduation.

 

There are also many competitive scholarships and honors programs which are only awarded to top, advanced students. Graduating a student simply based on hours completed would completely knock them out of the running for those awards bc the kids applying and winning them are going to have high levels of advanced coursework.

 

Our ds will be attending college in the fall on complete scholarship. He currently has 5 four yr scholarships which will cover all his expenses. 3 of the 5 he won bc of his advanced level of academics. 2 are strictly stat based and if he could have scored that high at an earlier age, he still would have earned them. But his test scores weren't that high when he was younger, so we know he wouldn't have received them.

 

Early graduation here would definitely have come with a hefty price tag, 4yr of tuition, room, and board OR really what it would have translated to was a limited choice of attending the local university and living at home bc we can't afford the hefty price tag.

 

Huh. I have no idea how graduating early from high school  results in what  you just said, which is that if a young person had completed all of her high school credits she should be graduated. I must be very dense.

 

Whatever. :-)

[snowbeltmom]

Huh. I have no idea how graduating early from high school  results in what  you just said, which is that if a young person had completed all of her high school credits she should be graduated. I must be very dense.

 

Whatever. :-)

What many people are saying that it usually is not in a student's best interest to graduate from high school early just because he has enough credits to technically do so. 

 

Students who are advanced in their studies can dual enroll in college classes while still in high school.  This approach has many benefits:

 

1.  The student has a much better transcript when he is applying to college than he would have had had he graduated earlier.  This can translate into more scholarship offers.

 

2. The student is taking the SAT/ACT when he is the typical age, which usually results in higher test scores.  Higher test scores result in more scholarship offers.

 

3.  In many states, if a student is in high school, he can take college classes for free.  When he graduates from high school, many times these classes will transfer to his four-year school (especially if he attends a state school).

[Ellie]

What many people are saying that it usually is not in a student's best interest to graduate from high school early just because he has enough credits to technically do so. 

 

Students who are advanced in their studies can dual enroll in college classes while still in high school.  This approach has many benefits:

 

1.  The student has a much better transcript when he is applying to college than he would have had had he graduated earlier.  This can translate into more scholarship offers.

 

2. The student is taking the SAT/ACT when he is the typical age, which usually results in higher test scores.  Higher test scores result in more scholarship offers.

 

3.  In many states, if a student is in high school, he can take college classes for free.  When he graduates from high school, many times these classes will transfer to his four-year school (especially if he attends a state school).

 

I don't understand the distinction/correlation you're making between graduating early, and taking classes at the community college. o_0 

 

Perhaps it is different in different states.

 

Both of my dds began taking classes at the community college when they were 14. I graduated them when they were 16, because by then they were full-time students at the community college. All of the credits they earned were transferrable to the California State and University of California.  Neither had to take the SAT to transfer. This was the norm in my homeschooling community.

 

I would still graduate a young person who had worked hard enough to complete her high school requirements at whatever age that was. If 32 credits are required, what difference does it make oh a college application if the student earned those at 16 or at 18? She still earned them. 

 

[kiana]

What many people are saying that it usually is not in a student's best interest to graduate from high school early just because he has enough credits to technically do so. 

 

Students who are advanced in their studies can dual enroll in college classes while still in high school.  This approach has many benefits:

 

1.  The student has a much better transcript when he is applying to college than he would have had had he graduated earlier.  This can translate into more scholarship offers.

 

2. The student is taking the SAT/ACT when he is the typical age, which usually results in higher test scores.  Higher test scores result in more scholarship offers.

 

3.  In many states, if a student is in high school, he can take college classes for free.  When he graduates from high school, many times these classes will transfer to his four-year school (especially if he attends a state school).

 

+1 to everything.

 

Sure, if your goal is to go to a community college and then transfer to a local state school, while paying for it yourself, you might as well get started. If you're looking for merit aid or to apply to a competitive school, you're much better off waiting and taking advanced coursework.

[regentrude]

I would still graduate a young person who had worked hard enough to complete her high school requirements at whatever age that was. If 32 credits are required, what difference does it make oh a college application if the student earned those at 16 or at 18? She still earned them. 

 

The age does not matter, but for students aiming at selective schools or scholarships it does matter WHAT those credits are - it's mostly about quality, not quantity (ETA: Ok, in foreign languages, it's quantity as well.. four years instead of 2).  For example, the kid who graduates with algebra 2 as her highest math will be compared to applicants who took calculus or higher.

The high school graduation requirements are far below the acceptance requirements for selective schools. And for students interested in those schools, credit from other institutions - be it CC or state uni -  does not transfer.  But college courses taken while still a high schooler improve the transcript , which is vital in the competition for admission and merit aid.

 

Not every student wants to go the route you described, CC and then state school.

 

[snowbeltmom]

I don't understand the distinction/correlation you're making between graduating early, and taking classes at the community college. o_0 

 

Perhaps it is different in different states.

 

Both of my dds began taking classes at the community college when they were 14. I graduated them when they were 16, because by then they were full-time students at the community college. All of the credits they earned were transferrable to the California State and University of California.  Neither had to take the SAT to transfer. This was the norm in my homeschooling community.

 

I would still graduate a young person who had worked hard enough to complete her high school requirements at whatever age that was. If 32 credits are required, what difference does it make oh a college application if the student earned those at 16 or at 18? She still earned them. 

 

Suppose you have Student A who finished up all his high school requirements at age 14.  He had 4 years of lab science at the high school level, the required credits in math, etc.  Since he had worked hard enough to complete his high school requirements, he graduated from high school and applied to college.

 

Now suppose you had 14 year old Student B who had completed the exact same courses as Student A but decided to graduate with his age peers at age 18.  Because he had completed his high school level classes, he was able to take APs in all the sciences, study math topics beyond the AP Level, and conduct medical research resulting in his name on multiple publications.

 

Student A and Student B were applying to the same colleges in the same year.  Which student has the best chance for scholarship money and acceptances?

 

ETA: cross-post with Regentrude

 

[kiana]

Life goals make a huge difference as well.

 

If I had a 16 year old who had completed a moderate level of high school (for specific course examples, let's say they could have credits for alg 1 + 2 + geom, phys sci + bio + chem, etc.) and wanted to train as a chef or hairdresser, I would go ahead and graduate them so that they could enter their desired training program. This also applies if I had a 16 year old who emphatically did not want any more school, but wanted a job and to get on with life.

 

If I had a 16 year old who wanted to be a physician, I would be insane to graduate them with the same rather than having them do dual enrollment so that they could have a better university transcript. Admissions to medical school keep getting more and more competitive -- you cannot look at "but my friend got in 30 years ago and they only had ..."

[maize]

I don't understand the distinction/correlation you're making between graduating early, and taking classes at the community college. o_0

 

Perhaps it is different in different states.

 

Both of my dds began taking classes at the community college when they were 14. I graduated them when they were 16, because by then they were full-time students at the community college. All of the credits they earned were transferrable to the California State and University of California. Neither had to take the SAT to transfer. This was the norm in my homeschooling community.

 

I would still graduate a young person who had worked hard enough to complete her high school requirements at whatever age that was. If 32 credits are required, what difference does it make oh a college application if the student earned those at 16 or at 18? She still earned them.

 

People are saying that in many cases it is advantageous to the student to continue as high schoolers, improving their competitiveness for scholarships and elite college acceptance and taking advantage of opportunities available only to high schoolers. The determination ultimately has to be made on a case by case basis depending on the needs of the student.

 

As an example, in my state there are tuition waivers for CC and some state universities for high school student who meet GPA and ACT/SAT score requirements. These students can take college classes for free. In addition, there is a state scholarship fund available to students who complete an associates degree before high school graduation. A student who is graduated first and then gets their associates degree is not eligible for this scholarship (which then helps pay for the completion of a bachelor's degree).

 

Others have mentioned freshman scholarships that are available only to students who do not have post high school college credits, or with a strict limit to the number of post high school credits.

 

There's nothing wrong with graduating a student early and sending them off to college, people are just saying that it is not always best and that specific needs and opportunities should be taken into account. It is not a cut-and-dried "graduation requirements have been met so the student should graduate" decision.

[Haiku]

I don't understand the distinction/correlation you're making between graduating early, and taking classes at the community college. o_0 

 

Where I live, dual-credit classes do not accumulate in such a way that they disqualify you from being a college freshman. Therefore, even if you have racked up an impressive list of credits before you graduate high school, you still qualify for freshman admission, scholarships, programs, etc.

 

If you graduate first and then take community college classes, they all count toward whether you are considered a freshman, sophomore, etc., you are considered a transfer student when you want to go to a 4-year university, and you no longer qualify for entering freshman scholarships and other benefits.

 

My dd had to take dual-enrollment classes as part of her (public) high school program. They counted toward general electives when she went on to college, but she was still considered an entering freshman with no college experience. As such, she qualified for a huge (HUGE) scholarship that she would not have qualified for had she not been an entering freshman. She would not be able to attend the college she attends without that scholarship.

[Ellie]

There's nothing wrong with graduating a student early and sending them off to college, people are just saying that it is not always best and that specific needs and opportunities should be taken into account. It is not a cut-and-dried "graduation requirements have been met so the student should graduate" decision.

 

I don't think anyone, not even me, said it is always best to graduate early. :-)

 

Even I did not say that graduating early means a young person must go off to college.

 

But I remain firm in my conviction that if a young person works hard enough to fulfill high school graduation requirements, whether that was by earning dual-college credits or by completing them at her kitchen table, then she should be rewarded by being graduated regardless of her age.

 

Since I am not anyone's mother, y'all are free to do as you think best. I assume that everyone who reads my comments understands this, and so I don't feel the need to add this disclaimer every time I say something. :D

[regentrude]

But I remain firm in my conviction that if a young person works hard enough to fulfill high school graduation requirements, whether that was by earning dual-college credits or by completing them at her kitchen table, then she should be rewarded by being graduated regardless of her age.

 

I am still scratching my head why being graduated from high school is considered a reward when it can be clearly to the student's disadvantage.

We just have to agree to disagree on this.

[kiana]

But I remain firm in my conviction that if a young person works hard enough to fulfill high school graduation requirements, whether that was by earning dual-college credits or by completing them at her kitchen table, then she should be rewarded by being graduated regardless of her age.

 

But saying "should be" does sort of imply that it ought to happen.

 

If you said "should be given the option to graduate" I'd agree 100%.

[Ellie]

But saying "should be" does sort of imply that it ought to happen.

 

If you said "should be given the option to graduate" I'd agree 100%.

 

Yes, that's what I mean. I understand, of course, that just because I think it should happen does not mean that *you* think it should happen. You don't have to agree with me. :-)

 

We tell our children that there is a certain criteria to be graduated, often a specific number of credits. If someone earns those credits, and we don't graduate her, that just doesn't seem ethical to me. Parents will have different criteria, but if that criteria is based on credits earned, then graduation should happen when that criteria is met, regardless of the young person's age. 

[regentrude]

We tell our children that there is a certain criteria to be graduated, often a specific number of credits. If someone earns those credits, and we don't graduate her, that just doesn't seem ethical to me. Parents will have different criteria, but if that criteria is based on credits earned, then graduation should happen when that criteria is met, regardless of the young person's age. 

 

Sure.

But in some families, graduation requirements might be different from simply "earn x number of credits".

Their criterion might be "Student will graduate when he/she is prepared and mature enough to move to, and succeed at, away academic institution and will continue to advance his/her education as high schooler until such point in time"

 

ETA: My DD graduated one year early because she fulfilled these criteria: completed a high school course of  study that satisfied the admissions requirements of the most selective schools PLUS is mature enough to move away to university. My equally intelligent DS will not be graduating early, even though it would be easy for us to make sure he fulfills the graduation requirements; he is neither ambitious enough nor of highly advanced maturity to necessitate such a move. Academics are one part, but not the entire picture. I graduate my kids when they are ready for the next step in their educational plan. So, obviously, had they different educational goals, early graduation might have been appropriate.

[kiana]

You know, I wonder if we're all talking past each other here.

 

I think if the child has met the high school graduation requirements of the parents, they should be graduated. I just don't think they should (in most cases) be graduated when they meet the state requirements, which is, I think, what the OP was asking and what people are arguing against.

 

ETA: I would also consider it unethical to tell a kid who wants to graduate early "Ok, you can be done when you finish X, Y, and Z courses", have them hurry through because they want to finish, and then say "Oh, sorry, you're too young, you need to do A, B, and C as well".

[Grantmom]

Others have addressed the first paragraph, but the second paragraph is most definitely not true. There are many scholarships that are only available to incoming freshman with freshman being defined as no college coursework completed after high school graduation.

 

 

By "no college coursework", do you mean even dual enrollment?  If you take biology and chemistry at the CC and count it as your high school credits for biology and chemistry, does that also count in regards to what you are talking about here?

[kiana]

By "no college coursework", do you mean even dual enrollment?  If you take biology and chemistry at the CC and count it as your high school credits for biology and chemistry, does that also count in regards to what you are talking about here?

 

This varies depending on the school. Some (not that often) count everything towards transfer hours. Sometimes, though, you can decline to accept the credits and still come in as a freshman. I would not consider it worth skipping dual enrollment completely, but I wouldn't sign any paperwork indicating the student had graduated until and unless it was necessary.

[Haiku]

But I remain firm in my conviction that if a young person works hard enough to fulfill high school graduation requirements, whether that was by earning dual-college credits or by completing them at her kitchen table, then she should be rewarded by being graduated regardless of her age.

 

I guess I feel that if, in graduating your child early, you make it harder to get into or afford college, that's not much of a reward. I don't see my ds graduating early. I do see it as a possibility for my dd. IF she does graduate early, she will spend a gap year doing something interesting and non-college related so as not to jeopardize her freshman eligibility for college.

 

The alternative, of course, is to call your child graduated but still have any college work be dual-enrollment. Then it's just a matter of semantics.

 

I fully expect that my dd will have completed all the state requirements to graduate by the time she is a junior or sometime during that year. I'm not against graduating early. I did it. But the college situation is different now than it was 20-some years ago.

[Grantmom]

I do think this is such a case by case thing, and it is hard to know what the right thing to do is.  I used to be more of the mindset that it was better for most to go to college with your same age peers, but as time goes on, and as I get older, I sort of feel like I personally could have gone further if someone had helped me get an earlier start.

 

ETA: By that I mean that, at some point, some people will want to get on with their life, get married, have children, and I think there is something to be said for already having a certain amount of school behind you.  It gets harder once you are in that phase of wanting a family.  (I know not everyone wants that, I think I'm just more realistic than I was at 26.  Back then, I thought I could go back to school at any time, etc., but it's not as easy once you have other obligations.)  I guess I just want to do whatever is best for that particular child, but it is hard for them to know what they are going to want at 20, 30, 40, etc.

[Haiku]

Our state has made it very hard for kids who attend school to graduate early by requiring four units of math and language arts, and for kids who want to graduate with honors, you also have to have four units of social studies and four units of science. Given that many districts only offer summer school for credit recovery, schooled kids are stuck in a situation I didn't face. I was done by the end of my junior year, having racked up the suitable number of credits by taking summer school classes every year. There was no honors diploma; we had a few "advanced" classes but nothing like what is offered now, with AP and IB and all that jazz. I'm not really sure what compelling interest the state has in making sure kids attend high school for four full years.

[Grantmom]

Yes, definitely a lot has changed.  I think that is where some of my thoughts come from, just looking back to my own experience, I want to be very thoughtful about it and approach it differently with my own kids.  I transferred into a public school for high school, and things were so dismally behind, that I went as far as I could in many things, and then just had to fill up the rest of my day with study hall, student government (which was mostly a wasted hour), and being a library assistant.  They just didn't have any other classes that I could take and that fit in with my schedule around other advanced classes.   Because I had already taken many years of French, they put me in a senior French 3 class in 10th grade, and just had me do independent work, from which I had no gains whatsoever. I learned nothing.  I could have totally learned so much more about myself and what I wanted to do by having that time to explore things through internships, or take advanced classes at a college, etc.  But, all of that was almost 30 years ago, a different world.  I felt lost.

[Mom22ns]

By "no college coursework", do you mean even dual enrollment?  If you take biology and chemistry at the CC and count it as your high school credits for biology and chemistry, does that also count in regards to what you are talking about here?

 

The quote from 8 you were questioning specifically said "after graduation". That does not include dual enrollment. 

 

The admissions counselors at each college we have visited (just 3), have all specifically warned us, even one hour of credit taken after graduation makes a student a transfer student not a freshman. Feel free to take as many classes as you want while still in high school though. This conversation has come up because ds was already dual enrolled and they didn't want him to make the apparently somewhat common mistake of taking a class in the summer after graduating from high school, before starting college and losing all his academic scholarships.  :eek:

 

Some colleges will accept no transfer credits. Some will consider anyone with any credit a transfer. Some will take dual enrollment credit and still accept kids as freshmen. There is a lot of variety out there. It is important to talk to the colleges your student might attend before you make decisions on taking college classes while in high school and even more important before doing anything that would officially graduate your student. It can change things dramatically and not always for the better.

[8filltheheart]

By "no college coursework", do you mean even dual enrollment?  If you take biology and chemistry at the CC and count it as your high school credits for biology and chemistry, does that also count in regards to what you are talking about here?

 

As momto2Ns pointed out, I specifically stated after graduation. I have only ever heard of a couple of universities considering a student a transfer student due to DE credit.

 

I do think this is such a case by case thing, and it is hard to know what the right thing to do is.  I used to be more of the mindset that it was better for most to go to college with your same age peers, but as time goes on, and as I get older, I sort of feel like I personally could have gone further if someone had helped me get an earlier start.

 

ETA: By that I mean that, at some point, some people will want to get on with their life, get married, have children, and I think there is something to be said for already having a certain amount of school behind you.  It gets harder once you are in that phase of wanting a family.  (I know not everyone wants that, I think I'm just more realistic than I was at 26.  Back then, I thought I could go back to school at any time, etc., but it's not as easy once you have other obligations.)  I guess I just want to do whatever is best for that particular child, but it is hard for them to know what they are going to want at 20, 30, 40, etc.

With homeschooling and DE, there is no need for a student to be limited in what they want to study and accomplishments. My ds that just graduated from high school is just a few hrs shy of a college jr. He took 300 level math and science courses during high school. DE provides the opportunity for the best of both worlds if you live near enough to a university where your kids can DE. They can live at home and live the life of a typical teen while being academically challenged.

[Teachin'Mine]

Ellie I think the difference is California vs the rest of the country.  lol   There it's hard for high school dual enrolled students to get the classes they want because they have the lowest priority at registration.  Am I right?  So it would benefit the student to graduate them from high school and let them enroll as regular college students.  The tuition is also low enough in California to make this a good option as well.  And if they go on to transfer to a California state college or university, then their credits will transfer and the tuition is still reasonable enough.

 

Outside of the California state system, most colleges consider a student to be a transfer, and not having freshman status isn't eligible for scholarships and financial aid which specifies the student must be an entering freshman, if they take any college classes after having graduated high school.   So that is the reason that many don't graduate their student, to allow them to qualify for better aid at the colleges than if they were entering as transfer students.  Which credits transfer, if any, is dependent upon the college or university.   If the student wants to complete their bachelors in two years or so, and doesn't require freshman status for financial aid or scholarships, then they might prefer to enter as a transfer student and can do so if they meet the individual college's requirements for the number of credits, etc..

 

8Fill, we came across several colleges with rather low limits on the number of credits allowable to be an entering freshman; some were as low as 30 or so.  We quickly crossed these off the list.  However the highly selective schools generally allowed any amount of credits as long as they were earned prior to high school graduation. 

 

OP as a dual enrolled student attending college full time, dd's life was very different from the typical high school student's, but it was very much like a typical commuting college student's.   I highly recommend college courses for high school students. 

[8filltheheart]

OP as a dual enrolled student attending college full time, dd's life was very different from the typical high school student's, but it was very much like a typical commuting college student's. I highly recommend college courses for high school students.

My kids definitely do not have the life of a typical high school student no matter where they are educated, whether at home or DE. My kids do have the life of typical teens, though, bc their friends are all high school students and they do high school type socializing, not college level socializing. My kids don't normally hang out with kids from their college campuses when they are DE.

[regentrude]

My kids definitely do not have the life of a typical high school student no matter where they are educated, whether at home or DE. My kids do have the life of typical teens, though, bc their friends are all high school students and they do high school type socializing, not college level socializing. My kids don't normally hang out with kids from their college campuses when they are DE.

 

My DD's experience is completely different. She has no friends that are her age or in high school; all her friends are college students (upper years, Juniors+ seniors and grad students) she met while doing DE at the university. Her socializing is college socializing; she is doing meetings and movie nights with the students from the English honors society, attending events on campus,  hanging out and doing things with her college friends. A few weeks ago, she, a senior and a grad student went on a  weekend trip to a music festival.

 

[Jenny in Florida]

Early graduation here would definitely have come with a hefty price tag, 4yr of tuition, room, and board OR really what it would have translated to was a limited choice of attending the local university and living at home bc we can't afford the hefty price tag.

 

As with everything, this depends on the student. My son is graduating at 16 and has been accepted to the college and program of his choice with a very nice scholarship package that makes it affordable for him to go.

 

He does have a year of dual enrollment under his belt (completed for free at the local community college), which does count as "advanced" coursework as far as his college is concerned. But getting those credits didn't stop him from graduating early.

[Jenny in Florida]

I am puzzled why it would be a punishment to be given the privilege to learn more in high school than the bare required minimum.

:confused1:

 

 

For some kids, it definitely would be. My son considered the option of staying in high school after he had met the requirements we set out for him absolutely unacceptable. He also found his year of dual enrollment at the community college less than thrilling. As far as he's concerned, he's done with high school and it would be artificial and ridiculous to stick around longer. He's earned his diploma. 

 

For my daughter, the issue wasn't resistance to living at home or doing more high school, but the fact that we simply couldn't provide her what she needed, which was opportunities to interact with and learn from academic peers and instructors who could genuinely challenge her. She worked hard to meet the requirements we told her she needed to meet and felt she had earned her right to move on.

[mamakelly]

Where I live, dual-credit classes do not accumulate in such a way that they disqualify you from being a college freshman. Therefore, even if you have racked up an impressive list of credits before you graduate high school, you still qualify for freshman admission, scholarships, programs, etc.

 

If you graduate first and then take community college classes, they all count toward whether you are considered a freshman, sophomore, etc., you are considered a transfer student when you want to go to a 4-year university, and you no longer qualify for entering freshman scholarships and other benefits.

 

My dd had to take dual-enrollment classes as part of her (public) high school program. They counted toward general electives when she went on to college, but she was still considered an entering freshman with no college experience. As such, she qualified for a huge (HUGE) scholarship that she would not have qualified for had she not been an entering freshman. She would not be able to attend the college she attends without that scholarship.

 

Yes this has been our experience this year. My oldest graduated from public high school with 28 college units completed. He got into a very competitive pre-business major program without stellar SAT scores, but with stellar grades and 28 units of credits. I'm 100% sure those college classes helped him. He was able to apply for all freshman scholarships and programs, even with the 28 units.

[Jenny in Florida]

If I had a 16 year old who wanted to be a physician, I would be insane to graduate them with the same rather than having them do dual enrollment so that they could have a better university transcript. Admissions to medical school keep getting more and more competitive -- you cannot look at "but my friend got in 30 years ago and they only had ..."

 

One of my daughter's best friends is a young woman she met while enrolled in the early entrance college program. The friend's ultimate goal is to be a doctor. She hasn't yet decided whether she wants to be a pediatrician or do research.

 

In any case, she left high school early, enrolled in college at 14 and graduated at 18. She has taken a year off to work and is enrolling in an MBA program this fall. Once she's finished that, she plans to apply to med school. Early college has given her the chance to challenge herself academically while giving herself time to explore options and breathe.

 

For what it's worth, the early entrance program sends at least a couple of graduates (out of a number that hovers around 10 or 12 total per year) to med school every year.

[Jenny in Florida]

For those who are recommending keeping a kid who has met traditional graduation requirements in high school in name only so as to allow for free dual enrollment, here's the wrinkle that made that unworkable in my son's case:

 

My son is a dancer. The community college at which my son dual enrolled has a well thought of associates degree in dance. His first choice would have been to complete that associates before formally graduating from high school, which would have had him graduating at the same time as his schooled friends. It seemed like such a great plan.

 

However, it turned out that dual enrolled students are not allowed to take any classes at the community college that earn fewer than three credit hours. All of the dance classes required for the dance degree were one- or two-credit courses. 

 

I spoke to several people at the college about possible work-arounds. I offered to pay for the dance classes out of pocket (which would still have been a great deal for us, since the community college tuition is lower than pretty much any other option and he would have been living at home and taking all of his other classes for free). It turned out that was not allowed. 

 

Eventually, it became clear that his options were to:

 

1. complete two years at the community college. either earning credits for no particular reason or earning an associates that was not the degree he wanted.

2. formally graduate from high school and enroll at the community college to complete the dance associates, then transfer to a four-year program. A nice chunk of his tuition would still have been covered through the state scholarship program. 

3. graduate from high school for real, then go directly into the four-year program of his choice.

 

I spent a lot of hours extolling the virtues of option #2. However, when push came to shove, it became clear the advantages to that plan were almost entirely for the people who would be paying his bills, us. There were no particular perks for him to spending another year at home. And we read a number of reports of students who had trouble being accepted into four-year arts programs as transfer students. 

 

So, he chose option #3. He applied to 11 schools and was accepted to nine. Once the financial aid smoke cleared, he had his choice of three schools that all had attractive programs and offered him hefty academic and performance scholarship packages. (We make too much to qualify for any meaningful need-based awards.) He was very pleased with his options and was able to choose the one he likes best. We feel very confident that this will be a much better option for him that cooling his heels at home for another year.

[Jenny in Florida]

They can live at home and live the life of a typical teen while being academically challenged.

 

Which I'm sure works great for kids who are attached to being "typical teens." Neither of mine  has the least interest in that kind of life.