Today I decided to dropout of high school to start my own startup. I’m in senior year and I’ve had excellent grades so far.
But I want to have a back up option in case my startup doesn’t take off. Can you suggest some good universities which do consider high school dropouts? UC Berkeley doesn’t. Stanford does.
FYI, I’m an international.
Why or what is the urgency that you can’t wait until you graduate? Finishing school would be one less issue to worry about in the future if you do decide to go to a university.
Your SAT score is only 1770. As a high school dropout, I wouldn’t count on admission to Stanford or Berkeley as a backup plan if your startup is not successful.
A more reasonable approach would be to graduate high school and take a planned gap year to devote your efforts to your startup dreams. I wish you well.
I agree with mnm111, there’s no need to rush. Finishing school, getting a diploma and taking a gap year would have been the best option. Especially since you seem to be a bit behind on scholarship application. And if you take a gap year for your startup and it is successful, you’ll be a better candidate next year than you are now. If you only “decided” to drop out but haven’t done it yet, then stay in school.
Finish HS or your options will be quite limited.
Finish HS. you have much time to work on your start up and not many opportunities to finish HS. Work on your start up part time until you graduate.
Finish high school or you will need a GED. Then in most cases you will have to get an Associates before you can get a bachelors. Its a very bad idea.
How much funding have you secured, and when is your projected product launch? Have you signed a lease and lined up production equipment or employees? Can you put the investors off a couple of months until you can secure your degree (assuming you are in the northern hemisphere- a year if not)? Can your milestones be moved, or are they dependent on external events?
While it is true that many colleges and universities are happy to admit students who have not completed secondary school, that is only for truly exceptional students. You almost certainly are better off to finish your secondary education.
If you dislike your particular high school, find out what options exist in your home country. In the US it would be the GED (a series of examinations), perhaps your country offers something like that. Don’t count on being able to complete a US GED. That can only be done in the US, and is only useful for admission to colleges and universities here.