<p>I'm fifteen, and I guess I'm technically a freshman because this is my first year in highschool; but I'm most likely graduating next year or in 2013. The reason is that my parents recently decided that they want me in private school, and once I was enrolled I found out that I could graduate in three years instead of four. Now, my stepmom wants to homeschool everyone, and I figured out I could finish highschool in two years.</p>
<p>I know, it kind of sounds like I'm biting off more than I can chew, but since this semester started I've been taking 9 courses and my GPA is still a solid 4.0. Plus, I still have time for my music and a social life.</p>
<p>My question is, do I still have a good chance at getting into Rice University in Houston? I'll have the same amount of credits as any other highschool graduate, but I may not have time for things like community service, etc. Even so, shouldn't completing highschool in two or three years count for something? I also play flute and piano, sing in choir, am pretty good at sketching, ran track and played softball when I was in public school, and can pick up new things pretty quickly. Think I have a chance? Does anyone have any advice for me? Oh, and scholarship ideas would be great because Rice is pretty expensive.</p>
<p>Sorry. If you graduate early, you have to be MORE impressive than the average accepted student, you don’t get bonus points for finishing early – you are younger, thus potentially less mature and less ready for independent college life. You also better find time for community service activities – admins don’t care if you have a social life!</p>
<p>My son is a 3-year graduate, and he just got a couple of early acceptance letters from two colleges with acceptance rates similar to Rice’s (15-20%). He’s taken as many as 13 classes at one time, including his high school classes, an online class, a college class, and 4 self-studied AP tests – he got As in all the formal classes and the top score of 5 in three of the four self-studied APs. His class rank is 1 in 400, he’s got perfect standardized test scores (ACT 36.0, PSAT 240, two SAT II 800s) plus ECs and community service.</p>
<p>Now what do you suppose these two colleges wrote when they accepted him? Amazing stats? Heck no, they wrote: “We especially loved your commitment to your school and your community.”</p>
<p>Definitely do NOT ignore those things that show you are a person of character, not just a good test taker!</p>