Graduating HS early?

[BlsdMama]

Is there anything that needs to be on my radar to consider when weighing this option?

 

DS is a sophomore. He will be attending community college next year full time as a dual enrolled student. We've decided to do this, not because there is a lot of benefit, but as insurance to make sure we're right about his ability to juggle classes / workload and be sure where he is mathematically. (Tests score him higher than I feel he is ready for.)

 

He will be attending our state u, in their Cibil Engineering program, the year after next, which would have been his senior year.

 

Is there anything we need to take into account or is it business as usual?

[Lawyer&Mom]

I started a year early. At that age a single year still matters. A 17 year old is different from an 18 year old or a 19 year old. I don't regret doing it, but I think it's important to keep in mind that DS will be younger than his peers, and that can make an impact socially. Just something to keep in the back of your mind, not something to worry about.

[Jenny in Florida]

My son graduated from our homeschool two years early, compared to age peers, and started his freshman year at the university while he was still 16. He's had no issues to speak of, socially. (There is one young woman in his program who likes to find every opportunity to mention how much younger he is, but the irony is that most of his friend group acknowledges she's rather immature.) There is occasional affectionate teasing about his age ("What do you know, you're like 12, right?"), but mostly it's not an issue. Most folks who don't know him well seem unaware of the age difference.

 

Funny story: My husband and I went to see the most recent performance of the musical theatre ensemble of which our son is a member. We were sitting in the lobby waiting for the theatre doors to open and overheard a conversation among three young women we assumed were students. Two of the women were talking about one of the guys in the group. The third asked if he was a senior, and one of the original two laughed and said, no, he's a freshman and he's only, like, 16. (Not quite accurate, because my son actually turned 17 in March.) The other two expressed surprise, and then the conversation went back to how talented he is.

 

Academically, it's been a bit more of an adjustment for him. He had a year of nearly full-time dual enrollment at the local community college before he headed off to the university. His grades there were fine, not great. He held a solid B average with very little effort. His first semester at the university, he was surprised by how not good his grades were. He went back for the second semester determined to do significantly better and bring up his GPA enough to hang onto his scholarships, since we've been very, painfully clear that we cannot make up the difference if he should lose any of that money. He's been much more focused this semester and feels he has done better, although now that the last week of class is here there is a certain amount of tension in his voice.

 

Interestingly, he received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from the head of his department inviting him to some kind of awards ceremony and indicating that he is being recognized for something. He didn't get any more details than that, but the event is tomorrow, meaning we should know what it's all about at that point.

 

Given this kid's personality and his life-long attitude about anything academic, I'm pretty convinced he would have faced the same challenges and adjustments whether he started college at 16, 17, 18 or 19. Actually, given his personality, I'm pretty convinced he wouldn't have bothered with college at all if we'd made him wait until 18 or 19 to enroll. So, thus far I have no regrets about going along with his decision to graduate and head to college early. I'm not sure how it will all work out from here, but I absolutely feel sure it was the right choice for him.

[FaithManor]

I started my music major at 16 and graduated with my BA at twenty and hav no regrets. But, I was pretty much a loner because living on campus so long as a minor was very different. The other students did not know what to make of me, and were not inclined to be inclusive.

[regentrude]

DD graduated a year early.

One issue is for students wishing to attend a highly competetive university to keep in mind that there are no bonus points for being younger, but that their performance will be measured against the applicants of regular age. This does not seem to be a factor in your son's planned course.

 

We did not encounter any issues. DD has been taking classes at a 4 year university since she was 14 (some funny social things happened at 15 or so). Attending away college full time at age 17 did not create any problems; age is not even on the radar.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I guess I should clarify. The other students never made my age an issue, and I wasn't excluded socially. I just had less life experience than students who were one or two years older. This didn't matter much in the dorms, but we had a lot of independence when I was studying abroad, and a little more life experience wouldn't have been a bad thing.

[katilac]

Is there anything that needs to be on my radar to consider when weighing this option?

 

DS is a sophomore. He will be attending community college next year full time as a dual enrolled student.  

 

I've never heard of being both full time and dual enrolled; that would be the one thing I would double- and triple-check. 

[katilac]

Is he taking any DE now? If not, does he have to dive right into full-time? 

 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

I guess I should clarify. The other students never made my age an issue, and I wasn't excluded socially. I just had less life experience than students who were one or two years older. This didn't matter much in the dorms, but we had a lot of independence when I was studying abroad, and a little more life experience wouldn't have been a bad thing.

 

Not picking on you, I promise! I wonder, though, if that "life experience" is necessarily related to age or to actual experience?

 

For example, before he headed to campus, my son had done some travelling with his choir, including several domestic trips and a tour in England. On the international trip, he was one of two guys who were a bit older than the rest of the group and, consequently, had a fair amount of freedom. They shared a room on campus, rather than being in a larger group with an adult chaperone. They were sometimes put in charge of younger kids. We noticed a definite increase in maturity and confidence when he came home three weeks later. 

 

Studying abroad is part of his plan for his college years. In part because of the experiences he had before he went to school, I have little doubt he'll navigate that just fine.

[katilac]

Full time DE is quite common here for senior year.

 

I'm so glad we don't move a lot; I would never be able to keep track of everything! 

 

We can do 11 hours, but NOT 12. 

[Laura Corin]

Calvin went to university at 17.  Only two things were an issue:

 

- We had a stern letter from his college telling us that they were not in loco parentis, so if we wanted someone to be in that position, we needed to appoint them separately.  We didn't bother - he is about seven hours away from us but my brother lives about an hour from him and was prepared to turn up in emergency.

 

- The drinking age was 18 and there was a fair bit of pub/club life that he had to wait a few months to join in with.

 

L

[Lawyer&Mom]

Not picking on you, I promise! I wonder, though, if that "life experience" is necessarily related to age or to actual experience?

 

For example, before he headed to campus, my son had done some travelling with his choir, including several domestic trips and a tour in England. On the international trip, he was one of two guys who were a bit older than the rest of the group and, consequently, had a fair amount of freedom. They shared a room on campus, rather than being in a larger group with an adult chaperone. They were sometimes put in charge of younger kids. We noticed a definite increase in maturity and confidence when he came home three weeks later.

 

Studying abroad is part of his plan for his college years. In part because of the experiences he had before he went to school, I have little doubt he'll navigate that just fine.

It probably didn't help I was studying in Germany. Between 13th grade and the then mandatory military service German students start later. And then they live in student housing longer. I was 19 living in student housing with 23 and 24 year olds. I did just fine with the mechanics of study abroad. Turned in my papers in time, figured out train schedules. I just felt a little young at the parties. And when I was a few years older in grad school, attending similar parties, I realized just how young I had been.

 

Like I said, not something to worry about as much as something to keep in mind.

[SkateLeft]

My oldest graduated at 16 after spending two years dual enrolled full-time. It was absolutely the right decision for her.

 

She was ready emotionally, academically and socially, and we'd exhausted what we could provide for her at home. She had no trouble navigating her own healthcare or laundry or public transportation or shopping or any of the things that people had cautioned us about. She has always been motivated and self-disciplined.

 

There were only a few issues that came up. First, she couldn't sign her own housing contract. She applied for housing and had requested to live in the engineering community. We kept waiting and waiting to hear if she'd gotten in, and finally ended up calling residence services only to find out that they hadn't been able to process her housing application because they needed a signed contract from us. Fortunately, she was still able to get the housing placement she wanted despite the delay.

 

She couldn't rent textbooks. The bookstore required a student to be 18 in order to rent textbooks, either hardcopy or electronic. She had to buy them all.

 

She couldn't take the big freshman survey that gets administered to university freshman across the country. I forget what it was called.

 

People told us she'd have issues with healthcare. That was not a problem at all. She didn't need our permission to seek medical services at all, and we never had to sign for her. That was very important as she got mono at the end of her first year, and had no problem going to see the doctor. Student health accepted our insurance with her signature.

 

Even though she was under 18, she still had to sign FERPA releases for us to access records or talk to anyone at the university. We never had to, but it's important to know that university and health care privacy still extends to an underage student.

[SkateLeft]

I've never heard of being both full time and dual enrolled; that would be the one thing I would double- and triple-check. 

 

Both of my girls have done full-time dual enrollment. It's quite common here. My oldest was dual enrolled full-time during her junior and senior year. She graduated high school with 60 semester units of college coursework. My current 11th grader has been full-time this year and is currently enrolled in 16 units.

 

Our state dual enrollment program covers tuition and books for academically qualified 11th and 12th graders in public schools, private schools and homeschools. Dual enrolled students are treated like any other college student, and can take the same course loads, so it's very common for homeschooled students to dual enroll full-time.

[Jenny in Florida]

My 18 yr old ended up in a humanities class with war vets from inner city neighborhoods. Very graphic stories shared. Some of the sexual/abuse experiences related by single moms were a bit eye opening too. Choose classes wisely.

 

 

It probably didn't help I was studying in Germany. Between 13th grade and the then mandatory military service German students start later. And then they live in student housing longer. I was 19 living in student housing with 23 and 24 year olds. I did just fine with the mechanics of study abroad. Turned in my papers in time, figured out train schedules. I just felt a little young at the parties. And when I was a few years older in grad school, attending similar parties, I realized just how young I had been.

 

Like I said, not something to worry about as much as something to keep in mind.

 

Again, probably a product of the specifics of my son's experiences, but he's quite accustomed to spending time in groups made up of people of widely varied ages (and in which adults don't censor for the comfort of youngsters). Both of my kids grew up in theatre, which tends to be a pretty candid environment. Thus far, at his pricey and somewhat selective private university, my son hasn't run into anything he's found shocking.

 

He has opted out of the party scene, but that is a choice on his part. He could certainly get away with more involvement than he has any interest in pursuing. He has, instead, made friends with other students who aren't into it, either. Even though all of the others are of a traditional college age, they mostly spend their Friday and Saturday evenings gaming and practicing magic tricks and listening to music at the Irish pub while drinking Diet Coke. (Not true across the board. And I have had some heart-to-heart talks with my son about how he can or should respond to some of the choices he sees his friends making, but, again, they are the same conversations I would expect to have with him even if he were a couple of years older. For the most part, he's simply concerned when he sees friends putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations.)

[J-rap]

My daughter skipped a grade in high school and graduated a year early.  It was a great choice for her.  She was very mature for her age, and really ready to move on.

 

Because she graduated a year early, she took a type of gap year, but it was actually a year of schooling in France to study French.  So, she ended up started college in the U.S. as a freshman the same year that she would have if she hadn't graduated early, but the gap year experience was every bit worth it, an amazing opportunity.

 

Even if she had started college immediately after high school, it would have been worth it for her.  She would have fit in easily.  I will say that because she did high school in three years instead of four, her list of classes and extra curricular activities wasn't quite as lengthy as my other kids.  But, her grades were good and she had no problem getting into the college that she picked.

[Teachin'Mine]

Nothing wrong with students going to college early if it's their best option.  I know that many students, of any age, go to college full-time directly from high school without having taken any college courses, but I wouldn't recommend it for dual enrollment if a student has other options.  Your son is a sophomore and not yet taking college courses - is this correct?  I would personally use next year as a time to introduce college courses to bring him up to full time by the second semester, if he's ready, or the following fall.  I would take full advantage of the community college through senior year which would allow him to take a variety of courses and would also give him time to get involved on campus, do research, etc..   Why does he want to go to university a year early?   Will he run out of math/physics/engineering courses?

[EKS]

I've never heard of being both full time and dual enrolled; that would be the one thing I would double- and triple-check. 

 

A full time dual enrolled student is a student who takes a full load at the CC while still being enrolled in high school.

[Ellie]

Is there anything that needs to be on my radar to consider when weighing this option?

 

DS is a sophomore. He will be attending community college next year full time as a dual enrolled student. We've decided to do this, not because there is a lot of benefit, but as insurance to make sure we're right about his ability to juggle classes / workload and be sure where he is mathematically. (Tests score him higher than I feel he is ready for.)

 

He will be attending our state u, in their Cibil Engineering program, the year after next, which would have been his senior year.

 

Is there anything we need to take into account or is it business as usual?

 

If he can do it, then he should. :thumbup:

[Mom22ns]

I'm just following along because we are considering doing the same thing with dd. She wants to graduate a year early. She is taking a first CC class now (sophomore year), 2 more in summer school, 2 or 3 in fall semester and probably 2 more in the spring. Her best friend for the last 10 years is a year older than her and by maturity, people constantly guess that she is the older of the two. I think she was born an adult. We could come up with another year of more advanced course work, but I really haven't been able to think of a reason not to let her go.

 

 

[FindingMyWay]

Is there anything that needs to be on my radar to consider when weighing this option?

 

DS is a sophomore. He will be attending community college next year full time as a dual enrolled student. We've decided to do this, not because there is a lot of benefit, but as insurance to make sure we're right about his ability to juggle classes / workload and be sure where he is mathematically. (Tests score him higher than I feel he is ready for.)

 

He will be attending our state u, in their Cibil Engineering program, the year after next, which would have been his senior year.

 

Is there anything we need to take into account or is it business as usual?

 

I have nothing at all to add to this. :) Sorry about that. I'm just trying to contact you regarding the algebra book you're selling, and I don't think my pms are getting through. I started a thread with your name on it on the chat board, but sheesh, that place moves quickly! Anyway, if you can't see my pms can you please email me at lucas and anna @ gmail.com (spaces removed, of course). And I'm truly sorry if I'm being a pest! :)

[Guest]

I started a year early. At that age a single year still matters. A 17 year old is different from an 18 year old or a 19 year old. I don't regret doing it, but I think it's important to keep in mind that DS will be younger than his peers, and that can make an impact socially. Just something to keep in the back of your mind, not something to worry about.

Socially is the biggest thing, I'd say. I began going to college just after I turned sixteen. The academics were doable (actually pretty easy - I didn't even finish high school, just tested out). The peer stuff was overwhelmingly. Organizing my time, not skipping class or getting distracted by fun, having full control over my schedule... These things were overwhelming temptations to me. I needed a little more accountability than I got in keeping focused and on track. Also? The partying and dating issues were a bit much for me. It might be different for a male, but as a female who was young and looked older, I ended up in some very bad situations. And because I wanted to fit in with everyone, I wasn't as good at extricating myself as I should have been. Some of this was my own fsult and a kid with less family drama and emotional issues probably wouldn't fall victim to the same circumstances (I knew other kids who were dual enrolled in the same programs and seemed to get by just fine), but a student who has lower self esteem or is easily sidetracked will greatly benefit from close oversight for a those few additional years while they mature, emotionally, enough to manage themselves at a university.

[Guest]

I'm so glad we don't move a lot; I would never be able to keep track of everything!

 

We can do 11 hours, but NOT 12.

That was the other problem - I took 16 credits first semester, and 18 the next. Totally doable at that age, but I had to be on the ball and not missing classes or frittering away study time. My study habits weren't tight enough to manage it and once I got behind I gave up. A parent helping with a little time management and scheduling would have made a huge difference. Especially in STEM classes this can be tough, though probably worse for me as a public school kid than a homeschooler who has had time working on independent study habits for years.

[G5052]

Socially is the biggest thing, I'd say. I began going to college just after I turned sixteen. The academics were doable (actually pretty easy - I didn't even finish high school, just tested out). The peer stuff was overwhelmingly. Organizing my time, not skipping class or getting distracted by fun, having full control over my schedule... These things were overwhelming temptations to me. I needed a little more accountability than I got in keeping focused and on track. Also? The partying and dating issues were a bit much for me. It might be different for a male, but as a female who was young and looked older, I ended up in some very bad situations. And because I wanted to fit in with everyone, I wasn't as good at extricating myself as I should have been. Some of this was my own fsult and a kid with less family drama and emotional issues probably wouldn't fall victim to the same circumstances (I knew other kids who were dual enrolled in the same programs and seemed to get by just fine), but a student who has lower self esteem or is easily sidetracked will greatly benefit from close oversight for a those few additional years while they mature, emotionally, enough to manage themselves at a university.

 

As a professor, this is exactly what I've observed, even at a local community college where the parents are still involved at some level.  Not in every dual enrollment kid, but in enough 16 y.o.'s that I start with one with mine and build from there.  You wouldn't think that there is that much difference between 16, 17, and 18, but there is.  The 16 y.o.'s can get very distracted even if they are on campus only for a few classes.

 

Fully half of the dual enrollment kids I teach fail the class.  That's significantly more than the 18+ crowd.  

 

If I'm asked, I always tell the parents of dual enrollment kids to ask to see their grades online on an ongoing basis, not just ask how they're doing.  And be prepared to pull the plug.  When you apply to college you have to provide the transcripts from all colleges attended.  Better to show a "W" and explain that they got overwhelmed and learned from their mistake than to show poor grades.

[Lawyer&Mom]

As a professor, this is exactly what I've observed, even at a local community college where the parents are still involved at some level. Not in every dual enrollment kid, but in enough 16 y.o.'s that I start with one with mine and build from there. You wouldn't think that there is that much difference between 16, 17, and 18, but there is. The 16 y.o.'s can get very distracted even if they are on campus only for a few classes.

 

Fully half of the dual enrollment kids I teach fail the class. That's significantly more than the 18+ crowd.

 

If I'm asked, I always tell the parents of dual enrollment kids to ask to see their grades online on an ongoing basis, not just ask how they're doing. And be prepared to pull the plug. When you apply to college you have to provide the transcripts from all colleges attended. Better to show a "W" and explain that they got overwhelmed and learned from their mistake than to show poor grades.

Academically I was a better student dual enrolled in the CC at 14 than I was at university at 17. There were so many distractions! And not necessarily bad ones. Why study when you can talk to amazingly smart kids in the dining hall for hours at end?

 

I joke that as a gifted kid, undergrad was remedial high school, and grad school, which I started at the ripe old age of 21, was remedial college. I had some social issues to work through. And it wasn't a matter of being able to connect with older people. That was always easy. It's more that I hadn't been able to really connect with kids my own age all those years I had been in school. I had some catching up to do.

 

ArcticMama, I think we probably have a lot in common. I can definitely relate to your experience.

[Hoggirl]

Weighing in late on this. Sorry! I have been on vacation and away from the boards!

 

My ds has a summer birthday and skipped one grade. He has therefore been 17 his entire freshman year. He has always been fairly mature, and we have not had any issues for the most part. The exception was an emergency medical situation where he dislocated his kneecap and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. The hospital could not reach us (after midnight our time - there's a two-hour time difference between us and ds's school) as we had our ringers off - bad parents! Of course, they went ahead and treated him. They tried to reach us again before releasing him but gave up and let him go back to the dorm. And, actually, it was beneficial that he WAS a minor because I was able to speak with the follow-up care nurse in the ER the next day. That would not have happened if he were 18. She was able to give me a nice, succinct list of what ds needed to do. It was really the follow-up care/appointments that required some hoop-jumping. Nothing insurmountable, but paperwork, phone calls, setting up accounts, consent forms, dealing with insurance, and faxing were a new hobby for about a week.

 

A few other issues:

 

Zip cars (at least on ds's campus) cannot be rented until one is 18, so he has not been able to rent a car for any purpose. He rarely leaves campus, so it hasn't been too much of a problem. There are shuttles that run around town, but I don't know if he has ever used one. He has taken a few trips with local children who are able to use their parents' cars - freshmen are not allowed cars on campus anyway. He has used Uber a few times (also used this to get to his three follow-up medical appointments after his accident).

 

We had to deal with two "permissions slips" for two separate, off-campus, overnight trips. Basically liability waivers.

 

He will never be able to take the wine-tasting class offered at his university since he will be only 20 when he graduates. :)

 

Those are really the only practical situations we have encountered from our end. I really can't speak to the social situation. I imagine it would have been eye-opening for anyone coming from ds's school regardless of age. Pretty sheltered group. Even the "wild" kids in his small high school graduating class weren't very wild. One of my many mantras as he was growing up was, "You're never useless if you can serve as a bad example. Don't be the bad example." I strongly encouraged him to refrain from any alcohol, for at least the first few weeks and to observe those around him and ask himself, "Do I want to be THAT person?" I do believe there were plenty of bad examples to witness, especially in the beginning. He took this advice to heart, and I do believe it was effective.

 

ETA; Academics, time-management, etc. have not been an issue at all.