<p>My parents are moving back to their home country, Pakistan. They have to go within the next year. I'm a junior in high school with 5/6 weighted classes, President of Speech & Debate - one of the regular kids on CC. I'm applying to particular colleges in Pakistan right now for the upcoming year, as per my parents' wishes. </p>
<p>However, I do not want to attend college there. We emigrated to San Fran when I was 5, I spent fourth grade there, and often visit over the summer. I feel I would not be able to cooperate in a society so oppressive towards its women. I have not had the upbringing to cope with that. I do not know of any women who are not financially dependent on their husband/husband's family. Furthermore, I'm afraid that if I study there for undergrad, there will be no way to study abroad for law school. Essentially, I don't want this one decision to trap me for life. Maybe I am freaking out. Who knows.</p>
<p>Anyways, I've talked to my GD about graduating early and applying to college. We figured out a plan to finish my credits and graduate early but I need to be attending a college in the fall, or at least by the spring. I can't think of a different living situation. I do not have family I could live with. I'm sixteen. Renting apartments, etc., is very undesirable.</p>
<p>From sleuthing through CC, I've found Carnegie Mellon is open to early grads. I'm not a math/science student (note: law school) and have no chance at a tech school including Harvey Mudd, MIT, Caltech. Do you know of other schools? I'm open to transferring after one year. Furthermore, what kind of requirements are those schools looking for? Can I explain my situation and get in based on merit? What about AP scores for this year? I definitely feel ready for college and am doubling up on courses right now. </p>
<p>Graduating is not the problem. I'm worried about getting into college. I only found out about this drastic change within the last two weeks. Is it too late to do something?</p>
<p>Bard College at Simon’s Rock specializes on students who wish to attend college before graduation, and they were also open to young high school graduates the last time I checked. The University of Mississippi for Women also has an early admission program that accepts students without a high school diploma.</p>
<p>IF you parents are OK with the idea of you staying behind in the US, you would probably be better served by going to a HS boarding school, as Balto suggested,instead of hoping to be among the few JR’s who are accepted early to college. there are quite a few boarding schools on the west coast, some which mostly catering to Asian families who send their kids here to get a “leg up” on admissions to US colleges, some that cater to “regular kids” and of course the numerous boarding schools on the east coast, many who offer a 5th year of HS .</p>
<p>You can go to a community college and then transfer after 2 years. I know it is not nearly as glamorous as going to a university right out of high school, but I would think it beets Pakistan. My dad went to SF city college, transferred to Uc Berkeley and then headed to law school. He seems quite happy with the route he took.</p>
<p>First, you will need the cooperation of your parents for any of the ideas offered above. All of these schools cost money which I’m guessing, you at 16, don’t have.</p>
<p>Next, rushing to apply now will probably result in a much less successful fit than if you started the process earlier and applied to a well thought out range of schools.</p>
<p>Could you return to Pakistan with them for a year and apply from there.</p>
<p>If they would support a boarding school, I agree that would be your best bet.</p>
<p>Many things depend on just exactly why your parents “have to go within the next year”. Have they lost their jobs, and hence a visa status? What is your immigration status in the US? Is it dependent on your parents (for example an H4 visa)?</p>
<p>If you have a green card or are now a US citizen, your options will be different from the options of someone with a different visa status. Get a referral to your local legal aid office for help with this.</p>
<p>Rutgers University offers Admission by Examination</p>
<p>Q: What is Admission by Examination?
A: You may apply for admission by examination if you have not completed high school. Candidates for admission by examination apply by taking the SAT or ACT and three SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II: Subject Tests) of the College Entrance Examination Board, including English and mathematics. The third examination may be taken in a subject of your choice, unless you are applying to the College of Nursing, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, or the School of Engineering. For these schools, the third subject must be a science. </p>
<p>Note: If you will not be 17 by the time of enrollment I’m not sure than they will allow you to stay in a dorm however</p>
<p>Do you really not know anyone you might be able to live with? You might be surprised.</p>
<p>There are still a bunch of options. Lots of colleges have Jan. 15 or Feb. 1 application deadlines, but they may not be the ones that would fit you best. EVERY college is going to be open to early graduates, not just CMU, but some don’t care whether you graduate or not. (That’s probably what you are looking at with CMU. The problem is that these colleges cluster near the top of the food chain, and you have probably missed most of their deadlines, except for Simon’s Rock.) You could go to boarding school for a year, or to community college. Some colleges have separate, later applications for spring semester 2011 admission.</p>
<p>But given the timing and your age, you are likely to have a lot more good options if you stay where you are and apply to college next fall, deliberately and with forethought. It can’t be THAT hard to find a family who would be happy to surrogate-parent you for a year. You should give that some real thought before excluding it.</p>
<p>One more question: What is your immigration status? Do you have a green card or a student visa? Is that going to be an issue for you, now or in the future?</p>
<p>(CMU, by the way, is not just for math-science-engineering people. It has humanities departments, social sciences, and everything. A really good creative writing program, and a semi-conservatory drama program.)</p>
<p>I was in the same spot when I was a junior in high school: father was being transferred to the middle east (on business.) So I arranged to spend the summer/senior year living with a friend’s family - my parents paid for my room and board. The key was having my family supporting the decision not to go with them, and I recommend you first make sure your own family is OK with this too.</p>
<p>If you graduate with a HS diploma you will have the same credentials as the rest of the HS grads and therefore be as elegible for any colleges. My gifted son did his grade acceleration in elementary school and was fine with a large public U as a 16 year old freshman the first months before turning 17. He needed to live in the dorms his second year as local landlords required the students to be 18 even with a parent cosigner, no big deal. College students don’t care about your age, if they even bother to know it. I understand your reluctance to change countries- do what it takes to stay in the US as a young woman.</p>
<p>If your HS is willing to give you a HS diploma at the end of this school year you will have the same credentials as any HS graduate and can apply to any college whose deadline hasn’t passed. My gifted son did his grade acceleration during his elementary years and was 16 when he began college at a large flagship U. No problems with living in the dorms- college students don’t care what your age is. He needed to spend his sophomore year in dorms since local landlords would not rent to anyone under 18 even with a parental cosigner (he’s lucky we insisted he stay in the dorms and didn’t find this out while trying to sign a lease). You can apply to a school still taking applications- think mainly good public ones with rolling admissions- and attend with on campus housing. You can consider applying to “better” schools later if you feel you need/want to. I understand your wish to stay in the US as a young woman- good luck. You can also reassure your parents regarding family religion/values by checking out the colleges’ campus religious groups (you don’t have to belong once you’re there).</p>