This article is adapted from Davidson Institute’s parent version of “Early College – Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance”, part of our collection of free guidebooks for gifted and 2e families. For a deeper dive into supporting your gifted or twice-exceptional child, we encourage you to explore the full guide.
There are many factors involved in this decision process. As such, there is no single list that can be used to determine whether early college entrance will be the best option for your child. However, these questions and section 2 of this guidebook will help you gain a better understanding of what your child’s early college entrance would mean for your family.
How Does My Child Think?
Everyone sees things at least a little bit differently. Some of the differences in how people think are related to where they are in their development. For example, many young people tend to think in a concrete manner. This involves seeing things in such a way that there appears to be a clear right or wrong answer to a question based on the information presented in the here and now. People who think in a more abstract manner tend to engage in active reasoning and draw conclusions based on more than just the information presented to them. Abstract thinkers are capable of formulating hypotheses and drawing conclusions based on possibilities and probabilities rather than strictly concrete information.
In addition to different developmental levels, there are many stylistic variations in how people think. Differences in how people think are not always recognized or valued. This can present a challenge for those who are thinking in a way that is different from their age peers. However, it is useful information to consider in the process of deciding whether early college entrance is an appropriate option for your child.
Critical thinking skills are instrumental to getting the most out of an educational environment. Critical thinkers ask questions. In this sense, “critical” is not meant in a negative manner, but refers more to the idea of critiquing information in a constructive way. Rather than accepting facts as presented, a critical thinker seeks to understand the underlying principles or how something came to be accepted as factual. Critical thinking involves being open to possibilities and further inquiries. Many great accomplishments have resulted from people who have thought critically about existing information and come up with new ideas and solutions.
How does my child learn?
In addition to thinking differently, people also learn differently. Some people do very well in some learning situations but not so well in others. For example, some people feel they learn and retain more information if they have a chance to see, hear, and write about aspects of the information that is presented. The structure of any particular class is not likely to promote optimal learning for all students. This is often the case when there are strict guidelines about how information is presented and how assignments are to be completed. Knowing your child’s strengths and struggles associated with how she/he thinks and learns can be beneficial in determining an optimal match between your child and an academic setting.
What are your child’s strengths and weaknesses in an academic setting?
Ideally, an academic setting provides students with challenges to work through and incorporate into the process of their intellectual development. With challenges come opportunities for you and your child to understand his/her strengths, as well as to recognize areas where he/she struggles. Many bright students have not often had the experience of really struggling in an academic environment. It’s easy to mistakenly assume that if intellectual endeavors usually come easily, there is a problem if they become more difficult or require unprecedented effort. Actually, a challenging academic environment is much more than one that provides more difficult work that is still relatively easy for a bright student.
A true challenge involves growth, which is often accompanied by some frustration. This frustration may stem from realizing that problem-solving techniques or processes that have worked in other situations need to be modified. Some tasks require more effort than your child is used to applying to an intellectual task. Learning to recognize that strengths and struggles are both important components in intellectual growth and development will assist your child in successfully navigating the challenges he/she will face along the academic paths he/she chooses.
How does my child balance their time and interests?
Effective time management skills are essential for success and satisfaction in school, both before and after your child enters college. Such skills will not only keep him or her on schedule with plenty of time allotted for all tasks, but will also give your child the empowering feeling of being efficient and on track. Furthermore, your child will be able to make time for social activities, personal interests, and physical activities that will keep him or her healthy.
With whom does my child enjoy spending time?
When considering the social situations your child may encounter if she or he goes to college early, it’s a good idea to think about the friends your child has and whether college entrance would help or hinder their ability to find compatible friends. For some students, a lack of friends with whom they share a deep connection is one of the reasons to seek the company of older peers. For other students, the lack of age-peers would be felt as a serious loss. If your child has been successful at making friends before, they are likely to be successful at making new friends; if she/he hasn’t made many friends, it may be that they haven’t found others who share their interests and more mature ways of looking at the world.
How will early college entrance impact my family?
Investigating options for accelerating into college can be overwhelming. A student’s early entrance into college impacts the entire family system. Not only is there a potentially dramatic change in a child’s academic environment, but this change affects family relations as well. Early entrance to college may significantly alter the long-term plans for your family. There are a number of issues to consider in the process of deciding whether early college entrance is the best of all possible options for your child.
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