Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy GT college question

The state that we live in has recently started a program that allows qualified incoming high school freshman to attend college instead for dual high school/college credit. This is similiar to dual enrollment it just starts earlier and the state pays 2500 a semester toward college classes. DD is in fifth, so we are still a few years away but what is your opinion on this. DD is a DYS, no 2 E's and she has exceptional executive functioning. I am just afraid with a program like this she would miss the fun of high school and college but it would be nice to have a chunk of college paid for without having to worry about living expenses. It would also allow us to continue to save money toward graduate/professional school making her life easier later (we currently pay private school tuition and that would no longer be necessary).

I would love to have such an option for my children.

Look up some of the excellent resources on radical acceleration into college listed in the Davidson resource library. There is a fair amount of research on early college entry, with the majority of those who have taken that path finding it to have been a positive experience.

I didn't skip high school altogether (grade-skips distributed somewhat evenly throughout my K-12 experience), but did end up as a full-time college student at around that age, and have no regrets. Asynchrony will strike somewhere, regardless, whether it is socially, emotionally, in EF, or intellectually. Which aspect of asynchrony is more tolerable for your child will be something you and she have to feel out on an individual and ongoing basis.

And remember that not only does one miss some of the "fun" of high school, one also is able to miss some of the drama of high school.

Part of what you want to look into is whether or not she will be able to get enough credits through this to finish college when she should be finishing high school or not. If not, where would she finish off her college course work? Often times, depending on where you do your dual enrollment courses and where you finish off your degree, not all of your credits transfer.
It also depends on what she would major in and all of that sort of stuff too.
So, just be aware that it may not end up with all of her credits transferring if she needs/wants them to.

I went to college at 16 and have no regrets. I did not have enough in common with my peers anyway. People said I would be sorry I missed Senior prom - nope. Going to college early was the right decision.

It sounds interesting, but is it designed for the student to take all of their classes at the college or could they take some at the HS? What sort of college is this? $2500 a semester might cover a CC around here, but near us many HS honors and AP classes are more rigorous than the CC classes. If the college is of questionable quality, then taking all of your classes amongst not-so-bright college kids may be worse than taking classes with bright HS kids.

There are students from our HS who take some classes (typically math) at local rigorous private colleges. If she is not completing a college degree during her HS years and intends to finish at another college, as noted by Kerry, credits may not transfer. Or, if a bunch of credits do transfer, then she would not be a freshman and would be ineligible for the good merit scholarships.

Also, some kids want the HS experience. Could she still participate in HS activities? Not just prom, but sports and clubs? Mine have participated in sports, Model UN, math team, student board rep for a non-profit, band and more - they really enjoyed these experiences.

And consider your local HS and whether your kiddo would have peers. What are the average SAT/ACT scores? How many NMFs? What colleges do these kids attend? It isn't always about whether kids find HS easy. Very bright kids may find most HS classes to be easy, but it helps to have bright friends to whom you can relate.

It is a large (over 20,000) regional university, we live in a college town. If she decided to go to any other in state school for undergrad most classes would transfer. It would not cover all tuition, but since she would live at home it really would not cost much more than we are paying now. What she proposes is doing this transferring to an in state stem school to finish undergrad and then going on to a Ph.D. Program (she tends to think ahead). Your SAT/ACT scores have to qualify you for regular admissions to the school of choice.

One thing to consider about early college entry is a bit of an ironic twist. More parents than ever tend to be helicopter types-- and colleges DO tend to be much less nurturing and a lot more monolithic/totalitarian in their approach to dealing with STUDENTS... because they sort of expect that with the big stuff, parents are going to be getting involved.

This has consequences, though, when your child is in the spotlight to "prove" that they have every right to be there, and that their maturity is sufficiently high, etc.

It means that even when things go massively wrong-- you can't go into meetings with your child, you can't intervene other than to text or call your child directly.

This is probably okay with a child who is very assertive and vocal. It's not so okay with one that is more passive or tends to err on the side of politeness, not-making-waves, or pleasing authority figures.

This is probably a hidden feature/benefit to a program intended for early college entry-- that is that the institution has a grasp on the quirks of the asynchrony at work, and won't default to "must be immaturity" about every problem ever.

Dual enrollment can work for some, but I think you'd have to really look at a lot of variables. In our state, there were age and other restrictions to qualify for dual enrollment. Usually, too, dual enrollment only pertained to courses at state college/university or a cc. As others have mentioned, there can be drawbacks with courses at a cc, even at a state college/university. It really depends on where you live, the instructor, the course and expectations, the other students, etc.

Here's an alternative FREE suggestion - look at MOOCs instead. Your DD and others are probably much better off enrolling in some MOOCs with MIT or others than taking a dual enrollment at a CC or college/university. Again, there's a very wide range in quality in terms in MOOCs and instruction, however, MIT OpenCourseWare and EdX tend to be higher quality and more rigorous. First, they're free. You could pay for a certificate for $50-150+ or so. Second, they're often taught by professors in the field; sometimes you could get someone top rated in the field, possibly a Nobel winner. That's pretty difficult to get through dual enrollment. Third, there's a number of kids today who are taking MOOCs and gaining admission to top-ranked schools. Fourth, it shows self-motivation, self initiative, etc. Fifth, some MOOCs are self-paced. So your dd could take a MOOC at any time -- even sitting on the couch while doing it. Sixth, you can always test a MOOC out. If you don't like it, you can withdraw without any penalty and without any record or anyone knowing. That's NOT usually the case with a bricks-and-mortar cc or state college/university. Seventh, you can take a MOOC at home and oversee how your dd is or isn't handling a MOOC's workload. Eighth - but maybe quite significantly for a parent - with a MOOC you don't have to deal with a college's admin dept, their paperwork, etc. There are no age restrictions with a MOOC; your child could take one at any point.

Yes, a MOOC wouldn't go on an official transcript. BUT you could create a portfolio or transcript yourself and submit it to an admissions dept. And yes, you won't get the same level of writing with a MOOC as you would with a prestigious school. However, I'd argue that some of the writing MOOC courses aren't terribly different from one at a cc. Also, you could always find a tutor or some way to supplement a MOOC with a written project of some kind if you wanted.

I'd say that a MOOC is more of a halfway step. As I mentioned, some MOOCs are going to be way over your DD's head for perhaps foreseeable future. However, there are others that she's likely going to be able to do soon; take a look at canvas network, coursera, and a MOOC aggregator (class central is one). With so many MOOC providers, you're bound to find something. It can be a godsend for those looking for an intervening step between high school level work and college/university without having to give parents an ulcer and migraine in the process!

Yes, MOOCs are not the same as sitting in a physical classroom and interacting with other students -- but again, this is a FREE halfway measure or a possible alternative option. For some of us, MOOCs are the ONLY option available for a child who isn't quite ready to physically attend a college/university yet, but needs higher level work.