One of the things I love about the Bold School approach I describe in my book is that it shakes up our ideas about how long it takes to finish high school or college. We rarely question the four-by-four model–four years of high school followed by four years of college–even though most people will agree that in this time of anytime-anywhere learning, it’s absurd that our kids should spend the same amount of time in school as their grandparents did.
So, each time one of my daughters graduates from college years ahead of her high school classmates, it stirs up a lot of questions.
How did she do it? (She was smart about planning her schedule.)
Is she a genius? (No–but she is very focused.)
Is this one of those overseas programs that takes less time? (No–she graduated from a top university in Canada in a four-year degree program.)
Is it a REAL college degree? (Yep. She earned a BA, though her sister–and many others–have earned a BS in the same time frame.)
Poor her, she didn’t get to have any fun in college–it was all over so quickly. (You’ll have to read the book to understand how much fun you can have by doing things differently!)
Fortunately, Bold Schoolers are too busy blasting forward to worry about those who are scratching their heads or feeling annoyed or threatened by the idea of someone graduating from college at 19 (in her case, four months after she turned 19). And that’s the point–they are ON FIRE and truly excited about what they are learning rather than going through the motions and waiting for that senior year to arrive.
What keeps kids on the Old School track? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but parents are the biggest anchors. In most cases, the difference is that Old Schoolers don’t have savvy mentors. Nobody ever told them that they could be in charge of their own time line. Nobody ever mentioned that the four-year degree is somewhat arbitrary and that no college counselor is likely to suggest the very simple techniques that any student can use to graduate a year or even two years earlier than the norm while getting a more engaging and personalized education.
If you’re worried about the cost of college--and who isn’t?–it’s nice to know that you can slice the price IN HALF by simply going Bold School and finishing early. And don’t believe that it’s impossible to get the full “college experience” in two years. Our daughters–and the others profiled in the book–have been resident assistants, teaching assistants, lived on campus, lived off campus, participated in clubs, earned honors degrees, conducted research, and enjoyed plenty of partying along the way. The difference is that they graduate before they have a chance to get burned out or catch the contagious oh-my-god-what-are-we-going-to-do-after-graduation fever. They simply leap over it.
They are out before they have a chance to take on any debt and they dive into the world when they are at their absolute peak in terms of energy, flexibility, and excitement about the future.
The trick: they have become skilled in the art of education design.
Of course, the Bold School approach is not for every student or every parent. And in fact, it’s usually the parents who balk about a shortened college experience–they want their kids to have the time of their lives and can’t imagine doing anything to deny them that right. So, if you’re a parent who is living vicariously through your son or daughter’s freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years, this isn’t for you. If you’ve got your heart set on the Mom’s Weekend each year or the civil war game each fall or the big graduation day with those freshman buddies, this won’t be your thing.
But if you simply want your student to get an outstanding education while having a fantastic time–and you’re flexible about how long it has to last–the Bold School approach can save you THOUSANDS and give your student a very clear advantage over those on the four-year track. And the great news is that this is available to any American student interested in zipping through college by diving in EARLY and getting ignited by an exhilarating learning experience.
I’m proud of my daughter–and she is proud of herself. But more important is the fact that, like her Bold School peers, she is far more prepared for the global economy than her classmates because she knows how to ask questions and get creative in order to transcend limiting ideas or old rules.
Those are the individuals who will be the future global leaders. What are you doing to ensure that your student will be one of them?
Good news: any parent can learn how to be a savvy mentor! Are you standing in the way of your student’s best path to success and happiness? Check out my free e-mail series, “Seven Secrets To Unlocking Your Student’s Potential” here and make sure that nothing you do is preventing your student from maximizing his potential and gliding into the global economy with sizzling 21st century skills, a red-hot college diploma, fluency in a foreign language (or two or three), a blazing sense of direction, big-grin enthusiasm–and no debt.
Happy graduation day, Teal!
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