High School Student taking college classes

[luvmy3]

Have to agree with this. Community college associate degrees have little credibility in the real world, with the exception of the certificate programs they offer which can be beneficial in improving a specific skillset. The only benefit I could see from this would be if the credits were guaranteed to be transferred and knock out a few gen eds in college which would allow you to place more emphasis on your major. For the most part in the northeast they won't accept every transfer credits from any college to another as college is a business and they make more money when you have to take more classes.

I have to agree too, except for the waste of time and money comment. I don't believe any education is a waste of time or money, and I also believe the experience of taking college classes on a college campus is worth that $500 the OP is going to pay. If there is something else available, like an internship then of course that would be a better opportunity for her, but if not there is nothing wasteful about getting an education, even if you can't use the credits.

We just got all the info for my dd who will be a HS Freshman next year. The HS does offer a dual enrollment program with the local CC and a local private college. I am going to ecourage her to do it, even if she chooses to go through the CC.

 

[RitaE]

double posted

 

[TinkerBelled]

If she's feeling frustrated and bored with her education, then finding her classes that she's excited about will be an academic lifeline. The fact that she's eager to take classes in the summer speaks well of her intellectual curiosity, which is one of the biggest differences between a good student and a great one. (A good student does well in class, does the work, and understands the subject, but she colors inside the lines and doesn't take intellectual risks; a great student is one who does well in class, does the work, and understands the subject--but also one who is excited, passionate, curious, and bold with her choices.)

Also, I couldn't agree more with the previous poster:

I have to agree too, except for the waste of time and money comment. I don't believe any education is a waste of time or money, and I also believe the experience of taking college classes on a college campus is worth that $500 the OP is going to pay. If there is something else available, like an internship then of course that would be a better opportunity for her, but if not there is nothing wasteful about getting an education, even if you can't use the credits.

College is not like high school, and getting her comfortable with things like syllabi, independent work (rather than daily homework), paper schedules, exams, etc. will give her a huge leg up when she gets to college. Most freshmen get to college and kind of expect it to be like a slightly more advanced version of high school, and it isn't--there are different rules, different expectations, and different responsibilities. Understanding this now, as a HS sophomore, is so much better than being overwhelmed by it when she gets on campus.

Internships are great, and it would be awesome if she could also do one (maybe a shorter one) at the end of the summer--or find one that she could work around her class schedule. But keeping her intellectually stimulated and excited, while giving her a chance to see what college is like, is an excellent summer plan.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

My DH is a professor at a pretty good college and we plan on having our dd's take courses there in their jr. and sr. years of high school. Both girls are straight A students and in the gifted program.

One problem I see with this is that your daughter seems really smart and the community college classes are going to be too easy for her. Is there another college/university she could go to? I'm not trying to knock down comm. college, but I would think they would be the equivalent of some of the academic/accelerated classes at the high school that are already not challenging.

If she is taking a class for fun that is not offered at the high school, it may be a fun activity for the summer. I would not count on her credits from a comm. college being taken at a private college/university. And with a high GPA, that may be where she is headed.

 

[padams]

If she's bored now, have her take an online class this semester. Did she take the SAT in junior high to qualify for any of the programs such as Duke TIP or Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth? Those programs offer many online courses for high schoolers seeking an academic challenge. If she didn't do those programs, then check out Khanacademy.com or artofproblemsolving.com for online courses.

Another option is to study independently for an AP, and then take the AP test without taking the course.

Has she started preparing for the SAT or ACT? She could take a prep course now.

As for the summer, instead of sending her to a local community college, why not send her to a program on a college campus? Check out the schools she is interested in for college to see if they have summer programs for high schoolers.

My sophomore has done all of the above, and has enjoyed the extra challenges. He especially loved spending part of last summer living in a dorm on a college campus.

Good luck to your DD. She has lots of options and opportunities.

 

[LisaR]

My DH is a professor at a pretty good college and we plan on having our dd's take courses there in their jr. and sr. years of high school. Both girls are straight A students and in the gifted program.

One problem I see with this is that your daughter seems really smart and the community college classes are going to be too easy for her. Is there another college/university she could go to? I'm not trying to knock down comm. college, but I would think they would be the equivalent of some of the academic/accelerated classes at the high school that are already not challenging.

If she is taking a class for fun that is not offered at the high school, it may be a fun activity for the summer. I would not count on her credits from a comm. college being taken at a private college/university. And with a high GPA, that may be where she is headed.

I was very worried about this when my DD first started at the community college. Her first class, public speaking, was like a glorified high school class in a classroom with little control. People were texting during class, arriving late, leaving early, etc. It was not a good experience. I was ready to call it quits and find a different avenue for my DD.

I am so glad we didn't. Every one of her classes has been terrific ever since. They have all been different, some have been harder and more rigorous than others, but they have all been at a college level. She has taken every psychology class the college offers and the professor she takes runs the class like a grad school class. The things she has learned in that class have amazed me. Aside from the public speaking class and an art class, all of her professors have had PhD's. All of her general ed classes except math are Gordon Rule classes and it is rare that those classes only require the bare minimum. Most require well above the minimum. One semester she was taking honors comm 2, honors literature, and honors humanities all at the same time. All three classes required four 10 - 12 page papers in addition to the regular q&a papers and tests. That was fun! Needless to say, she has learned to throw in a science or math class each semester and not take all honors classes at the same time to break up some of the large quantities of writing. Her biology class this semester still requires three papers but they are only 2 - 3 pages in length.

Our experience has been very positive and we are glad she chose this path. She wants to get a master's degree and with all the money she has saved us by getting her general ed classes out of the way for free, we have a lot more we can contribute to her graduate degree.

 

[pumba]

our school has a program that pays for the student (with high ranks) to take college courses at the two local colleges...Our son did it many years ago and got his credit for calculus and our granddaughter did it her junior and senior year...she got credits in college writing, physcology...calculus,and she had to pay for her books but the class was free
I am assuming that he would be allowed to take any classes he wished to take..it is a good experience

 

[Bilberry]

Your mention of your daughter being bored in high school reminded me of this professors comments about an article in the Wall Street Journal from the other day.

"Does School Stunt The Teenage Brain?"

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/01/28/does-school-stunt-the-teenage-brain/

I don't have much to offer in advice or help with your daughters situation, but also recall former Harvard President and Obama economic adviser Larry Summers gave a speech about the changes occurring in our education system last week. Thought it might be of interest too.

"Larry Summers on the Future of Education"

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/01/25/larry-summers-on-the-future-of-education/