Skip high school?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Well, I’m homeschooled and I have the option to go to high school for my last 2 years(junior/senior) but my state also gives me the option to take the GED because the only requirements are that I am atleast 17 and have been out of school for more than a year(I technically have been). From there, I’ll join the technical college my father works at which has a 2+2 program which is 2 years in a community college for an associates degree and then transfer to a state college for 2 years to obtain a Bachelor’s.</p>

<p>So long story short, is it worth it to skip high school to go to college and complete it 2 years early while missing out on AP credits, high school diploma and SAT scores?</p>

<p>The reason I didn’t ask in the homeschool sub-forum was because I wanted to know from an Engineer’s perspective, not someone who has been homeschooled their whole lives.</p>

2

<p>Well, if you pass the GED, pass two years in a community college, and get your engineering degree from a university, I don’t think there will be much difference. You’ll be as employable as any other engineer.</p>

<p>However, most people that I know that didn’t go to high school never took the GED, didn’t go to community college, and then never got the engineering degree. Among my coworkers (I work at Boeing), I don’t think any of them didn’t go to high school.</p>

<p>So I’d say that your chances of completing college and earning the degree is less if you don’t go to high school. Engineering programs take a ton of disciple and that’s probably the area that homeschooling doesn’t develop as well because you have a lot more freedom to do coursework at your schedule.</p>

3

<p>this is a very individual and specific question, not one im sure people on an internet forum can answer specifically.</p>

<p>i can, however, give my experience and hope it helps you in some way.</p>

<p>i went to a “supposedly” good high school and graduated in 4 years. in my time, i enrolled in junior college course at night and summer. i had enough credits that the second term of my freshmen year, i was a senior by credits. all my creidts were through ap or jc.</p>

<p>in retrospect, i didnt give a rats *** about high school. i really wish i’d left the damn place early. academic and socially, i didnt much care for the place. ap credits are a waste of your time, especially if you can take the actual college course. </p>

<p>that being said, i dont think a junior college would have been that much better (theres a phrase about JCs- high school with ashtrays…). in my experience, most of the people in classes tend to fall into one of three groups.

  1. didnt do well in hs, and still wanted to go to college for whatever reason; they were often taking remedial course work…
  2. very smart people, but came from out of the country/state, so applying for admission to a state school was very difficult, if not bureaucratically impossible.
  3. people who were older and came back for a degree. personalities ranged from the very interesting to those in number one.
    being at a JC and a full-fledged university are two very different experiences; don’t think they are interchangeable. </p>

<p>there are a few homeschooled kids in my some of my classes, and i think the biggest reason you should consider going to hs is that they tend to be socially awkward, particularly in large group (ie classroom setting) and lack inter-personal skills. (these are third year classes…) for that reason alone, i would say go to hs, at least for a year. </p>

<p>in terms of employ-ability (is that a word?), i cant imagine anyone caring, unless you are under 18 at the point. there are legal things, but you’re 17 and will turn 18 soon enough. academia is one of the few places where young bright minds are actively encouraged to get out of their area.</p>

<p>if you live in a texas, i would recommend a school like the texas academy of math and sciences, or something similar in your state.
[TAMS</a> Home, University of North Texas](<a href=“http://www.tams.unt.edu/]TAMS”>http://www.tams.unt.edu/)
i didnt get to go here (i live in a diff state) but i think it’s something i would have really enjoyed. </p>

<p>if not, i would go to hs for a year and try and apply to a state school after my junior year. but i already know i disliked my hs environment… you might end up loving it and wanting to be a senior. i dont know much about whats its like to be homeschooled, so i cant really comment on that.</p>

4

<p>High schools across the country are very varied but that doesn’t have to dictate how much fun and learning your going to have. I agree though that you should go to high school and try to get more experience in large social settings, and join a circle, so you aren’t sweating it when you get to college and meet a hot girl.</p>

5

<p>Well, I became homeschooled after the 5th grade, so I haven’t been homeschooled my whole life.</p>

<p>With that many years of socialization in public school and the fact I’m volunteering at the local food cupboard, would it really be beneficial? I know it’s a hard question to ask but it’s also kind of hard to refer to myself as socially awkward and not knowing what a “socially awkward” person is.</p>

6

<p>High School can be a lot of fun, are you sure you want to skip it? You would meet a lot of interesting people, have the opportunity to explore new interests, and get some excitement out of being a teenager. And you might even learn a few things. :)</p>

<p>Trade school will always be there, but once your teen years are gone, that’s it. I would go to high school and make the most of it.</p>

7

<p>High school is a worthwhile experience if your peers are smart. Breezing AP classes because the rest of the students are slackers won’t make you better as a person. However, if you go to a tough school with smart peers, where you have to struggle for the grade, I feel that it is worth it because you get mentally toughened up, and there is generally a positive effect on you from being around smart friends.</p>

<p>It is probably a good idea to go so that you can get used to everyday social interactions with a lot of people. (If you do this with homeschool, disregard that statement.)</p>

<p>Lastly, I think it puts you on a (more) sure path to head into college. Just my opinion.</p>