Early Admission Programs in College: A Student's Choice

Though few students are aware of it, most colleges and universities have a little known avenue of entrance called early admissions listed in their catalogs. Students who do see the early admissions listing immediately assume that it is only for an elite group of highly intelligent nerds. Although it is true that one must be a motivated student to enter college without graduating from high school, it is not necessary to be a genius. My daughter and I both chose this path, and neither of us ever regretted our choices. We feel that we both saved valuable time to invest in other areas of our lives, and we know that we certainly earned an extra year's salary because of the early admissions program.

First, parents need to be involved in helping the student access his readiness for this an early admissions program. Is the student ready to leave his or her high school friends and miss the great moments of the senior year, such as prom and graduation ceremonies? Does the student have the maturity and necessary motivation to direct his or her own educational process? Is he or she a follower or a leader? Does he or she handle peer pressure well? Is student willing to accept the fact that if he or she doesn't graduate from college, no diploma will be available to use for a job search. Even small habits such as the inability to get of bed in the morning should be considered before making a decision this important. Making a list of all of the reasons that a student desires to leave high school and enter college early and a second list of all of the reasons the student has to stay until after graduation will make the choice a bit clearer.