Hi, I’m currently a senior in high school at age 16 (will be graduating in late May). I aced the SAT and my grades consist of straight A’s with no AP classes taken. As of right now, I have no desire for any profession nor do I enjoy the life of school, in fact, I would say I dislike that life. I dislike the high school I go to, and the concept around ‘school.’ If I was asked to describe school in a single word, I would likely choose ‘boring.’ Currently I’m thinking about not going to college and figuring out what to do later on in my life, however, I would first like to ask a few questions for any readers of this thread as I have no one else to ask.
To those who have shared or share my view, and decided to continue on with school: Has your view changed at all since your decision?
To those who have shared or share my view, and decided to not continue with school: Do you regret your decision?
To the general: Am I being hasty with deciding this now?
It’s very hard to go back to school once leaving. Especially if you have no idea what you want to do you would be safer doing the liberal arts route, land an internship or join a club and see what strikes you. Because you can’t be sure a year from now that your going to have an epiphany, so play it safe.
I’m not saying people have never done it before but I think you should at least try out college.
What are your alternatives? Military? Parent’s basement?
You are 16. That is 2 years younger than many, many students who will be graduating from high school this spring. It is no surprise that you don’t feel ready for college! And yes, it is perfectly OK for you to take some time off before continuing your education.
One of the best ways to figure out what you want to do is to get a job. You will be able to practice getting along with people in an environment that is very different from school, and you will start to get a notion about potential career pathways. Not all pathways require a college education, but most will call for some kind of technical or on-the-job training in order to advance from beginner to higher levels in that career field.
To get started, you will need to find out what jobs are open to someone your age in the area where you live. Some jobs will be closed to you because you aren’t 18 yet, and a few will be closed to you until you are 21. The area where you live may also restrict the total number of hours you can work each week, and the schedule that you can work. However, within those parameters it is likely that you can find a job.
Provided you don’t take any college-level courses for credit, if you do decide to continue your education and you want to go to college in the future, you will be able to apply as a freshman.
Wishing you all the best!
I would advise you graduate and take a gap year. You are very young, so it’s no surprise you don’t feel ready for college. But the reality in the world right now is that a high school diploma is not enough and will severely impact, over time, your ability to get a job, keep a job, and earn a liveable wage. The good news is there are all sorts of options for all types of students, but some kind of further education would be advisable.
What is it about school you don’t like? If you can pin down some specifics, we can help determine whether a traditional college would be a fit for you. What influenced your decision to not take AP courses? I wonder if you were bored because you weren’t challenged enough academically. What things do you enjoy doing? Do you have any inclination at the kind of job you’d like? Desk job? Retail? Creative? etc. etc.
I assume you’ll be able to live at home after you graduate, since you’re only sixteen. Get a job if you can, but also I would advise you look into volunteering or other activities to keep you occupied and engaged. If you do apply to colleges next year, you have to show you actually did something during your gap year. Can your parents contribute financially to your college education?
Good advice, and for some colleges such as the UC system it is even more restrictive.
From this it appears that enrolling at any college, whether for credit or not, would run afoul of the restrictions.
If your parents are willing to finance it, I would 100% take a gap year, doing something completely non=academic, and then start the college search.
Also, you are a senior now? So have you already committed somewhere? (which is fine if you did…just asking)
Lots of people go to work after high school graduation (whether or not they are thinking of it as a gap year before going to college), but that may have more hurdles at age 16 compared to age 18.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/certification.htm
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/026.htm
No desire for a profession or school? So you’re just gonna mooch of your parents for the rest of your life? I suggest to apply to colleges that are still accepting applications (a few very good ones are), and then once you get accepted, take a gap year so that you force yourself to commit to something once you are done with your vacation. Some students do need a break from school. I know someone who is going to another country to play cricket. You can have fun, but as a 16 year old, job prospects would be EXTREMELY hard to come by as most jobs have an age requirement and ask for experience AND more an more are asking for a degree.
OP is graduating two years early. Nobody knows what they want to do for the next 50 years at 16. Take gap year. Take two gap years. Volunteer! Travel! Work on something you’ve always wanted to make! Have fun!!
If you don’t really want to be in that restrictive type of 4-year college atmosphere, you could always go for community college. Definitely go with the gap year since you’re younger though and do something meaningful such as work, volunteer, discover new passions or rediscover old ones, and POSSIBLY get some credit from a local CC to transfer somewhere.
Attending a college (including community college) after high school graduation generally means committing to the transfer path, since that usually disqualifies one from applying as a frosh (though different schools’ rules do vary). This may be disadvantageous for a 4.0 HS GPA / high SAT score student, since merit scholarships are more available for frosh than transfers.
Funny to come to a college board, to ask about skipping college? Strange place to source. I’d ask someplace you find less college people, or reddit perhaps. The people here who didn’t go to college or finish may be some of the parents and times are different when they were college age. Many people who didn’t finish college start careers and maybe did fine, but some always have a monkey on the back because it is embarrassing compared to peers. harder when they want a promotion, and troublesome when you switch companies, get laid off etc.
Why this timing when it is too late to apply to most places? And only negative things to say, nothing about what does interest you if anything. Have you had a depression screening?
Your decision for now doesn’t have to be forever. It is just easier to get school set up and financed when you are first out of high school. And it is easier to get good first jobs based on your potential when you are a new college grad. Sometimes people have to mature before they see the benefits and then it is harder but they may be more focused.
College can be a time of exploration. My kid didn’t go off to college with a profession in mind but has a good one now, a flexible one that lets her do things she likes that are unrelated. A friend studied chemistry but taught English in China and now has a certificate for that. Another went to Haiti and worked in higher education programming. College isn’t like high school. You have a more flexible schedule. If you said you had an intellectual bent, you could look into special colleges for exploration like Deep Springs. Or there is a college for younger people Bard at Simon’s Rock where you can transfer out when you have it figured out. To me, people who are bored are just boring people. They lack motivation and interests (depression screening, again?)
Statistically, people who don’t go to college fare worse in the scheme of things. There are outliers, sure. And there are those who get into the trades and do well.
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/
What sort of resources does your family have in terms of supporting you through a gap year? Independent travel can be a little tricky when you’re underage, but there are more structured programs. Do you have any special interests? You could look into some non-credit programs in areas like arts, theater, filmmaking, et al, or possibly a computer-coding “boot camp.” You would not be a transfer student, technically, if you were not enrolled in a degree-awarding program. These options are only feasible for affluent families, though.
I would listen to your heart and take a gap year or even two if needed. College is a big commitment of time, energy, and money and you want to be ready for it. Clearly with your good grades and scores you will both benefit from and excel in college eventually, but 16 is indeed young and there is nothing wrong with taking a break to mature. And gap years don’t have to involve expensive travel or special programs (though it is great if your family can afford them) Getting a full or part time job and learning what the working world is like can be a great way of gaining a sense of what you want from life. I do happen to think you should go to college eventually, and I suspect you will come to that realization too. But not everyone is ready at the same time, and there is nothing wrong with that.
College is an expensive endeavor. You shouldn’t go there unless you know what you want out of it. You are clearly gifted and will likely do well in anything as long as you put your mind into it. What do you enjoy doing? Do you like programming? Fashion design? Broadcasting? Find an area that interests you, then go knock down those companies’ doors and ask them to give you an internship, or you could sign up to work as a temp with a temp agency that places you at these companies. Once you work for a couple of years you might get a better idea what you enjoy doing or what you might want to study, you can go back to school then. Many successful people never went to college, including 14% of Google’s employees.
Go to a community college. Those two years can be vital especially since you are young. You will need a profession, maybe not one that requires a 4 year degree but you will need one. What do your parents think?
That is a misquote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html?_r=0 says:
“As high as 14 percent on some teams” does not necessarily mean 14% of the whole company.
Also, it is rather likely that those without formal college education are self-educated to equivalent or higher levels of skill in something that is desired from an employee.
I’ve met a kid just like you and he works at the photo lab at Target, lives at home and is into gaming. I know you can get a job there and they don’t require a high school diploma. Good luck and be happy.