Post-High School Plans

[hippiemamato3]

DD is now accelerated 3 grades (charter school) and will likely graduate high school at age 14, or younger. What do other people do whose students are so young upon graduating high school? Some community colleges in our area won't take anyone under age 16. I'm not sure what our options will be. Any advice?

[Not_a_Number]

2 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

DD is now accelerated 3 grades (charter school) and will likely graduate high school at age 14, or younger. What do other people do whose students are so young upon graduating high school? Some community colleges in our area won't take anyone under age 16. I'm not sure what our options will be. Any advice?

Take some college classes not for credit while living at home? I'd recommend a four-year school and not a CC. 

You probably can't actually get credit for some of them, but there isn't any hurry... it's fun to learn things. 

[hippiemamato3]

12 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Take some college classes not for credit while living at home? I'd recommend a four-year school and not a CC. 

You probably can't actually get credit for some of them, but there isn't any hurry... it's fun to learn things. 

Thanks...that's a good idea!

[EKS]

My advice is to homeschool her at her level but call her her grade by age.  If it becomes apparent later on that graduating and moving on to a four year college is the right decision, you can make it then.  I would homeschool independently rather than use a charter because that way you have more flexibility.

I don't know what sort of program your daughter is doing, but I think that it is far better for gifted kids to take classes that they find meaningful and engaging (and challenging) rather than simply running through regular classes at a faster pace.  In other words, even three grades up, regular coursework can be inappropriate for gifted students because what a lot of gifted kids need is fundamentally different from what is usually offered in regular classes.  For example, my son skipped two grades at a b&m school (5th and 7th).  He found that the cognitive demand didn't really increase, but the demand on his executive function did.  

That said, sometimes CCs will make exceptions for younger students.  But even if they do, I'd have her dual enroll at the CC rather than graduate her and then have her enroll.  I know a kid who took classes at the CC from the time he was 14.  He was dual enrolled and had something like 120 credits by the time he graduated from high school at 17 (late summer birthday).  He then did a full four years at the state flagship.

[EKS]

21 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

ake some college classes not for credit while living at home? I'd recommend a four-year school and not a CC.

This is a good point.  Absolutely, if you are able to dual enroll her at a four year school, do that.  I always forget about that possibility because we don't have that option where I live.

[hippiemamato3]

2 minutes ago, EKS said:

My advice is to homeschool her at her level but call her her grade by age.  If it becomes apparent later on that graduating and moving on to a four year college is the right decision, you can make it then.  I would homeschool independently rather than use a charter because that way you have more flexibility.

I don't know what sort of program your daughter is doing, but I think that it is far better for gifted kids to take classes that they find meaningful and engaging (and challenging) rather than simply running through regular classes at a faster pace.  In other words, even three grades up, regular coursework can be inappropriate for gifted students because what a lot of gifted kids need is fundamentally different from what is usually offered in regular classes.  For example, my son skipped two grades at a b&m school (5th and 7th).  He found that the cognitive demand didn't really increase, but the demand on his executive function did.  

That said, sometimes CCs will make exceptions for younger students.  But even if they do, I'd have her dual enroll at the CC rather than graduate her and then have her enroll.  I know a kid who took classes at the CC from the time he was 14.  He was dual enrolled and had something like 120 credits by the time he graduated from high school at 17 (late summer birthday).  He then did a full four years at the state flagship.

She's taking all honors high school classes and loving them. She loves her charter school, so I'm definitely not taking her out of it. However, she is now considering applying to a prestigious private high school, so that may determine her course starting next fall. 

[EKS]

17 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

he's taking all honors high school classes and loving them. She loves her charter school, so I'm definitely not taking her out of it. However, she is now considering applying to a prestigious private high school, so that may determine her course starting next fall. 

That sounds like a great option!

Though you'll have to forgive me for thinking that homeschooling was an option give that this is a homeschooling board.

Edited October 3, 2020 by EKS

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, EKS said:

This is a good point.  Absolutely, if you are able to dual enroll her at a four year school, do that.  I always forget about that possibility because we don't have that option where I live.

DH did that in high school 🙂 . He went to high school for some extracurriculars in the morning, then would take college classes for most of the day. (He wasn't homeschooled, but he was very bored and his parents fought hard for him.) 

[Sarah0000]

Is there something in particular she's interested in? I would look for possible certificate programs through universities (there are online ones), apprenticeship programs, and internships (many are remote right now) as a way to investigate what she may want to pursue, if you can find something appropriate for her age.

[8filltheheart]

10 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

DD is now accelerated 3 grades (charter school) and will likely graduate high school at age 14, or younger. What do other people do whose students are so young upon graduating high school? Some community colleges in our area won't take anyone under age 16. I'm not sure what our options will be. Any advice?

 

7 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

She's taking all honors high school classes and loving them. She loves her charter school, so I'm definitely not taking her out of it. However, she is now considering applying to a prestigious private high school, so that may determine her course starting next fall. 

I'm assuming that you are not really interested in homeschooling?  From our family's perspective there are far superior ways to educating our kids than early graduation, but it involves homeschooling and allowing our kids to pursue academics that aren't standard high school courses or sequence.   

FWIW, graduating early may be beneficial for a handful of kids, but not graduating early and pursuing opportunities available only to high school kids can open up all sorts of doors for their futures.   There are 1000s of academically advanced kids.  Kids who spend high school yrs developing unique CVs not only makes them more competitive for college admissions but how they enter college can equally impact their opportunities in college.  

For example, I have a ds who graduated from high school ready to take 400 level physics classes (he took math and physics at a 4 yr U, but took everything else at home.)  During high school he attended Astronomy Camp and SSP and worked for a professor at his DE U.  When he applied to college, he was accepted into a special research honors program which in turn led to him become part of a research team.  All of that in turn made him extremely competitive for REUs.  He applied to 6 each his sophomore and jr yrs of college.  He was accepted to a minimum of 3 each time.  (REU acceptances for physics are extremely competitive.)  All of that combined with his advanced academics (he took grad level courses as an UG) led to his being extremely competitive for grad school......it just builds.  

He attempted to mentor a fellow physics student in college who entered with a lot of AP credits.  THat student decided to graduate from college early b/c he was advanced.  When he applied to grad school he was not accepted to a single program that he wanted to attend.  Early and fast doesn't necessarily serve them well in the long run.

(Our college sr dd has an equivalent story.  In high school she was able to represent the US in an international olympiad.  That led to her being competitive for college scholarships and in turn fellowships and a 5 yr accelerated masters.)

Graduating early may seem like has lots of appeal.  But, letting them excel where there are has plenty, too.

[hippiemamato3]

2 hours ago, Sarah0000 said:

Is there something in particular she's interested in? I would look for possible certificate programs through universities (there are online ones), apprenticeship programs, and internships (many are remote right now) as a way to investigate what she may want to pursue, if you can find something appropriate for her age.

She is planning to be a vet, and part of her charter school experience will include an internship 🙂 if she continues there through high school. She is really excited about that, and has already discussed the plan with the holistic vet in the next town over.

[hippiemamato3]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

 

I'm assuming that you are not really interested in homeschooling?  From our family's perspective there are far superior ways to educating our kids than early graduation, but it involves homeschooling and allowing our kids to pursue academics that aren't standard high school courses or sequence.   

FWIW, graduating early may be beneficial for a handful of kids, but not graduating early and pursuing opportunities available only to high school kids can open up all sorts of doors for their futures.   There are 1000s of academically advanced kids.  Kids who spend high school yrs developing unique CVs not only makes them more competitive for college admissions but how they enter college can equally impact their opportunities in college.  

For example, I have a ds who graduated from high school ready to take 400 level physics classes (he took math and physics at a 4 yr U, but took everything else at home.)  During high school he attended Astronomy Camp and SSP and worked for a professor at his DE U.  When he applied to college, he was accepted into a special research honors program which in turn led to him become part of a research team.  All of that in turn made him extremely competitive for REUs.  He applied to 6 each his sophomore and jr yrs of college.  He was accepted to a minimum of 3 each time.  (REU acceptances for physics are extremely competitive.)  All of that combined with his advanced academics (he took grad level courses as an UG) led to his being extremely competitive for grad school......it just builds.  

He attempted to mentor a fellow physics student in college who entered with a lot of AP credits.  THat student decided to graduate from college early b/c he was advanced.  When he applied to grad school he was not accepted to a single program that he wanted to attend.  Early and fast doesn't necessarily serve them well in the long run.

(Our college sr dd has an equivalent story.  In high school she was able to represent the US in an international olympiad.  That led to her being competitive for college scholarships and in turn fellowships and a 5 yr accelerated masters.)

Graduating early may seem like has lots of appeal.  But, letting them excel where there are has plenty, too.

I am kind of hoping she will choose to go to the private school because it would open a whole lot of doors for her. We will see! 

[hippiemamato3]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

 

 

Graduating early may seem like has lots of appeal.  But, letting them excel where there are has plenty, too.

We homeschooled for pre-k through grade 6. I don't necessarily want her to graduate early, but I also don't want to hold her back. That's why we are looking at all possibilities! 

[8filltheheart]

8 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

We homeschooled for pre-k through grade 6. I don't necessarily want her to graduate early, but I also don't want to hold her back. That's why we are looking at all possibilities! 

I understand.  My pt is simply that most of the time when parents say they don't want to hold their child back, they don't really understand that early graduation can.  Moving forward toward goals is not a simple linear progression.  All "finishing 4 yrs of high school" followed by "4 yrs of college" does not yield equal opportunities, especially if the student could have had the opportunity to achieve so much more at each step than simple course completion bc courses are just a fraction of CV development.  (If you aren't familiar with what a CV is, this article might help.  https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-is-a-cv  Basically, honors, awards, research, academics (so advanced academic opportunities) are the focus.)

Some opportunities are also not open to minors.  When my ds was doing research with a professor at his DE U during high school, he was selected as the representative that the prof wanted to take to a research symposium. The U denied permission for him to travel bc he was only 16.  

Edited October 3, 2020 by 8filltheheart

[hippiemamato3]

3 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:

I understand.  My pt is simply that most of the time when parents say they don't want to hold their child back, they don't really understand that early graduation can.  Moving forward toward goals is not a simple linear progression.  All "finishing 4 yrs of high school" followed by "4 yrs of college" does not yield equal opportunities, especially if the student could have had the opportunity to achieve so much more at each step than simple course completion bc courses are just a fraction of CV development.  (If you aren't familiar with what a CV is, this article might help.  https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-is-a-cv  Basically, honors, awards, research, academics (so advanced academic opportunities) are the focus.)

Some opportunities are also not open to minors.  When my ds was doing research with a professor at his DE U during high school, he was selected as the representative that the prof wanted to take to a research symposium. The U denied permission for him to travel bc he was only 16.  

I do understand that early graduation isn't ideal, which is why I asked. Thanks! 

[hippiemamato3]

22 hours ago, EKS said:

That sounds like a great option!

Though you'll have to forgive me for thinking that homeschooling was an option give that this is a homeschooling board.

We homeschooled for 7 years. 

[Frances]

On 10/2/2020 at 8:19 PM, hippiemamato3 said:

She is planning to be a vet, and part of her charter school experience will include an internship 🙂 if she continues there through high school. She is really excited about that, and has already discussed the plan with the holistic vet in the next town over.

It sounds like a great time to get lots of varied experience with animals if being a vet is her goal. I know a homeschooler who is in vet school and she completed the vast majority of her volunteer and work experience with animals during middle school and high school. Everything from working at a vet office to volunteering at a wildlife rescue center and a zoo and several other things. Then in college she focused on classes, research, and leadership/teaching experiences with just one regular animal related volunteer gig.

Do you have any local LACs that allow advanced high school students to take classes at a discount rate? We have several here that allow part time attendance at substantially reduced prices. Many years ago we paid $200 per credit course and $50 per audited course.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Frances

[Guest]

My DD decided to not graduate before age 16 because it would limit her options dramatically-only a handful of schools accept residential students before that age. She could reasonably have graduated by about age 11-12 as far as level of work completed. Instead, she has spent the last four years teaching other kids about her passion areas, taking college classes and investigating subjects of interest at home (which has led to MUCH deeper dives into humanities than she would have done had she stayed on the "direct to STEM" path she was on at age 11-12), and building up a professional resume, which included (fortunately in January, before COVID hit worldwide) presenting at the top conference in her area of interest.  She will graduate in May. 

So far, she has been accepted to 8 of 12 colleges/universities she has applied to (the other four are non-rolling admissions) and has scholarship award letters from several, with invitations to apply for their top scholarships. She has several schools where she already has research positions waiting for her in labs because she knows the PI due to conferences (and in some cases has gone into the field with them or contributed to their studies). There is no question that waiting those 4 years to graduate opened doors that would not have been open to her four years ago. 

 

My younger BK is spending her high school years volunteering/interning in a vet's office, and working through a distance learning program designed for 4H students by the Texas A&M vet school and administered by the cooperative extension service at A&M. Her path looks different from DD's by quite a bit, but I suspect that by the time she graduates high school (which for her is more likely to be 18 or 19) she will also have doors open to her because of her more varied experiences. 

 

I was recently able to connect another passionate 9th grader with a mentor who focuses on bat research, and he is trying to connect her to projects that are closer as well. Again, the goal is both to let her explore her passions while in high school, and to open doors down the road. 

 

On 10/3/2020 at 7:09 AM, 8filltheheart said:

I understand.  My pt is simply that most of the time when parents say they don't want to hold their child back, they don't really understand that early graduation can.  Moving forward toward goals is not a simple linear progression.  All "finishing 4 yrs of high school" followed by "4 yrs of college" does not yield equal opportunities, especially if the student could have had the opportunity to achieve so much more at each step than simple course completion bc courses are just a fraction of CV development.  (If you aren't familiar with what a CV is, this article might help.  https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-is-a-cv  Basically, honors, awards, research, academics (so advanced academic opportunities) are the focus.)

Some opportunities are also not open to minors.  When my ds was doing research with a professor at his DE U during high school, he was selected as the representative that the prof wanted to take to a research symposium. The U denied permission for him to travel bc he was only 16.  

The only reason DD has been able to do a lot of what she's done in high school and before is that I am able and willing to travel with her, moderate classes she teaches, and be the adult chaperone. And the one who can make hotel reservations, rent a car, or book an Uber. 

[katilac]

Vet school looks long and hard at applicants' long-term commitment to working with animals. They want to see a lot of experience over a long period of time. That could be a great focus for her in the coming years. If she decides to stick with that goal, it will be helpful. If it causes her to change her mind, that will also be extremely helpful, lol. 

Do you have a zoo near you with a youth volunteer program? We have one here, you have to pay to be trained 🙄 but it does open a lot of opportunities to work with animals and animal care professionals, and to interact with the public. Likewise the aquarium, depending on her particular interests. 

The animal shelter or rescues may or may not let her volunteer at this age. 

Pet sitting business would be great experience. 

She can look at work and volunteer opportunities in other areas. 

Yes to looking at 4-year schools for DE, but DE can be tricky when you have a pretty full day at a brick and mortar school. And, particularly for someone who has vet school in the mix, you have to be sure they are ready to handle the whole mix of being in college. There is much less oversight and reminders than you have in high school, and you want to feel confident the overall experience won't affect their performance. Not just undergrad, but vet school (and other places) will see the grades from those classes even if they don't calculate into GPA. 

 I do think the CCs are likely to make an exception for a (not homeschooled) high school graduate, as opposed to a young DE student, but you have to think long and hard about whether that's what you would want anyway. Is the CC up to par in academics? Do you want a young teen there full-time? Is it a path that leads to where she wants to be? The answer may well be yes, bc I know some places have much better CCs than we do here, but it's information you need now, when you can still alter plans. 

I would do everything in my power to not have her graduate early, including taking fewer classes per semester if that's a possibility, and/or moving to homeschooling the semester before graduation (which I well understand she may not want to do, but graduation means she cannot DE).  If there were a chance to travel or do something very interesting, I would also consider a gap semester or year.

I 100% agree that early graduation can actually limit opportunities for many students, and I have seen it in action in local homeschool families. The amazing student who graduates at 15, 16, or even a young 17 is up against other amazing students who had an additional one, two, or three years to take more classes, have more experiences, and get better test scores. There's no multiplier for being a younger student. Then you have to project to the possibility that she sticks with trying for vet school: will she be ready for that at 18? If animal-related work is limited by her age, will a lesser amount of experience weaken her application? 

And 8's point about experiences and opportunities that are limited to high school students should be considered carefully. 

dmmetler's dd is planning to graduate two years early, but she has some specific factors that don't apply to many students. She has a long-term, specific interest that has already afforded her many amazing opportunities over the years. As dm'er pointed out, a lot of those were able to happen because she had a parent who was able to put in a lot of time and travel with her, etc. Vet school is a fairly specific interest, but also one that calls for a pretty typical undergrad experience. Starting undergrad early would actually tend to limit the long-term volunteer and work opportunities that are so significant to vet school applications. 

I would probably frankly tell my dd that I don't see good reasons to graduate early or a good path to follow after that happened, so let's put some time, effort, and research into exploring the 'don't graduate' possibilities. Start doing this now, not when graduation is absolutely looming. 

Edited to add that you should also consider the adult content and conversations in college classes, and what age you would be comfortable with her being surrounded by that. My kids did DE on the main campus of a four-year uni starting at 16, but it would have been a bit much for them at 14 and 15. Other kids have absolutely no problem at younger ages, but 16 was definitely a better choice for mine, lol. 

Edited October 5, 2020 by katilac

[Frances]

I would just add that many places will let someone underage volunteer if a parent accompanies them. That’s how the homeschooler in vet school I mentioned above did her volunteering for many years.

I just listened to a podcast on Death, Sex, and Money about a Nigerian-American who is becoming a successful writer. She previously started vet school at a young age because her education in Nigeria was so advanced. She ended up flunking out and concluded that one of the reasons was because she was just too young to handle the incredible workload. Also, she hadn’t really been challenged academically much previously, so hadn’t really developed the necessary study skills for success.