What sorts of “college” options do parents have when they have teens who are “age appropriate” for high school but would be either bored out of their minds or at high risk of dropping out if they actually attended a traditional high school? Dual-enrollment (enrolling in a high school program of some sort and also taking college classes) is a traditional approach. But, it is not always a good answer, even though the student would gain college credits for some of the courses taken (usually up to six credits per term). The students would still have to enroll in high school to gain credits for their other coursework; and even if the other course work is taken within an AP or IB curriculum, it may not be challenging or interesting enough to keep the student engaged in learning. So now what? The answer for some families is “Early College.”

What is “Early College”? According to www.earlycolleges.org, “Early college blends high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.”

What is the advantage of “Early College”? Students enrolled in “Early College” programs earn both the high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree or the at least credit for the first 30 credit hours of college all during the same time it would take a student enrolled in a regular high school program to earn a standard high school diploma. Students typically place greater value on this type of education as they get more bang for their buck (or time in this instance) and retention in the educational process is usually higher in the Early College setting than in a standard high school.

What sorts of students enroll in “Early College”? There are a lot of people who think “Early College” programs are strictly for gifted and talented students. While there are many programs which do target the G/T student; there are many others which are structured to serve students traditionally considered “at-risk” of dropping out of the traditional high school program. In essence, any student/family who wants a rigorous educational program and also desires to earn something a great deal more than just high school credits can benefit from “Early College.”

How do you find an “Early College” program? There are about 160 “Early College” programs in the U.S. providing educational services through both campus-based (within a “school” other than a college) and residential (on college campus) programs to roughly 100,000 students each year. You can locate a list of schools providing these programs online at www.earlycolleges.org.

Is “Early College” for everyone? No. Parents really need to explore all of their options and seriously discuss the pros and cons of the options with their students. “Early College” is great for those students interested in gaining more out of their educational time.

Until next time!

Lynn Byrne

Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:

• College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
  
• Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
  
• The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.