Number of Credits per Year

[OnceAgain]

My student will be a senior next year and is only 1 1/2 credits short of having enough to graduate.  I've been thinking about having him take 3-4 credits next year instead of the usual 7 credits, but have the courses he does take be AP or honors classes.  Has anyone done this before?  Will colleges have an issue with this?  I'd appreciate hearing any advice or experiences.

[Julie of KY]

Many schools will want to know his senior year schedule. The more selective schools are likely to have an issue with this as it does not show strength of schedule to back off during the senior year. It probably won't affect less selective school's admissions but might affect scholarship opportunities if they ask that information.

Edited March 1, 2017 by Julie of KY

[MerryAtHope]

I'd do at least 5, but let him turn some hobby interests into credits, or do more electives etc... with those AP credits. Doing 5 or even 6 credits instead of 7 will give that wiggle room for working on the harder AP classes and writing college scholarships etc..., without making it look like he went to school part-time the last year. 

[Lori D.]

You would have to have a very strong alternative that he would be doing instead of a full load. Dropping back to just 3-4 credits total for the year -- even if 2-3 of them are more rigorous AP credits -- will look like slacking in the senior year -- unless DS is suffering from a chronic illness or rehab-ing from an injury or has some other explainable major issue -- or unless DS is doing some major, really cool adult-type project that will be virtually full-time work for him for the year.

 

So, agreeing with MerryAtHope and Julie -- at least 5 credits total for the senior year. And yes, you can go with just 5 credits, especially if doing some AP courses, or dual enrollment, or CLEP tests, or, as MerryAtHope suggests, use this as your last little window of opportunity and turn personal interests into credits by exploring some interesting things as Electives. However, you will want some outside activities to show where that time is going -- DS is working a job, or volunteering, or doing sports or extracurriculars that show responsibility and leadership -- since he'll be dropping from 7 credits down to 5 credits. Colleges will ask "Why the drop in credit load?" and "What did you DO with that extra time?"

 

Other options:

 

- knock out that last 1.5 credits needed for graduation (plus another 2 credits of Electives) all in the fall semester, along with college applications -- and in the spring, do a 3-month overseas trip (volunteering, missions, "exchange" program, etc.) -- and then come home and graduate -- that will make for AWESOME experience on his college applications and job resume, plus give him some "life experience" to prepare for going away to college

 

- take dual enrollment classes at the local community college and knock out an AAS degree -- or a number of vocational-tech courses that will compliment what your student will be studying in college -- or a number of general educational credits that will transfer to the future college and knock off 1-2 semesters of college in advance...

Edited March 1, 2017 by Lori D.

[kiana]

I'm going to add in that this is going to be a great year to throw in a class that he's been interested in for a while and never fit. Physical geography? Sociobiology? Folklore and mythology? All of the odd and unusual stuff that gets shoved by the wayside when you're looking at knocking out requirements is fair game for electives. 

[Julie of KY]

What does he do with his time? Maybe turn that into an elective - digital technology, PE, Personal finance are all options that don't take too much time if you want.

[mschickie]

You could just have him take a couple of community college classes and graduate him in Dec.  I have several friends who have done that.  Usually their kids will get a job and start putting the money away for college.  None of them had an issue with the students transcripts.

[MinivanMom]

High school students in our state take 8 credits per year, but only need 26 credits to graduate, so it's very common for kids to take only 2-4 classes their senior year. Those are the kids who report getting rejections from colleges where their gpa & test scores should have made admission a sure thing (talking about state schools with straightforward admissions not elite universities). I think that's been the surprise locally - that senior year schedule matters to all colleges, even mediocre state colleges. Counselors have been trying to get everyone to take full course loads, but there are still a lot of students who think taking 2-4 AP classes (and being done with school by noon) is good enough. A lot of those rejections have come in over the last month. It's really painful to be rejected by a state college where your stats put you well above the average incoming Freshman.

 

I would be very wary of doing this. 

[OnceAgain]

Thanks everyone who replied to my question.  After hearing the experiences that Minivan Mom related, we will definitely go full time.

[Lilaclady]

 

hat did you DO with that extra time?"

 

Other options-- and in the spring, do a 3-month overseas trip (volunteering, missions, "exchange" program, etc.) -- and then come home and graduate -- that will make for AWESOME experience on his college applications and job resume, plus give him some "life experience" to prepare for going away to college

 

- tature college and knock off 1-2 semesters of college in advance...

Sorry for the thread hijack-

For those with current seniors what months will you advise that one does this? This is my plan for my DC but I am finding that lots of seniors have admit days, scholarship interview day etc in the winter and now I am not so sure .

[Lori D.]

...what months will you advise that one does this? This is my plan for my DC but I am finding that lots of seniors have admit days, scholarship interview day etc in the winter and now I am not so sure .

 

It definitely is going to depend on having decided on and accepted a university early in the fall of the senior year. Then you can work with the university about dates, explaining that the student will be gone from x-to-y weeks/months doing a special program.

 

You may have to work with the school on scholarship interview dates -- i.e., plan the senior project trip around that one inflexible date (probably scholarship interview day), and request they flex for you around the special admit date to fit around that.

 

My guess is that you will probably be able to work out a 3-month window, it just may be  different for each student, depending on the university's flexibility -- so, one may be able to go Jan-Feb-Mar, while another may need to go more like Apr-May-June. The student could always fill the rest of that time with a job, or volunteering, or several shorter trips to travel around the inflexible university dates.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Lori D.

[AimeeM]

I'm curious about those saying that it would negatively affect the way colleges view your student. When I was in high school (not so long ago -- I'm in my mid-thirties), it was pretty standard that, in this situation, the student would simply graduate early. Colleges certainly didn't seem to view that negatively. Is the negative only in going the full year, but taking less of a load, or have things changed so that it's no longer viewed as positive to graduate a semester (or so) early?

[MinivanMom]

I'm curious about those saying that it would negatively affect the way colleges view your student. When I was in high school (not so long ago -- I'm in my mid-thirties), it was pretty standard that, in this situation, the student would simply graduate early. Colleges certainly didn't seem to view that negatively. Is the negative only in going the full year, but taking less of a load, or have things changed so that it's no longer viewed as positive to graduate a semester (or so) early?

 

This is anecdotal, but I have not seen students facing repercussions for graduating early. I know 2 girls who were set to graduate the same year (from neighboring high schools) with their sights set on the same college (not an elite school). Both had gpa's & test scores above the incoming average (so they claimed). Both had taken about the same number of AP courses. The one who graduated a semester early was admitted for the winter term (rather than waiting to start in the fall). The one who took a slacker senior year (only 4 classes - no AP's) was not admitted. The weird twist was that the girl who wasn't admitted attended the slightly higher-ranked high school and was an URM. I know it's anecdotal, but I've seen the same scenario over and over.

 

So here at least, there seem to be huge repercussions for taking a slacker Senior year, while the kids graduating early are getting into their college of choice (still talking about state colleges or non-elite privates here). I'm not sure why this is, but my guess is that graduating early makes you look ambitious and hard-working while a part-time Senior year makes you look like a slacker or someone inclined to party or just coast. Many of the seniors here are taking only Honors Eng 12, Honors Govt, & an elective or two. That just looks bad after taking 8 classes junior year - generally including at least AP Eng Lang, APUSH, and AP Env Sci. You just look at the light course load and think, "Why? What were they doing all day if that's all they took?"  Which probably isn't fair, since the kid taking a light load could be working hard & saving money, but I understand why it might look that way.

[learners4life]

I'm curious about those saying that it would negatively affect the way colleges view your student. When I was in high school (not so long ago -- I'm in my mid-thirties), it was pretty standard that, in this situation, the student would simply graduate early. Colleges certainly didn't seem to view that negatively. Is the negative only in going the full year, but taking less of a load, or have things changed so that it's no longer viewed as positive to graduate a semester (or so) early?

 

I think you'd be surprised at how much things have changed.  For you, it's been almost 20 years.  I'd say the ante has been upped a lot, especially the last 5 - 10 years.

 

I, personally, wouldn't do either one unless the college of choice was not very competitive.

[Lori D.]

...When I was in high school (not so long ago -- I'm in my mid-thirties)...

...or have things changed...

 

Just wanted to add a quick explanation that, YES, things have changed a LOT with college admission -- as well as college costs, college financial aid, and even the college experience.

 

Everything about applying for and attending college (and so, as a result, trickle-down to high schools) has *radically* changed in the last 10 years, so even for very young moms of teens, such as yourself :), are finding that one's own experiences of high school and college are very different so that much no longer applies in the same way. sigh.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Lori D.

[Lilaclady]

It

 

My guess is that you will probably be able to work out a 3-month window, it just may be different for each student, depending on the university's flexibility -- so, one may be able to go Jan-Feb-Mar, while another may need to go more like Apr-May-June. The student could always fill the rest of that time with a job, or volunteering, or several shorter trips to travel around the inflexible university dates.

Thank you LoriD