[Papa John]

BC, I don't see this as a recent trend. I graduated from high school in 1980 (!) and knew several senior classmates who graduated after fall semester and went to work or college starting in January. They were non-athletes. Would you apply your rule preventing early enrollment to these people?

As for Stanford, I don't think you'll see a rush of students trying to take advantage of early enrollment, athlete or non-athlete. In the first place, a number of them will need spring semester of their senior HS year to complete admissions requirements. In the second place, most parents will want their kids to have an extra nine months of maturation before they matriculate in the traditional fall term. In the third place, most parents and students will want the "full" experience of entering college with the vast majority of their cohort.

Stanford has already adopted early admissions, so it can change without the sky falling. It's possible to create early enrollment rules for athletes and non-athletes that will disadvantage no one and, as you mentioned, allow Stanford to compete better in recruiting.

[Papa John]

BC, I don't see this as a recent trend. I graduated from high school in 1980 (!) and knew several senior classmates who graduated after fall semester and went to work or college starting in January. They were non-athletes. Would you apply your rule preventing early enrollment to these people?

As for Stanford, I don't think you'll see a rush of students trying to take advantage of early enrollment, athlete or non-athlete. In the first place, a number of them will need spring semester of their senior HS year to complete admissions requirements. In the second place, most parents will want their kids to have an extra nine months of maturation before they matriculate in the traditional fall term. In the third place, most parents and students will want the "full" experience of entering college with the vast majority of their cohort.

Stanford has already adopted early admissions, so it can change without the sky falling. It's possible to create early enrollment rules for athletes and non-athletes that will disadvantage no one and, as you mentioned, allow Stanford to compete better in recruiting.