Hey, I am 15 and am homeschooled. I am about to finish my senior year of highschool. Most likely within the month. My question is, I really want to start college this fall. But I am hard pressed to find many colleges that will allow me apply this late. And my parents don't think I could handle college at 16. My mom wants me to attend a community college taking one class at a time till I fell I'm ready to take more. S basically I'll be spending 5 years at a community college to get an associates degree. I really want to know what to do about this.Do you think I can handle college at 16? I can afford it through scholarships I have. I think I mom is being overprotective. She also thinks I have no idea what I want to major in. I do. Please tell me what I should do about this.
Starting college at 16?
It's really late to be applying to a quality school (for most schools the admissions process is already over for entering school this fall). Typically you apply to college the fall a year before you want to attend (so, applying this summer/fall would be to begin in the Fall of '09).
I think the one-class-at-a-time plan does sound a little unrealistic....I'm assuming that you have been following a home school plan and have taken the SATs, etc. (and if not, that's another big barrier to applying right now). But that said, there is something to be said for waiting a year or so to begin college....the adjustment from high school to college for the typical teen can be rough (a big culture shock in terms of new people/places/ideas and living out on your own)....and this adjustment can be even tougher for two other groups: a) younger students and b) home schooled students. So having to adjust on all three fronts can make life unnecessarily difficult, which in turn can impact your performance in college and your career goals.
Your situation is tough because you're applying late...but perhaps a compromise could be made--it's possible as a high-school aged student to take classes at a CC a la cart rather than in a degree program. Perhaps you could take some classes this following year while you apply to college...it might help calm your mom, make you feel like you have more freedom, ease the adjustment to a non-home schooled learning environment, and can also strengthen your application for school. A la carte classes could be an option, because personally, if you're just taking one or two classes, it's not a big loss if you can't transfer them.
I'd suggest contacting the CC you're thinking of for advice about what to do (degree or independent classes), and I'd also suggest making an appointment with a college counselor for better advice to your situation since you are applying late and don't want to "waste" this next year too in terms of building an application. Good luck!
Reply:Do you feel like you can handle college?
There are very few colleges that will accept you at this point. Apply for Spring 2009 if you can.
An option you might be able to get your mom to be okay with is getting an associates degree at a community college and then transferring as a junior at a 4-year college.
Reply:I'm public schooled (not saying there's anything wrong with homeschooling though). I know that at my school, they get a lot of students to finish all their normal high school classes by about their sophmore or juinor year. After that, they allow them FREE AP or college classes! So basically, we're done high school, but working on graduating college.
Guess this didn't help you much.
Reply:I'd have to say that you should wait at least a year to start college. It is a completely different environment and sometimes hard to get used to. Have you always been home schooled? Maybe you should take a couple of classes at the community college next year to get your feet wet and explore what you are interested in.
You learn a lot about yourself while you're in college by not only attending higher education, but also by interacting and making new friends. At 16, it would be really hard to go to some places that 18 year old freshman go to.
Academically you may be ready, and even socially and emotionally you may be ready, but you really do grow up a lot from 15/16 to 18. Take your time-there is no rush to grow up. You could do an internship or a job shadowing thing before starting college.
I finished my undergraduate degree in the "typical" 4 years and I wish that I could go back. College life was fantastic and you really should get to enjoy it at an age where you can participate in all of the activities.
Reply:If you're getting a high school diploma soon at your age (wow!) and can get into community college, do that. I think 16 is too young for university level. See a counselor with your parents at the community college for advice.
Reply:Congrats on early matriculation!
16 isn't that young for college. Both of my sisters were/will be 17 when starting college, and one of them was only about 2 months over 16. The one who is out now (the other will be entering college in the fall) did well. I have a friend who matriculated early as well and entered college at 17. He's doing well. Lots of friends, very social (but he is in South Africa, so different age laws). If you are mature, you can definitely handle college. But it will probably end up being up to your parents, so convince them. Talk to them and show how responsible you are.
You're too late to apply for entry in the fall, but you can apply for spring semester. Not all colleges have spring admission, but you can check. The Princeton Review's 363 Colleges book has listed whether each of the schools has spring admission. You can also just check on the websites. But college application is a long and arduous project. It will likely take you more than the amount of time you have left to go visit all the schools you're interested in and to convince your parents that you can handle it. So you might just want to do a year off and meanwhile participate in some activities, sports, arts, volunteering, a job, that show your parents your ability to handle a heavy load.
If you can't convince your parents, another option is Bard's College at Simon's Rock. They specialize in young students. The average age of freshman there is 16. There, you can get your associate's degree in two years and then transfer, or just go there a year, as an adjustment period to show your parents you can handle it and then transfer out. I think this would be the best option for you if you can't convince your parents to let you attend a traditional college.
Reply:umm... show here a powerpoint on why you should go to colledge at 16
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