Skipping Year 13 to go straight to University

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CrashAndBurn

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#279896 15-Nov-2020 21:11

My son is going to Year 12 next year and I recently found out that it is common to skip Year 13 altogether and go straight to University. I am a migrant and back home this only happens when you are considered gifted :p This made me decide to do some research to see if this is possible for my son.

He goes to AGS doing Cambridge Pathway. He is leaning towards architecture/engineering/design field. Is going to any of these feasible from Year 12 or better to complete Year 13? Any other pros and cons to be aware of? Does he need to be a straight A student for this to happen?

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#2604397 15-Nov-2020 21:34

I work at one of the top schools in the country. This is my personal opinion.

There is no advantage to accelerate students into university (with a few rare exceptions) At best you graduate a year earlier than your classmates, but you have missed out on so much social development. Year 12s as mature as they like to think of them selves are not year 13s. The maturity change that I see every year is incredible. Year 12 in to first year of Uni, they just aren't there socially. Plus they will miss out on so many social opportunities.

He get his degree at 20 as opposed to 21 who cares? That extra year of hand holding at school might lead to a massive increase in maturity (might not but at what loss).

Maturity isn't just about having good study habits and a clear idea of what they want. It is about interacting with others, reliance, experience. Somethings come with time rather than learning.

Any way my 2 cents.

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CrashAndBurn

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#2604400 15-Nov-2020 21:37

blackjack17:

I work at one of the top schools in the country. This is my personal opinion.

There is no advantage to accelerate students into university (with a few rare exceptions) At best you graduate a year earlier than your classmates, but you have missed out on so much social development. Year 12s as mature as they like to think of them selves are not year 13s. The maturity change that I see every year is incredible. Year 12 in to first year of Uni, they just aren't there socially. Plus they will miss out on so many social opportunities.

He get his degree at 20 as opposed to 21 who cares? That extra year of hand holding at school might lead to a massive increase in maturity (might not but at what loss).

Maturity isn't just about having good study habits and a clear idea of what they want. It is about interacting with others, reliance, experience. Somethings come with time rather than learning.

Any way my 2 cents.

Thanks for this. Much appreciated. You mentioned social opportunities, when i searched for the same topic the common theme i got from Reddit was that they can't get drunk together with their classmates due to being 17 :p

PolicyGuy

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#2604407 15-Nov-2020 21:54

CrashAndBurn:
My son is going to Year 12 next year and I recently found out that it is common to skip Year 13 altogether and go straight to University.
[snip]

It might be "common to skip Year 13" in your group of acquaintances, but it is a very uncommon practice in most groups with whom I am familiar. I have a wide circle of acquaintance, including having served several years on a High School Board of Trustees, so I would be surprised if my experience was atypical.

Young adults plucked from their cohort and placed in University a year early are I think likely to have a much more difficult socialisation experience than ones who move with their cohort having enjoyed a full secondary education. That would include all the non-academic aspects of Y13 student life.

Unless your son is one of those very, very few who are doing extramural university papers in Y11 and expect to get their Masters degree well before they're twenty, I would say "Don't do it".
My $0.02

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#2604408 15-Nov-2020 21:58

I concur - social skills are critical to success, and they'll have a much better / easier time of it advancing at the regular rate. A kid a year younger will not get on well at uni IMHO. If they're super smart maybe they can do a few uni papers remotely.

CrashAndBurn

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#2604409 15-Nov-2020 22:00

PolicyGuy:

CrashAndBurn:
My son is going to Year 12 next year and I recently found out that it is common to skip Year 13 altogether and go straight to University.
[snip]

It might be "common to skip Year 13" in your group of acquaintances, but it is a very uncommon practice in most groups with whom I am familiar. I have a wide circle of acquaintance, including having served several years on a High School Board of Trustees, so I would be surprised if my experience was atypical.

Young adults plucked from their cohort and placed in University a year early are I think likely to have a much more difficult socialisation experience than ones who move with their cohort having enjoyed a full secondary education. That would include all the non-academic aspects of Y13 student life.

Unless your son is one of those very, very few who are doing extramural university papers in Y11 and expect to get their Masters degree well before they're twenty, I would say "Don't do it".
My $0.02

I think you may be right as my son is on one of the top 3 classes for his form. Some of his mates are getting ready to take a law degree from year 12.

pab

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#2604411 15-Nov-2020 22:04

As someone who works on the University side, I agree with of what @ blackjack17 mentioned. You could consider something like Canterbury’s STAR programme via distance or Auckland’s Young Scholars to compliment their year 13 at school and give your child a taste of University study. Be sure to talk to the school if that is something your child wishes to pursue.

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JoshWright

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#2604485 16-Nov-2020 00:14

As a recent graduate I wouldn't recommend it, purely for the social development reasons mentioned above.

I didn't particularly enjoy school in Year 13, but it was probably the year I developed the most socially, which really prepared me for my first year in uni.

My high school offered the opportunity to do a select few uni papers in Year 13, which could be a good option if something similar exists at your son's school.

bigalow

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#2604486 16-Nov-2020 00:20

whats is year 13 is that the old 7th form ?

Handle9

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#2604499 16-Nov-2020 05:05

CrashAndBurn:
He goes to AGS doing Cambridge Pathway. He is leaning towards architecture/engineering/design field. Is going to any of these feasible from Year 12 or better to complete Year 13? Any other pros and cons to be aware of? Does he need to be a straight A student for this to happen?

AGS is Grammar?

If he's in A or B he'll probably be doing Year 13 curriculum so academically will be fine if he performs well. If he's in the top classes they accelerate them from year 10 I think. Lots of guys from those classes go to med school etc and do very well from year 12. A fair chunk of them also blow out and need some time to find themselves.

It's really up to you guys to determine his maturity level. Grammar is very different from uni. Grammar is very regimented and drives you to get stuff done, uni doesn't. If he's self motivated and focussed he could do very well. If he needs a few years to run around with his hair on fire and figure the world out he could probably do with another year of school. I was certainly in the second group but knew lots of guys from school in both groups.

CrashAndBurn

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#2604505 16-Nov-2020 06:52

Handle9:
CrashAndBurn:

He goes to AGS doing Cambridge Pathway. He is leaning towards architecture/engineering/design field. Is going to any of these feasible from Year 12 or better to complete Year 13? Any other pros and cons to be aware of? Does he need to be a straight A student for this to happen?

AGS is Grammar?

If he's in A or B he'll probably be doing Year 13 curriculum so academically will be fine if he performs well. If he's in the top classes they accelerate them from year 10 I think. Lots of guys from those classes go to med school etc and do very well from year 12. A fair chunk of them also blow out and need some time to find themselves.

It's really up to you guys to determine his maturity level. Grammar is very different from uni. Grammar is very regimented and drives you to get stuff done, uni doesn't. If he's self motivated and focussed he could do very well. If he needs a few years to run around with his hair on fire and figure the world out he could probably do with another year of school. I was certainly in the second group but knew lots of guys from school in both groups.

Yes, Grammar. Accelerated from Year 10 which allows them to gain enough credits for UE from Year 12. Based on comments so far, I agree that it boils down to maturity level. I need to figure that one out as at home he is all fun and games but he does deliver on his course works as evidenced by his grades.

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#2604521 16-Nov-2020 08:15

I wished i could. Go for it. I didn't get the chance and my social development is just as stunted. Still got prizes at yr 13 and every year at uni though I can't remember a single physics and math equation that I topped uni papers for lol. Was so bored at uni i decided to attend other lectures from other papers when it was time to revise for exams. Its just a road the faster you get out the other end the faster you can start your life. Will suit some won't suit others obviously as we can read.

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#2604522 16-Nov-2020 08:19

Having said that one of my house mates did skip y13 and he was a year ahead and had trouble mixing in with his class and felt like an outcast for the whole 3 years. Me I feel like that all the time so didn't make any difference. Maybe that's why we were company? He's fine now though very successful.

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#2604537 16-Nov-2020 08:38

One of the schools I attended offered streamed education, "A" stream for gifted students, "B" stream for normal students and "C" stream for those with learning difficulties. All "A" stream students underwent an accelerated program and completed secondary in 4 years, so it can't be that uncommon, albeit this was nearly 30 years ago. Dammit when did I get old lol.

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kiwi_64

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#2604541 16-Nov-2020 08:57

I think it's very much "horses for courses". One of my kids was on an accelerated program (NCEA levels a year early) and left to go to varsity after doing L3 in Y12.

They wanted to do pre-med and (other than social development) there was no obvious academic benefit to staying at school.

So far they've taken to Uni (socially and academically) like a duck to water

MikeAqua

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#2604548 16-Nov-2020 09:14

As a parent to two current and two former teens ... I would say skipping Year 13 is a bad idea.

I'm not an educator and don't have view on the academic side of thing. However, I think it's bad idea from social/maturity perspective.

Better for the kid concerned to take a gap year and then go to university at the usual age, with his/her cohort of kids.

Mike

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