Schools

Lakeside High Student Skips Grade, Heads to College

Caitlin Hewel is headed to Bard College at Simon's Rock for her first day of college this week. She skipped her senior year.

While her classmates head back to the halls of this week, Caitlin Hewel is bound for a decidedly different institution – college. In another state, actually.

Hewel, who skipped her senior year, is entering Bard College at Simon's Rock, according to a report in The Champion Newspaper. The Massachusetts college is one of the few who accept students early like Hewel.

From the story:

Find out what's happening in North Druid Hills-Briarcliffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bard College is unique in that it offers students as young as 16 a chance to enroll at a higher learning institution if they’re ready. Steve Coleman, director of admissions at Bard College, said the school was founded in 1966 by a woman who had been a headmistress of a private boarding school for many years. Coleman said the woman noticed that many students were just marking their time during their junior and senior years and were ready, both socially and intellectually, for college.

“The main idea behind the school is that not every student is ready for college at the same time,” Coleman said. “It’s not so much to push them through their education faster but to bring them what they’re searching for—that kind of deeper education when they’re ready for it.”

Find out what's happening in North Druid Hills-Briarcliffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Check out the story for more information on Hewel.

Should more schools consider accepting students early? Would your children be ready to go to college before their senior year? Tell us in the comments section below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from North Druid Hills-Briarcliff