Help! If you have an AA degree earned in high school...

[blessedmom3]

What is the best choice for a senior who is finishing his AA before the end of high school.

1. Apply to MIT or Georgia Tech but his classes/credits likely won't be accepted. I think Georgia Tech might accept his English, Calculus and Physics, so 9 credits out of 60. 

2 . Apply to a state university, where ALL 60 credits are accepted and he can go straight to junior. So he will only have 2 years to complete a bachelor. 

He has almost perfect SAT,very high GPA and extra curr. He would have a good shot at his preferred university, but he does not like the idea to stay 2 extra years in school. He will apply to about 5, in state and out of state, but at this time we are not 100% sure what is the best decision in case he will be accepted to his preferred ones. Can anyone give us any insight/advice? 

[charlotteb]

If you want the credits to be accepted, I would say apply to a state university.  Unless he really has his heart set on MIT or GT? Maybe you could talk to those schools and see what would transfer before you apply.  

My daughter did community college in high school, but didn't fully earn her AA. She later found out that some of her classes still didn't transfer when she went to the State University.  Most did, thank God! But she was frustrated about the few that didn't. 

[Matryoshka]

Or, you could do a middle route at a university where some but not all the classes will be accepted.  At a place like MIT, they don't accept them because their intro courses are likely at a higher level than the CC and they're just not equivalent.  Entering junior classes at a place like that would likely be a bad idea even if they allowed it - which is a big reason, I think, that they don't.

State university will be less challenging, but if he's not an avid student, can be a good way to git 'er done and get on to the rest of life.

Really, it depends on what kind of kid he is, not so much on what his grades and test scores are.  Does he want/need a challenge to feel fulfilled and happy?  Does he like to have peers that also like challenge and to go deeper into things? Does he want time to explore intellectual interests? Then a more selective school with tougher classes, possibly interesting research and other opportunities to go deep would probably be a place he'd like better.

If he's a smart kid but likes getting the grades without putting in a lot of effort, isn't particularly interested in school/classes and just wants to get on with life, the state university or somewhere less rigorous will get it done.  My youngest is like this, so that's why we did the AA -> junior at State U route for her.  She's smart, but doesn't much like studying and is itching to be done with school and out into the real world.

Those are really two very different routes, and what would make one kind of kid happy would make another kind miserable.  You know better which kind of kid yours is.  gra

I have another kid who craved more intellectual engagement and challenge, who also went to the same State U, but entered as a freshman and used the CC classes to start taking higher level classes, was taking grad level classes by junior year, and graduated with two full bachelor's degrees.  Could have graduated in 3 years easy, but wanted to take more.  So there's that kind of option too.  A good State U can offer different kinds of opportunities for different kids - the important thing to know is what they offer that may or may not fit your kid. 

[regentrude]

It all depends on the student, the caliber of his college coursework, and your family's financial situation. There is no right or wrong answer.

What are his goals? What is he wanting to get out of college? Is he planning a career in academia?

If he loves academics, likes challenging coursework and would thrive in the company of academic peers and faculty mentors, I would shoot for a highly selective school and take the four years. (That is, of course, if your family can afford it or he gets generous financial aid.) The coursework he has done so far may be a good preparation, but he can learn more by retaking the course at a more challenging school, or be placed into a higher level class.

If he wants to get to a degree fast with as little additional effort as possible, or if your family's finances cannot absorb four years of college, pick a school that accepts all the transfer credits. Or anything in between.

FWIW, my DD finished high school with 32 credits from a four year university and then attended an extremely selective school. None of her credits transferred, but they were used for placement purposes. She greatly benefited from the level of class she got there, because she was finally challenged. It was exactly the environment she needed. But it may be completely different for your kid.

ETA: Spending more than two years will give your student more time to develop relationships with faculty mentors, be involved in undergraduate research or organizations - all off which not only provides a great experience, but is also valuable on the resume and grad school application. 

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by regentrude

[EKS]

If he wants to go to MIT or Georgia Tech (and it is financially feasible for him to go), I think he should apply.  There are more reasons to take CC classes in high school than simply to accumulate transfer credits, and he may find that he enjoys the challenge of a tippy top school enough to want to stay for four years.

Edited September 28, 2020 by EKS

[Lori D.]

I would also weigh the pros and cons of all the schools being applied to in several areas, in addition to the aspect of credit acceptance/transfer:

- money
What's the overall price for each of the different schools?
Do you need scholarships or financial aid?
If coming in as a junior would DS only be eligible for transfer scholarships, or would he still have eligibility for freshman scholarships?
What would the different schools offer in the way of $$ to your DS, and would that make one school fit the family budget better than the other schools?

- special programs/opportunities 
Does one school have a degree program that is closer to DS's desired future career than the other schools?
Would one school provide more opportunities for projects, research, internships, or special programs?
Would going 4 years vs. 2 years provide more opportunities for building connections and networking for possible future jobs?

- campus life & opportunities
Upon visiting and looking over accommodations, is one school clearly going to be a better fit than the others?
Does one school have opportunities on campus that would be of high interest to DS?
What about clubs -- does one school have more active clubs in DS's academic area that would provide more opportunities and networking?

- community opportunities
Is the school far from a city? Or in the midst of a big city? And how would DS feel about that?
Is the school in/near a city with added opportunities for internships or other networking with companies for future jobs, or for added experience?
Are there programs and facilities within the city where the school is located that would enhance his enjoyment and learning?

Edited September 28, 2020 by Lori D.

[8filltheheart]

On 9/26/2020 at 8:32 PM, blessedmom3 said:

What is the best choice for a senior who is finishing his AA before the end of high school.

1. Apply to MIT or Georgia Tech but his classes/credits likely won't be accepted. I think Georgia Tech might accept his English, Calculus and Physics, so 9 credits out of 60. 

2 . Apply to a state university, where ALL 60 credits are accepted and he can go straight to junior. So he will only have 2 years to complete a bachelor. 

He has almost perfect SAT,very high GPA and extra curr. He would have a good shot at his preferred university, but he does not like the idea to stay 2 extra years in school. He will apply to about 5, in state and out of state, but at this time we are not 100% sure what is the best decision in case he will be accepted to his preferred ones. Can anyone give us any insight/advice? 

You have a lot of different ideas floating around in your post.   How much do you understand about the application process?  Is this your oldest or have you been through the process before?  What is his intended major? (I'm assuming engineering/tech based on MIT/GT.)  Do you understand the financial aid process and have any cost limits?  

In terms of #1, MIT should be considered unlikely by every student who applies.  Perfect SAT scores, high GPAs, and most ECs do not give a student a good shot.  The "other factor" will weigh heavily in admissions.  MIT will meet need, so if you have financial need, that aspect might be a good fit.  GT, otoh, does not meet need, and unless you are GA residents, it will be OOS tuition.  

In terms of #2, does he understand that there is a difference between having completed credit hours and only requiring 2 yrs to graduate?  It will all depend on how those credit hrs fit into the 4 yr plan.  Many times hrs are simply stuck in the "elective" slot and don't actually meet any degree requirement.   They may meet the requirements, but most science/tech degrees do not have many gen ed requirements which an AA is going to have a lot of.  My guess is that some(perhaps even quite a few) of the hrs won't meet degree requirements regardless of where he opts to attend.

If the schools he is planning on applying to are peer schools with MIT and GT, then he needs to plan on applying to more than 5.  No top student should anticipate acceptance to any competitive school.  As long as he has Us he is willing to attend and can afford that are not competitive than 5 should be fine.  He also needs to start applying now if he wants to be eligible for scholarships at many schools.  GT's scholarship deadlines are Oct. 15 for in-state and Nov 2 for OOS.  Many U's have deadlines of mid-Nov for scholarships.

[chiguirre]

My dd is in a similar situation. She will earn her AA this spring and has an excellent SAT score as well. Originally, she planned to go to UT Austin and double major in a business field and math, do a Bridging Disciplines program, sing in a choir, join the sailing club and spend a year studying abroad along with all the normal social things college students do. Then Covid happened. She doesn't think she'll be able to do all the things she wanted to at UT and would probably end up graduating in two years with a lot of online classes. (We're Covid pessimists, we don't believe things will get fully back to normal for at least 2 or 3 more years, ymmv.)

So, she switched directions completely and enlisted in the Navy as an IT with a 4 year contract. She's hoping she'll be stationed overseas and will have a chance to earn some IT certifications and enroll in an online university program to finish up her BS. She'll be able to use Tuition Assistance while she's on active duty and then she'll have 4 years of GI Bill benefits to finish her BS and fund graduate school. Since she's only doing a 4 year contract, it's possible she might attend undergrad in person for one year to finish up and possibly do an honors degree. The most likely school she'll attend is ASU. Their CIS department is highly ranked as is their Supply Chain Management and the Barrett Honors College looks like a great option for her. Before Covid, ASU was one of her back up schools so the Navy detour isn't too far off her original path. She's looking forward to going to sea and, hopefully, seeing the world. I'm glad that's she's flexible and bounced back from the disappointments of this year and has a plan she's excited about going forward.

[EmilyGF]

I went to Caltech with a guy who had gotten an AA beforehand. He received one year of credit for his two years at CC, so was a transfer student but transferred as a sophomore.

Emily

[JenneinCA]

My middle child did this.  His got his AA degree and his high school diploma on the same weekend.  He was 17.  He was also determined to spend as little time in college as possible.  He did not want to go to grad school.  He wanted to ‘do real work and be done with school!’.  So that is what he did.  He went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  They accepted all his credits and he graduated two years later.  He was 19.  
He is now working for the big search engine company that starts with G.  He still thinks going fast was a good idea.  Given the COVID mess, he might be right.  He graduated in May and only had to deal with part of one semester online.  I don’t know.  I really enjoyed my time in college and needed all four years of it to mature.  
Ultimately it was his choice and we got out of his way and let him do it.   

[GoodGrief]

It's not an either-or situation. No one, even with top stats, is a shoo-in to either Ga Tech or MIT. They turn down 4.0/perfect SAT score kids regularly. He should apply, if those programs seem attractive to him, but he should also apply to his other, more certain, options.

Once he knows what his options are, after acceptances and financial aid packages are in. you can make educated decisions.

Edited September 30, 2020 by GoodGrief

[Guest]

My DD, who is graduating in May, was on track to get her AS in high school. That has been put on hold for now because of COVID-most of the classes she still needs are ones she didn't want to do online. We discovered that her CC will let her transfer back credits to finish the AS, so that is her plan now. She has good test scores, GPA, and some very unique EC's. 
 

She applied to about 12 schools. So far, she has been accepted to 7.  All of which were, honestly, in the "safety" school category, but in her fields of interest, a lot of the good programs are schools that are state U's that tend to accept a wide range of students. However, they also have honors colleges and enough high performing students that she won't be the biggest fish in the pond, either, and have research opportunities for her specifically. In most cases, she already knows people there and has a spot waiting for her in a PI's. While there are schools where research is the default, and most talk about research opportunities, usually the student needs to make those connections themselves. DD's mentors advised her to shop undergrad schools the way you shop grad schools. GA tech isn't one of the schools she applied to, but they were one of the schools where the PI of the lab she would be most interested in cautioned her that he could not guarantee her a spot because they go to grad students first. At other schools with fewer grad students, the PI was able to guarantee her a spot, often paid as a work-study student. 
 

Two schools have done their credit transfer already, and both accepted her credits for the full general education core. She has redundant credits in some areas because she did more credits in math and English to meet high school requirements (she has done all her math credits as college credits since 8th grade, and all her English since 9th) and therefore has more than are required for her major. She still qualifies as a freshman.  She is getting automatic merit at three schools so far that will cover her tuition, and out of state waivers at all of her out of state schools, and has been invited to apply for competitive merit at all the schools that have accepted her (and needs to start those applications, because most open today, and some close as early as November 1). 
 

I'm expecting we'll have some hard decisions to make this Spring. 

 

[8filltheheart]

5 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

DD's mentors advised her to shop undergrad schools the way you shop grad schools. GA tech isn't one of the schools she applied to, but they were one of the schools where the PI of the lab she would be most interested in cautioned her that he could not guarantee her a spot because they go to grad students first

When our now physics grad student was applying for UG, he was told by the dept that as a high school student he already had more research experience than most of the UG students.  (Ds participated in quite a few research programs during high school.)  Being able to participate in research drove his college selection.  He was also told by GT that getting research opportunities as an UG was difficult b/c most research spots go to grad students or he might have been able to work for a grad student.  

He made the decision to attend where he could have professors as direct research mentors.  By his jr or sr yr he was part of his mentor's team and met with her right alongside the grads and post-docs.  I'm pretty sure that the extensive UG research on his CV contributed to his grad school acceptances.

[regentrude]

On 10/1/2020 at 9:07 AM, 8filltheheart said:

When our now physics grad student was applying for UG, he was told by the dept that as a high school student he already had more research experience than most of the UG students.  (Ds participated in quite a few research programs during high school.)  Being able to participate in research drove his college selection.  He was also told by GT that getting research opportunities as an UG was difficult b/c most research spots go to grad students or he might have been able to work for a grad student.  

He made the decision to attend where he could have professors as direct research mentors.  By his jr or sr yr he was part of his mentor's team and met with her right alongside the grads and post-docs.  I'm pretty sure that the extensive UG research on his CV contributed to his grad school acceptances.

Yes! And that is something you only find out in conversation with the department, not on the school websites. And it has nothing to do with the caliber of the school. I teach at a public U, and in our department, any interested undergraduate will have a chance to be involved in research. It's a point I specifically stress when I give department tours to prospective students.