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    Joined: Mar 2013
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    Portia Offline OP
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    I am borrowing trouble, but here we go...

    I read an article recently about the student who is graduating college the week before graduating high school. YAY Student! We tend to see these periodically, particularly in FL. However reading these articles are a source of parenting anxiety for me.


    Given his acceleration pattern, we can easily follow 1 of 4 paths:

    1) Community college courses. These will transfer to any state school. Reduces the time in a state college, but the credits will not transfer out of state should that be his choice.
    2) Local University courses. The local university is the worst rated in the state. But again, many courses will transfer to other state schools. Even if it is the worst in the state, he could graduate college before graduating high school. We could also repeat this option at an excellent state school by he and I moving a bit closer.
    3) Let him graduate early and send him to college early.
    4) Place him in a holding pattern with Davidson options and/or MOOCs so he can apply for Dreamy Liberal Arts school at "typical" age. He understands Dreamy U is highly competitive and plans to have a triple undergrad degrees from State U if Dreamy U does not work out.

    Grad school is definitely the plan.

    My preference is option #4, said in pre-adolescent parenting years. The source of my anxiety is that I fear option #4 is not really going to work out given nothing about DS follows a "typical" pattern of any sort. I do not think option #3 would work out emotionally. If #3 and #4 do not work out, that means I have to lay some groundwork this year.

    Final anxiety/question - What are the considerations I am missing that would make options #1 and #2 optimal? Is burnout the strong disadvantage for #4? I fear there is an angle that I have not considered.

    This post became rather long. Thank you for sticking with me.

    Last edited by Portia; 04/11/19 02:13 PM.
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    These are all good options, well thought-out. smile I think it is realistic to be looking down the road a few years.

    As I was reading your post, I thought a combination of #1 and #4 might be nice, and I highly value that your son has a back-up plan if #4 (Dreamy U) does not come to fruition. I believe in most places college credits taken under high school dual-enrollment still allow a student to apply as a freshman. My thoughts on #2 were: if it is the lowest rated in the State, there may be a combination of reasons... one of which may be an under-motivated student body... possibly not good for a younger-than-typical student who may, by virtue of his young age, be impressionable. Keep in mind that during college years students may begin to build the basis of a life-long career network.

    To optimize any of the academic options, you may wish to find occasions for him to associate with people already on the career path he desires. Conferences and mentorships come to mind.

    In my observation and experience, burnout is not necessarily related to the length of time in school, but occurs when a student is finding the academic courses to be dictated and amounting to busywork... the effort is not getting them anywhere. Goal-setting and accomplishment... choice in what is studied plus credentialing, certificates of completion, adding to resume/portfolio, etc... seem to be the antidote. These can be short-term goals... Anything which affirms the student is moving forward, making progress. A "holding pattern" may or may not contribute to burn-out, depending upon what types of opportunities and academic challenges are available, how they fit into the student's goals and sense of moving forward.

    Is it possible to look in detail at the courses offered by the community college, MOOCs, etc... for example, make a list of text books utilized.
    - Compare these with the content at Dreamy U.
    - It may be worthwhile to begin a small home library of college textbooks in his area of interest, even though the list of books used may change over time.

    I think it is great that your son exhibits a strong interest in history. Studying the rise and fall of various economic and political systems and having a deep appreciation for them may play an important role in preparing him to excel and stand out in his studies and career.

    My final thought would be to study the biographies of current/recent individuals who've held the desired position (Yellen, Bernake, Greenspan), as well as any internships. The career paths to ascend to this position, and the qualifications for interns may change over time. You may already be familiar with the online activity offered by the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco: Chair the Fed. If your son is interested in programming, possibly he could develop a game or app which may help distinguish him early on, as being knowledgeable about economic policy. If your son has an interest in writing (or developing writing skills) possibly he could author a book for kids on money and economics. For either of these projects, first research what's currently available, find the gaps/shortcomings in order to identify possible improvements, and then "build a better mousetrap."

    In sharing my thoughts as I read your post, I don't feel I've provided any clear direction; You may have already explored each of these options/ideas long ago! Your son is at an exciting juncture, there are many potential paths, and one need not choose the quickest or most expedient if one would also enjoy a bit of the scenery along the way. There is essentially no wrong path. smile

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    In studying what is available for internships for older students, and in meeting people already employed in the field, a younger student can sometimes arrange for a shadowing opportunity and/or unpaid internship. Studying what is available may give the student ideas as to what functions they could learn about and/or contribute to... as well as professional expectations such as dress, demeanor, interviewing, qualifications, resume, etc. A student who successfully creates one or more of these opportunities may then write a brief synopsis of what was learned and incorporate that into a note of appreciation for the opportunity. I've seen this work well, and even result in the creation of a formal program for other young students to shadow/intern. smile

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    I would really focus on improving his writing skills and social-emotional maturity so that in a couple of years, he can take advantage of option #1 and/or #2 if he is so inclined. There is no reason he cannot pursue option #1 and/or option #2 in tandem with option #3 and option #4. Both DS and DD have been admitted to our local Community College and enrolled in their first course this summer and am preparing for option #1 along with option #4. They could have started with option #1 one year earlier as in our state the requirement is completion of 7th grade although individual universities can raise the bar as they see fit.


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