Testing out of highschool

toast. · 03-14-2007, 08:18 PM

Has anyone done it?

Im a junior and I plan to test out and go straight to junior college.
Is this a good idea or am I an idiot?
I have friends who have done this successfully although I'm still unsure.

Has anybody done this?

apocobring · 03-14-2007, 09:23 PM

I didn't test out, i did full-time dual enrollment for my senior year. When i say full time - i mean 15 hour course load and didn't step foot on a highschool campus.

I loved every minute of it. I got to build my schedule like i wanted to, and took what i needed. I have suggested it to pretty much all of my friends.

WiLLiSTER · 03-15-2007, 05:57 PM

My friend tested out after freshman year. She hates college, but then, she wasn't exactly loving high school either.

It sucks when you have friends that should be in high school with you, but they aren't and then your schedules are always different and you never get a chance to hang out.

***Paul*** · 03-15-2007, 06:11 PM

Bad idea buddy, there gonna start making high school degree's mandatory for jobs. Even at McDonald's. High School is the best time of your life, and when people say that they miss high school, their not lying. I miss my high school days..

Evi · 03-15-2007, 07:23 PM

I left high school after two years and went straight to college. Pretty much, I just tested out of every class the school had, so there was nothing left for me to take. They couldn't legally give me a high school diploma, but they gave me a GED and paid for my first year of college. It's a good idea if you hate high school, and if you're miles ahead of everyone else in your classes. Otherwise, stick with it for another year, because it can be a real problem for you in the future if you can't totally own everything they throw at you in college. It's a much more relaxed atmosphere, and more focused on your education than on stupid rules and policies. However, with that comes the responsibility to really keep on top of things, and if you can't, they won't slow down and cater to your needs like they will in high school.

Personally, I don't regret what I did, because my high school was terrible, and was just holding me back. Once I got into college, I realized that there was another world out there where being smart and motivated to learn was a virtue, and earned you respect amongst both your peers and your teachers. If you really want to get ahead, and work to your full potential, college can definitely take you there, but it requires plenty of work on your own behalf.

Monster in a box · 03-15-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red shoe paul

Bad idea buddy, there gonna start making high school degree's mandatory for jobs. Even at McDonald's. High School is the best time of your life, and when people say that they miss high school, their not lying. I miss my high school days..

Speak for yourself...but I agree that it's probably not a good idea.

*TTRlovesMittens* · 03-15-2007, 07:48 PM

Wait, so you CAN do this, however, you won't get an official High School Diploma?

Evi · 03-15-2007, 08:01 PM

I never got one because testing out of classes doesn't give you any credits, and the government requires a certain amount of credits to get a diploma, or something like that. Things might work differently in different areas, but you most likely won't get one. I got a GED, though, and all of the colleges I've contacted have said that a GED is just as good as a diploma for students in our situation, and it would put us at no disadvantage when applying.

Johnye West · 03-16-2007, 12:18 AM

At times I wish I tested out but, I got life lessons in high school. You learn that everything you thought was important, is trivial. But if that's all you take away from high school, then you've learned enough.

After high school, life gets serious. I mean i'm glad to be free of that shit hole and all but man, i'm feeling the pressures of life now.

No one telling you when and where to be is great and horrible at the same time. I didn't believe it either but you figure it out.

Plus it's not a "oh I think I want to do this so I have a plan in my head". Now it's put up or shut up time, life decisions.

I'd say put up with it and enjoy the leisure of senior life. Don't jam it with classes trying to look good for college. It doesn't really matter, just enjoy it. After this, fucking around has much more serious consequences. I wish I did more partying, experimenting, etc. while I was there to be honest.

kimcicle · 03-16-2007, 10:25 AM

How about: get your grades, lose your voice at the homecoming game, goof off in class, ditch on senior ditch day, take a road trip during spring break, go to senior prom, walk down the carpet with your peers, get your high school diploma, party hard after graduation. A list of things that you will miss out on if you skip out on your last year of high school.

It's a lot easier to have friends and maintain them when you're in an environment with peers of the same age. It gets harder by the time you go to college, and after you graduate it's even harder.

Take it easy and enjoy yourself. It wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe do a dual enrollment, get some early college credits out of the way. You'll also be able to challenge yourself a little more if you don't feel academically challenged in your current coursework. What's the point in rushing to a junior college anyways?

It really boils down to what you want and what you think is good for you. I had a friend drop out after her Junior year, got her GED, and went to college a year early. She said it was the best decision she ever made. I, on the other hand, had a blast during my senior year by making it what I wanted it to be: a personal investment into my future. I wouldn't give up the experiences I had throughout high school for anything. College was way better though. :3

***Paul*** · 03-16-2007, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimcicle

How about: get your grades, lose your voice at the homecoming game, goof off in class, ditch on senior ditch day, take a road trip during spring break, go to senior prom, walk down the carpet with your peers, get your high school diploma, party hard after graduation. A list of things that you will miss out on if you skip out on your last year of high school.

Simply put. You've made it 3 years for what? If you drop out, all that was for nothing to be honest. The feeling of making it out of high school the appropriate way feels like nothing ordinary.

enigma117 · 03-16-2007, 08:03 PM

Don't be in such a rush for college. High school's far less of a hassle. -_- And the GED may be legally equivalent to a high school diploma, but it sure as hell doesn't work the same.

Arkaaito · 03-16-2007, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi

Personally, I don't regret what I did, because my high school was terrible, and was just holding me back. Once I got into college, I realized that there was another world out there where being smart and motivated to learn was a virtue, and earned you respect amongst both your peers and your teachers. If you really want to get ahead, and work to your full potential, college can definitely take you there, but it requires plenty of work on your own behalf.

Unfortunately, it's all relative. Being smart and motivated to learn will earn you respect from some people, but it will also earn you the enmity of plenty more. College isn't a silver bullet that makes people grow up and start behaving rationally.

OTOH, highschool is a terrible place for being smart and motivated too, so I suppose it really comes down to this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimcicle

How about: get your grades, lose your voice at the homecoming game, goof off in class, ditch on senior ditch day, take a road trip during spring break, go to senior prom, walk down the carpet with your peers, get your high school diploma, party hard after graduation. A list of things that you will miss out on if you skip out on your last year of high school.

If all those things sound great and appealing to you, you should probably stick around highschool. It's true what they say - you can never go back.

If you're as lost trying to figure out what's so great about those as I am... then maybe early college is for you. Yes, if you're visibly younger than your peers you'll have a bunch of straightlaced administrators who take it as a personal offense when anyone abnormal walks through their doors. But if you go to college while it's still challenging for you, and don't make the mistake of waiting until you've outgrown it to enroll, I think you'll find an age gap is much less difficult to overcome than an ability gap in relating to your peers.

m335h73r of PBJ · 03-16-2007, 11:46 PM

Yeah alot of shit happened to me during high school so I really wasn't able to benefit from the full high school experience. Frankly, I don't care. I never had school spirit and I was pretty much always high on something.

I took my GED a while back after taking a year off of school due to mourning and then total lazyness with a dash of job hunting. I'm doing absolutely fine work and financewise at the moment, and I already know that I'm never getting into harvard without 5 bajillion dollars so it's all good.

But yeah don't do what I did, go to school and maybe you might be cooler than I am.

imbri · 03-17-2007, 12:19 PM

In my opinion I think that everyone gets something out of high school, whether it's learning morals or work ethic or grades or whatever. Once you get out of there, a lot of things you take for granted will go away, and you'll be pretty much alone (unless your parents take pity on you and continue to do everything for you, in which case you'll probably become a basket case when you get older).

In these modern days, everyone wants to just get ahead, get ahead. Sit back and if you're really that smart, just enjoy getting easy A's in high school. I know a couple kids that are around 4 years younger than all the other people in my class, and maybe this isn't typical, but most people just ignore them or look down on them because they're kind of irritating since they're so much younger.

But whatever, if you really truly want to skip out of high school, then do it, I can't really do anything to stop you if you're that determined to do it. Just be aware that you might end up missing high school more than you thought you would.