I’m a ** year old, who is not in High School yet, however – I want to skip to Colllege. Is there anyway to go to College directly without a High School Diploma?
To note, I’ve taken the SAT 3 times, and the SAT Math Level I Subject Test once.
My highest score on the SAT was 1640, and my score on the Subject Test was 630/800.
@Dark|Runner Why do you want to do that? Most (but not all) four-year colleges require a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
@MITer94 I want to skip High School & attend College early, because I’m familiar with most High School Math, Reading, & Writing concepts.
There are a lot of schools that don’t require a diploma for kids who are done with school early. Your SAT score, however, isn’t consistent with “is so far advanced that high school would be an inappropriate placement.” Is your high school unusually limited in course options, and you’ve already exhausted all of them?
@Dark|Runner Your SAT score is just slightly above average, so you should really reconsider whether skipping high school entirely is the best path for you. I know tons of students who scored or would have scored higher than you in 8th grade, yet still decided that attending high school was their best option.
Your will likely be better off finding a more challenging high school. Not all high schools are the same in their curriculum, what courses they teach, clubs offered, nearby community colleges, etc.
Are you still in middle school? Regardless of whether or not you can get into a university without a diploma (for most schools, you can’t) who says you’re ready for college? Have you taken any Honors or APs? If you haven’t, how are you supposed to tell whether or not you can handle difficult college level classes if you’ve never even taken an AP? Middle school is waaayy easier than high school as well–if you haven’t even taken a high school level class before, how are you supposed to handle a college class?
Also, if you indeed ARE a middle schooler and want to go to a 4 year institution, who says you’re even mature enough? You’re probably between the ages of 12-14, right? How would you cope with difficult classes, hard professors who will cut you no slack, and being in an environment filled with 18+ year olds who drink, do drugs and party all the time? You wouldn’t be able to connect with any of the students, and developmentally, you’d be years behind them. You’d struggle. There’s also the possibility that a 4 year college won’t even let you apply that young.
A 1640 is roughly equivalent to a 24 ACT. it’s not that impressive, unless you want to go to your average state school. If you’re aiming for a top ranked school, you clearly aren’t ready enough. When I was 14, I was already at college-level reading, but that doesn’t mean I was ready to actually start college. Just because you’re familiar with high school subjects doesn’t mean you’re ready to skip an entire 4 years. Perhaps if you scored a 2300, and got 5s on the AP Calc, Physics, and English exams, it would be a different story.
This isn’t meant to sound harsh. Stay in high school and take all the advanced classes you can, then perhaps you could graduate a year early.
I agree that you should go to high school. But just fyi, here is some info on early entrance programs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_entrance_to_college
You should go to HS. It is hard to believe that there is nothing you can learn academically in HS. Talk to the guidance counselors about creating a schedule that makes sense for your background and abilities. In addition, HS is a time of social growth, maturity, extra curricular involvement etc.
This has to be a joke. An average SAT score and a below average Math (level 1, at that) Subject Test score does not qualify you to completely skip four years of high school…
Your test score indicates that you’re probably not a prodigy who has maxxed out on the academic opportunities in HS.
College readiness is not just about being “familiar” with the 3 R’s. It’s also about emotional maturity.
Sorry, but your scores are not good enough for any college to consider taking you on at your age. If you retake and get above 1500 on the new SAT, then possibly. Your math score is nothing special. But you certainly do not know enough about math, writing, history, and science to do college level work. Hope you don’t think I am being mean. Just trying to help you see reality. I can’t imagine any college would admit you. Unless it’s a for-profit one, and probsbly, not even then. And I assume your paretns don’t know you are considering this? If they do, please show them this and hopefullynthey will realize that you need to go to high school.
You are not read for college. Many kids, mine included, scored significantly higher than you on the SAT in 7th grade and still had a lot to learn in high school and was challenged in their high school courses.
Most colleges and universities will admit students who have not finished high school if they determine that the student is truly college-ready. Some offer programs specifically designed for early college students, and many of those will admit students as young as the equivalent of 9th grade. To learn more about those options, start here:
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/early_college.htm
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I appreciate it. Nevertheless, I’m trying hard to get ahead of most Core High School subjects.
Once again, thanks and I appreciate all the feedback.
You also can investigate Dual Enrollment (also known in some states as Early College, Running Start, Middle College, etc.) programs that are available in your area. These let you take classes for college credit at a local community college, or 4-year college/university while fulfilling state high school graduation requirements. Most often these programs will allow you to graduate high school with a two year associates degree that would mean you only have two years left at your home-state public university. Depending on where you would eventually go to college some or all of the college credits would transfer.
What’s your rush? Don’t forget to enjoy being a kid.
Why do you keep capitalizing words that don’t need it? Perhaps you don’t have the high school writing skills you think you do.
Do you have 3 years of high school level foreign language under your belt? Have you taken several years of high school science? How about high school level history classes? Have you had the experiences and leadership opportunities that you can get in high school EC’s? Do you think colleges look for all that education just for chuckles or do you think, perhaps, they think a high school education is vital preparation for studying at the college level? Do you seriously think that the ability to get a decent SAT score is sufficient indication of college readiness?
What do you mean when you say that you are trying to get ahead of most core high school subjects (again, no need for capitalization)?
How old would you like to be when you start college? Old enough that a college will let you live in the dorms? Or will you need to live at home? How will you get back and forth to school every day? Are your parents on board with this plan?
Can you hold your own in a classroom discussion with 20 other students who are all older, more mature and better educated than you? If you think so, what evidence do you have for your belief?
Your OP makes it sound like you want to skip high school entirely. Is that what you mean? I suspect that going to college at 14 is pretty much impossible unless you’re one of those very, very, very few outstanding geniuses who is so brilliant and precocious that he graduates high school at 14. That doesn’t sound like you. Are you saying you’d like to accelerate through high school and graduate early? That’s possible, if you’re advanced enough. You’ll need to work with your high school to figure out how to make it happen. You can also check out Simon’s Rock, an early entry college that takes students after 10th or 11th grade.
And you still haven’t answered the most basic question, why do you think you have nothing to learn from high school?
@Dark|Runner Good for you, but not good enough to skip high school entirely, as others have mentioned (and yes, “Core High School” need not be capitalized). You will certainly find lots of things to learn in HS, and it will better prepare you for undergraduate study. There’s also the social aspect - many of my most enjoyable moments so far have been in high school.
Basically, unless your name is Terence Tao, you should most likely attend high school.
Why do you want to skip HS?
Maybe your local public HS is not for you…but are there others?
Are there magnet schools in your area?
Are there different programs like Dual Enrollment (take classes at local Community college)?
I would make an appt with your HS Guidance Counselor and talk about the options.
You need advanced math and hands on lab sciences and foreign language and history and writing practice even if you score well on SATs.