My daughter still maintains she wants to graduate a year early and head to college early. I always told my children that as long as they are responsible and do well with their decisions, they can make them. She is doing very well. We are using a homestudy program now and taking all 9th grade level courses (she would have been an 8th grader this year by age) and is earning between 99% to 100% in her classes. She is carrying a 99.3% in biology, 100% in freshman English, she actually earned 100% in Algebra 1 and is doing Geometry now (not sure of her grade there). The colleges she has picked are a long ways away and do not transfer in community courses unless you are accepted as a transfer student and they only take transfer students by attrition. This means, if she were to attend a local college until 18 and then try to get in as a transfer, it probably won't happen. If she waits until 18 to go, she will still need to apply as a freshman anyway. Would you let your child go off, long distance away, for college, if you knew that this particular child, so far, has proven to be quite mature and responsible? The main college on her list is a small liberal arts school. But Stanford University is also on the list.
Personally, I'm not a big believer in pushing children ahead a year or two. Much better, in my opinion, to go a little more in depth during high school years - for example, attempting a number of AP courses (which could also reduce college costs if they count as academic credit). This approach also gives your child a greater chance of an academic scholarship. Far better to be a bigger fish in the small pond than a small (and younger) one in the big pond.
I think you might be premature worrying about this. If she is only taking 9th grade classes now you still have 2 1/2-3 years before she would really be done with the courses most colleges require. The colleges on her list now may not be the colleges she wants to go to in the future. Most kids I know fluctuate alot before deciding. I would concentrate on high school right now making sure she is covering the courses that those schools require for entry and enough electives to have her experience a variety of options. I would be concerned about sending a child far away before 18 since they can not even sign most legal documents until they are 18. If she finishes the required work before hand she could still take classes her senior year at a community college but not look to transfer them in for credit. Also in addition to advanced classes she could get a part time job or volunteer for most of her senior year and that would look great on her application. Remember that just because she is doing well and wants to go to those schools does not mean she will be accepted. I know many a student who had 95 -100 averages that did not make it into the school of their choice due to the fact that there is a lot of competition for some of those schools. Sometimes it is the extras or the interview that gets them in.
I'm going to agree with this. A lot of schools look not only at grades but community service, club envolvemet and just over all want a well rounded person. Getting involved in the community or joining clubs will look great on an application. And yes course will change and so will her mind about things before she is even at the point to graduate.
I wouldn't send my pre-18 yr old anywhere away from home. There is too much pressure to do bad things, regardless of the size of the college. They not only need the maturity to concentrate on school work, but the maturity to make wise decisions. As for the college credit thing, have her look into CLEP tests. She can prepare for and take these tests and many colleges give credit for them. Also she may change her mind as she grows depending on a lot of different factors.
I agree with Cornish Steve about not rushing a child through school. If she finishes all of her academic classes early, perhaps she can take some electives that interest her. Also, AP classes could be very helpful for college. If I had known that before our daughter went to college, she would have taken some AP classes. Another thing to consider is scholarships. Many colleges base their scholarships on how well the potential students does on the SAT. You may want her to study for the SAT and make this into a class where she gets credit.
In general I wouldn't recommend rushing a child through high school. As was mentioned in previous posts, colleges and universities are more impressed by 18 or 19 year old applicants who have community service, sports, hobbies, and AP exams to accompany a stellar GPA than they are by a high GPA and good SAT score from a 16 year old. Also, there is no age to young to start preparing a student for the SAT. For me, the main exception would be for a child whose interests have extended beyond what is available for self teaching. For example, a math and science whiz who has finished multi-dimensional calculus by 16 or 17 would probably receive minimal benefit from an extra year of study at home.
I wouldn't send my daughter away from home at all at 17 or 18. She is mature and extremely responsible, but most of the other students on a college campus are not. My son could have graduated at 17, but we felt waiting was a safer option. He has gone to college in another state, but lives with his grandparents, so he has a measure of accountability with them.
I haven't been rushing her, but she has been the force behind pushing herself. I am trying to plan for next year. Even though she is taking freshman English this term, I told the private school she is taking it through that I only want her to complete the 1 semester. (it is a home study program where they can pace themselves). She will complete the entire year of biology and geometry though. She already had credit for algebra. Next year, I figure she can just complete English 9, but add extra electives to make up for the extra time. She says she wants to complete English 9 this year and move on to English 10 next year. So, I do need to think about it now so I can decide what courses she can or will be taking. I am suggesting to her that she explore a lot of courses she might not have taken otherwise, such as accounting or science courses or pick up another foreign language.
Oh I am mother that don't believe in a child graduate early. Its hard enough out there why would you want to push them. No I know both my girls could if I let them, But, I wouldn't I take the robe and slow them down and say yea we can do more of this and this then. No way would I let that happen.
Why can't she just take dual credit classes from home? This way she can count them for both college and high school. This way she can be happy that she is doing college classes.
You can't go wrong with foreign language IMO. IF she is serious about it and really learning it, that is always an asset. The other thing is, whatever she is interested in DOing, have her spend a semester volunteering or even part time paid work. She might volunteer and along the way decides she hates it and change her mind about her longer term goals. You would be surprised the number of kids in college that complete a few years and then change their major, or find out later they wish they had did something different. Another thing is traveling if you can afford it. It seems once they marry, move on and have jobs, they are tied down and never get 'out of the box' so to speak. It would be great for her to visit some museums, or major points of interest to her. Getting a job for a year or so could help her to save up some for extra expenses involved in going to college when the time comes, and she will feel like she is contributing and working toward her goals. I agree too with the idea of her not moving away too far until 18. In many places a 17 yr old cannot even see the dr without a note from mommy. So that would all be a problem for her. There is the option of being legally emancipated, but I don't know what all that would involve. You would need an attorney to do that.
I am of the opposite mindset compared to most who responded. I could have graduated my junior year because I had all the credits I needed and great grades, but the school would not let me. If I had, I would have graduated when I was sixteen years old. I don't believe in holding a child back when they are driven academically; I was and am a better-early-than-late kind of person, though. On the other hand, I think far away college is a big step socially and I would not let my own daughter go off under eighteen years old. I am hoping to ease my daughter into college by encouraging her to taking a few courses nearby, perhaps, as my state is required that colleges allow teens as young as fifteen to attend. I might even attend with her! Regardless, I hope to prep her for CLEP tests also.
I firmly believe in allowing a child work at their own pace. This means that I won't rush my kids through high school, but I won't hold them back, either. We're considered a private school. So I get to set the graduation requirements. Once the kids have finished all the requirements I have set, they will graduate, regardless of age. However, they will not be allowed to go away to college before eighteen. They will stay at home, attend cc at least part time, do volunteer work, follow their own interests, maybe even get a job. Then, when they turn 18, I'll allow them to go to any college they want. By that time, they'll have some college experience, have built up a nice resume of extra curriculars & volunteer work, and they'll be emotionally & mentally ready to move away, not just academically ready.
The truth here is that 90% of the children really are above average in some way(s), the problem is that the "average" child is not given what he needs to meet his true potential in what he excels.
My daughter is alot like yours. She graduated at 16 and that was with us trying to hold her back a little. She never took time off, not even during the summers. She has always told us that she thinks her mind works differently than most as she needs something to work on constantly. In our attempt to keep her from moving forward to fast, we signed her up for additional classes, gave her more work to complete, etc but she just managed the workload. When she graduated last spring, she had already managed to clep 5 classes for college and explore just about every interest she had. She wanted to go away to college this year but we said no. We compromised with her going to a techincal school for cosmetology, not what she wants to do career wise but she finds it fun and it keeps her mind occupied. I also have first hand experience as a teen who left home and went to college at 17. I moved from a small town to a big city several thousand miles away. I did fine education wise and thankfully didnt end up in any serious trouble but I was lucky. I was very naive and if I hadnt met the right friends early on and they hadnt had the street smarts they did, I might not have ended up okay. Emotionally and socially it was difficult as well. I would never put my daughter in that situation, not because I dont trust her. She is amazing, smart, talented, and very grown up for her age but she is not ready to be on her own. The teen years are confusing and difficult when you have the most wonderful and supportive family in the next room, it is a thousand times harder when your on your own.
I would allow her to move at her pace even if that means she's "ahead". She can always take harder courses if you opt to not have her start college early (whether online or in person)....advanced sciences, etc. My oldest is working ahead. I don't know that she'll graduate "early" but I'm open to having her taken tougher courses her last year or dual enroll...or just go online...whatever.
