Help me think this through -- gradual start to college

[Daria]

I am trying to figure out what the transition to college might look like for my son, a sweet bright kid with significant issues with anxiety, depression, attention, working memory, and processing speed.  

 

DS is currently a junior, enrolled in our local high school which is a "pressure cooker" type environment.  Most of his peers  He has huge anxiety about school, and has had huge problems with attendance and work completion, which have impacted his grades.  He currently takes some of his classes at school, and some through the district's home instruction program.  

 

His goal is to earn a B.F.A. in technical theater, specializing in something like scenic technology, or lighting design/tech. His long term goal would be to work in theater as a technician or technical director.  That would mean going away to college, as there's not a local option that would work.  We've found a few programs that are a few hours away that seem like potential matches.

 

I hope that college will be easier for him than high school, in part because he'd be studying what he loves, but I still think we need to proceed carefully with the transition.  

 

If I could design my "dream" transition, I'd have him graduate high school with an acceptance to college in hand, and then defer for a year.  I'd then have him use that year to work in his chosen field, and attend a few courses at a local college, before enrolling in his chosen school in fall of 2018. He could then use those courses from the local college to reduce his course load for the first few semesters.  

 

However, I understand that there are issues with this plan.  I don't believe that a student can actually defer from one school and attend another.  I also don't know that he'd be able to enter "as a freshman" if he's transferring credits taken after graduation, which impacts aid and the kinds of support available.  I also worry that it might take some time for him to get his feet under him in college level classes, which could result in poor grades, making it harder to transfer out.  

 

So, I'm wondering what other options are out there.  Does anyone have any creative ideas?

[Daria]

He definitely won't be able to take a few classes during a deferment. He will lose his freshman status. 

 

What about going a 5th year of high school and taking those classes as a super senior? That might be a problem as he'll have been identified as a freshman when he was a freshman because of being enrolled in ps. 

 

What about doing a CC for two years, getting his AA and then doing the last two years as a transfer? Check to make sure the program he is interested in will take transfers. 

 

Another possibility--start at his preferred school, but just take 12 credits a semester. Plan on an extra semester or two to graduate. My middle dd is doing this from only taking 1 class last semester due to surgery. 

 

Or, online classes that you know will transfer, thus lightening the load of Gen Ed stuff. 

 

I've thought about trying to delay his graduation, so he could do more dual enrollment classes at the local CC, but I think it's a bad idea.  He's really struggled, and I think the environment is pretty toxic to him.  I also worry that if his mental illness increases, delaying graduation might increase the likelihood that he doesn't graduate at all.  

 

The B.F.A. programs generally expect kids to spend 4 years on campus.  So, even if he came in with a AA, he'd still need to stay for 4 years.  I think he'll be OK for 4+ 1, but 4+ 2 might be a hard pill to swallow.

 

Do you have any suggestions for online programs that are widely accepted for transfer?

[katilac]

Can he dual enroll as a home schooler in his senior year? That would remove one source of stress, and wouldn't give any problems with being an incoming freshman.

 

It would probably be my choice, particularly if DE is available at the local university. I know many areas have good community colleges, but they tend to have lots of DE students and thus wouldn't totally solve the issue of getting away from the negative high school atmosphere. Another advantage of straight homeschooling/DE is that he could juggle his home assignments around when the DE work heavy or stressful.  

 

Ideally, he would do that for 2 years, so he could ramp up slowly and be under less pressure. It would also enable him to take only 12 hours for most or possibly all of his semesters at college, which isn't really possible to do and graduate in four years unless you have some incoming credit. 

[Daria]

We homeschooled online for his sophomore year, for a variety of reasons, both of us have hesitation about going back to homeschool.

 

For me, the biggest concern is that he's a kid with significant mental illness.  I worry that the illness will prevent him from completing college, and that if that happens, having a high school diploma that is verified by the public school district (or another "authority") will be helpful.  However, once he accepts that diploma, he can no longer be considered DE.  

 

For my son, the concerns are mostly athletic.  He's very involved in sports at our local HS, and doesn't want to give that up.  

 

There is DE at our local CC, but they don't allow the credits to count for core requirements.  So, he'd still need to take English and math (the last 2 core credits he needs) at either PS, or in some form that our PS would accept.  

[hillfarm]

What makes you say that BFA programs generally expect kids to spend 4 years on campus? One of the colleges at the university dd plans to attend has the slogan "Out in 4, if not before!"

 

Since she did a lot of PSEO classes, she will be entering with about 60 credit hours of general requirements already completed. This will take care of all but 2 of her gen reqs, one junior level composition class and one calculus class. So she will be able to complete a single major in about 4 to 5 semesters, however, if possible, she would like to stay for 4 and pursue a double major.

 

Can your ds register as a freshman with the preferred 4 year college and then take 12 hours of required classes online from your home, while working or volunteering in theater and stage venues there? That would give him a chance to ease into college level work and professional level socialization within his desired field while you are still able to monitor, advise and guide him.

Edited February 27, 2016 by hillfarm

[Daria]

What makes you say that BFA programs generally expect kids to spend 4 years on campus? One of the colleges at the university dd plans to attend has the slogan "Out if 4, if not before!"

 

Since she did a lot of PSEO classes, she will be entering with about 60 credit hours of general requirements already completed. This will take care of all but 2 of her gen reqs, one junior level composition class and one calculus class. So she will be able to complete a single major in about 4 to 5 semesters, however, if possible, she would like to stay for 4 and pursue a double major.

 

Can your ds register as a freshman with the preferred 4 year college and then take 12 hours of required classes online from your home, while working or volunteering in theater and stage venues there? That would give him a chance to ease into college level work and professional level socialization within his desired field while you are still able to monitor, advise and guide him.

 

Does the college offer a BFA in tech theater?  If so, I'd love to learn more about that school, as we have't found many BFA programs that are transfer friendly.  The ones we look at all require very specific sequences of specialized courses, that build on classes taken freshman year.  I should have said "the BFA's in tech theater that we've looked at . . . " is it possible you're looking at a different artistic discipline?

[AngieW in Texas]

I have two kids who struggle with anxiety and depression, and you are absolutely right that delaying his graduation from high school increases the risk that he won't graduate at all.

 

You want him graduated and out of the high school environment as soon as possible.

 

Is it possible for you to pull him out for his senior year and do just dual credit?

 

Community college is not at all like high school. There is no pressure cooker aspect at all. 

 

I am a public school teacher now and the environment at most large public high schools is horrible for the kids with depression and anxiety no matter how supportive the teachers are because the other kids are often the major problem.

 

He will not be able to take any classes while deferred and any classes taken after high school will make him lose freshman status.

 

Would an online option work for him? 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2016 by AngieW in Texas

[Daria]

I have two kids who struggle with anxiety and depression, and you are absolutely right that delaying his graduation from high school increases the risk that he won't graduate at all.

 

You want him graduated and out of the high school environment as soon as possible.

 

Is it possible for you to pull him out for his senior year and do just dual credit?

 

Community college is not at all like high school. There is no pressure cooker aspect at all. 

 

I am a public school teacher now and the environment at most large public high schools is horrible for the kids with depression and anxiety no matter how supportive the teachers are because the other kids are often the major problem.

 

He will not be able to take any classes while deferred and any classes taken after high school will make him lose freshman status.

 

Would an online option work for him? 

 

Our district won't allow dual credit classes to count for graduation requirements.  Since he still needs an English and at least 1 math (I am not entirely sure he's going to pass math this year), he can't go fully dual credit and get a diploma.  

 

We did mostly online classes the last time I pulled him out, and he did fine with the classes but felt really lonely and isolated.  He's adamant that he wants to stay at school, even though he only makes it to school about 50% of the time.  

 

I think, though, that whatever he does senior year, he's probably going to need another year before leaving for college, since there are no commuter options for what he wants.  What I can't figure out is what he loses by not being a "freshman" if he uses that year to attend a local college, either CC, or a local 4 year LAC that I think would be a good fit for him academically but doesn't offer the degree he wants.  I know he'd likely still need 4 years after transfer, but I feel as though having his Gen Eds taken care of, and some more time to learn how to study in a college environment would be good for him, and would make his transition easier.  

[Daria]

You guys are making me think more about the DE option, probably at our local CC.  I'd love for him to just go there full time, but I also want him to have a diploma.    I had thought about looking into a way to get a regionally accredited diploma online.  I saw the American school option, which is on my list of possibilities, but it requires students to take a full year of classes.  If our goal is to do DE, that probably won't work.  

 

Are there other options he could look into, that would give a HS diploma for a combination of online classes (taken through FL virtual, which won't award a diploma to a non-Florida resident) CC classes, and PS classes?

[Melissa B]

You could transfer to a university with an AA. I looked into our state unis and one offers a BFA in Lighting Design and accepts AA students. It would probably take three years to finish a BFA, but they would be all theater classes.  Another state uni offers a BA in theater and will take AA students. A Bachelor of Arts would allow the transfer of many more classes than a BFA.

 

Either way, you'll want to be building up a theater resume. My daughter is also going the theater route. She is a lighting tech and backstage tech at the local community theaters while in high school. The colleges will expect a good deal of experience, especially if the AA isn't in theater.

[J-rap]

My kids all did a gap year, but it was a year where they did something they loved in a safe environment.  (Well, mostly safe!)  For one of them in particular, I think that year was a crucial year for her to gain confidence in moving forward in life independently.

 

If you're thinking at all about the gap year idea, one thing he could look into is children's summer camps.  If your son has some experience in tech already, he could get a job as their teach/media person.  At some camps, they even keep them on all year as part of a core staff for winter retreats, etc.

 

Are you in Florida?  I know you mentioned Florida somewhere...  A good friend of my dd's attended a great little tech college in Florida for just what your son wants to do.  It was for an AA degree or certificate, and was very thorough.  I think it went for 18 months, including the summer.  He was able to get a great job immediately after graduation.  I think the school was in the Orlando area.  Also, this friend had a home school degree and was never part of an umbrella organization.  (I can try and track down the name of the college, if you're interested.)

[Daria]

My kids all did a gap year, but it was a year where they did something they loved in a safe environment. (Well, mostly safe!) For one of them in particular, I think that year was a crucial year for her to gain confidence in moving forward in life independently.

 

If you're thinking at all about the gap year idea, one thing he could look into is children's summer camps. If your son has some experience in tech already, he could get a job as their teach/media person. At some camps, they even keep them on all year as part of a core staff for winter retreats, etc.

 

Are you in Florida? I know you mentioned Florida somewhere... A good friend of my dd's attended a great little tech college in Florida for just what your son wants to do. It was for an AA degree or certificate, and was very thorough. I think it went for 18 months, including the summer. He was able to get a great job immediately after graduation. I think the school was in the Orlando area. Also, this friend had a home school degree and was never part of an umbrella organization. (I can try and track down the name of the college, if you're interested.)

We're in MD, but I'd still be interested in schools in FL. Who knows where he'll end up.

 

For the past 3 summers he's interned at a summer theater institute, hanging lights, setting up mics building sets, etc . . . He's also done some shows in the school year, so he's got some experience.