Hi, I am 15 (almost 16) and currently a sophomore in high school. I have the option to graduate early, and it is looking very tempting. I have been doing research and I have been receiving mixed reviews. Many people say that the problem with early graduation is that students go to college and are not ready academically and/or socially. I would not go straight into college after I graduate, I would take a gap year and travel to places like Africa, Ireland, and the Philippines. I would also take courses to improve my ACT/SAT scores. I was wondering if this would improve or harm my chances of getting accepted into certain colleges. Thank you for taking the time to read my question, have a great day.
I see no reason for you to graduate early from what you state in your post. That extra year of HS alone will help you be better prepared for college and also to have higher test scores. Plus, your plans to travel do not include the same intellectual stimulation that going to school does- your study muscles could figuratively get rusty. Having the financial luxury to travel will not mean schools will think better of you.
The situation would be different if you already had extremely high ACT/SAT scores plus have exhausted all of the top courses your HS has to offer. btw- am familiar with gifted kids. My gifted son was young- 16, when he graduated from HS and went to college. He went early entry to kindergarten and compressed elementary grades. His social awkwardness his whole life can be attributed to his baseline personality as well as being young. No good fit for the gifted (why they are such- age and ability out of synch) like for the majority. He was able to be a full participant in music, sports, academic teams and had a social circle (cross country runners- a smart group generally).
I see no reason for your to rush and make next year your final year of HS. If you need classes beyond the available AP/IB ones available to you there are usually ways to take classes at nearby colleges along with HS ones. Plus- you apparently don’t yet have stellar test scores. One more year will make a big difference. It sounds like you have not exhausted your HS opportunities. You have two years to build your life experiences with extracurricular activities that you won’t have chances for after childhood.
Another factor- early graduation likely means having the minimum required credits/units. Most op colleges, including public flagship U’s will have most students exceeding their minimum required units, which also are more than the minimums required to get a HS diploma. For example- UW-Madison requires at least 2 years of a foreign language but most accepted students will have 4.
Going further-college. Son could have graduated from college after 3 years with enough overall credits and those in his major. However, it would have been a bare bones number and he could not have done enough for Honors. Plus, to be competitive for grad school he certainly needed those extra courses in his major. Plus more time to study for any tests for grad schools.
Rushing through life is not good. There will be plenty of time to travel, you could take a gap year after finishing 4 years of HS or after college. btw- If you are underage (18) you will have difficulties with many plans. You will not be allowed to travel alone- so many rules for minors. Colleges do take minors and being young is unnoticed by them (and college students don’t know/care about your age, either).
I just don’t see where getting a bare minimum HS education and taking off to travel will help you. A lot harder to self study when there are no timely deadlines as well.
Some colleges will NOT accept SAT or ACT scores taken after you graduate from college.
@mom2collegekids can you clarify this for Alabama, and Auburn?
I agree with @wis75. I’m not hearing a compelling reason for you to graduate early. You need to retake your ACT and/or SAT tests.
Remember, the applications to your colleges will need to be completed during your gap year…so if you are traveling…think about the logistics of getting the applications and financial aid applications completed.
The colleges will accept post-high school graduation test scores for admissions, but some do not for scholarships.
What type of colleges do you aspire to? Are you planning to apply to highly selective colleges?
I started college at age 16 and I would be at the front of the line talking about those social/maturity issues - but your gap year plans address that.
My D has a good friend in high school who graduated a year early – he applied to a whole range of highly selective private colleges, and was turned down by every one – ended up at one of the less selective campuses of our state university-- where I’m quite sure he could have done very well. (As a graduate of the same U. system, that’s not a bad outcome, and many students who graduated on time followed similar paths). But I’ve always wondered whether that missed year of high school hurt him in applying to the schools he had targeted.
But at the same time, if your sights are set a little lower for college and you have reasons to be frustrated with your high school and its offerings – it’s your life. While it is not an academic experience, you will learn things from traveling and living abroad that are far beyond what what you will get in any classroom. So you have to ask yourself: what’s more important to you? Living a more adventurous life, the way you want? Or following a path to attend a prestigious college and then maybe grad school?
If your top priority is getting into particular colleges (or particular types of colleges), then deviating from the regular path has the potential of dashing those dreams. Also - you’ll never know – colleges don’t give a specific, personalized reason when they send a rejection letter. If you take that gap year and then later get rejected from your dream schools … will you have regrets later?
On the other hand, the gap year can make you a more intriguing candidate to colleges where you would be a strong match, but perhaps get lost in the crowd if your high school record looks just like everyone else’s.
As you are only a sophomore now, I am puzzled by plans to improve ACT/SAT in your gap year - you should be doing that in the coming year, with the intention of taking the tests in the spring of your junior year, perhaps a retake in summer or fall… but if you are worried about standardized test scores, then you probably should stick it out in high school.
Here’s another option – given that you seem to have the course credits to graduate a year early, is it possible to simply arrange a midyear graduation, a semester early? Finish out whatever full-year courses you need in your junior year, reserving any one-semester courses for fall of senior year. (I seem to remember courses like AP Government and AP Econ being one-semester courses for my kids). Then you are around in the fall to have teachers and guidance counselor readily available for preparing your college apps… and then you can head off to your travels and simply forego that last semester of senior year when senioritis and ennui tends to set in for most students. (Not a good idea you are one of those students who can’t imagine missing senior prom… but if those traditions mean little to you, then planning for an early departure might end up being the best option for you.)
I would see if you could dual-enroll and take college classes at your high schools expense. You could potentially have your school district pay for half of your undergraduate degree.
My son took 5 classes at the local U in junior year of HS, each semester. He clearly had moved on from HS curriculum. It made sense for him to skip senior year at HS. I think it is rare that someone cannot find anything to take at HS, but it can happen. His friend, a grade lower, did the same. A Few colleges were forgiving, but many were not. Unless you truly have no other option, continue with HS.
Unless one has exhausted all academic options at one’s local HS and has high SAT/ACT scores, graduating early isn’t a good way to give yourself a fighting chance at gaining admission to the elite colleges you seem to be targeting.
And travelling without any serious academic study/working a job built into it doesn’t tend to go over well with some adcoms as they may get the impression, however erroneous, that you’re another upper/upper-middle class kid taking the modern equivalent of the “Grand Tour” popular among European aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Whether they’d count for half of one’s undergrad degree depends on the college OP ends up attending.
If s/he ends up at the private elite colleges s/he seems to be targeting, it’s very unlikely the DE courses will be fully counted unless the local DE colleges are academic peers. And even then, there may be some contention with the college over transfer credits.
It truly depends on what colleges you’re considering. Community college? Non-selective colleges? I could tell you lots of stories about incredibly high performing/achieving students who graduated early vs. incredibly high performing/achieving students who didn’t, and almost all the ones that didn’t graduate early fared better in college admissions (all were applying to very selective schools). Yes, I have known some extremely high achieving young graduates who got into the likes of MIT and Harvard at a very young age, but they were one in a XXXXXXX (fill in the blank).
If you can find ways to stay challenged in high school (taking more AP, honors, advanced, college, independent projects, etc), please consider not graduating early if you have plans to apply to selective colleges. You can still take your gap year later.
If you don’t care where you go to college, but just want to get on with life, and your test scores ultimately won’t matter, graduating early makes sense.
One thing that bothers me is that if you graduate early, you will not be a legal adult during your gap year. This may not be a huge problem if you will be staying with family members in those places or if you will be traveling as part of an organized program for students your age. But traveling on your own when you’re underage could pose problems.
I think your plan sounds wonderful as long as the year is structured properly, and that it will certainly enhance your application. One of mine didn’t finish high school (did a performing art instead) and did fine with admissions despite a so so academic record: all the schools told us they love “outliers.”
I do not agree that academic skills get “rusty” (I went back to school in my 40’s) and travel can be very stimulating.
There are many very selective schools that are test-optional but you can also just take the tests without much prep. Just read the strategies for test-taking and go over math before the test.
Here is the list of test-optional schools: http://fairtest.org/university/optional Please note that top schools are on this list. Under B’s alone you will find Bates, Bowdoin, Bennington, Bryn Mawr, Brandeis, Bard, and others.
It may be that high school is not a good fit for you and that leaving early will be good for your overall well-being. If that is true there are many paths to take. You can WOOF or do NOLS (google), work, take classes, learn woodworking, take Tai Chi, volunteer if you can afford it, endless.
If however you do not have good reasons for leaving high school, think about staying.
You are the one who really knows. If you are unsure, I would suggest making an appointment with a counselor to discuss. Or talk to your guidance counselor. Unexpectedly, our GC loved our family: we made her life more interesting!! 
Are your parents supportive?
My son took a gap year, and his academic skills got rusty. Maybe that was just him.
Many good points raised. Both of mine went to universities at 16 having attended either four or five years of high school. They had loads of APs and college credits by then. They were ready. One was certain about heading off to Cornell (he turned 16 the week he graduated high school, but nobody could tell looking at him or by his academic or social skills). The other considered some gap year programs, but his age worked against him for most of those. He’d already done five years of high school and college classes since he was 10. He really just wanted to matriculate. Consider your options. There are many ways to learn. If you do stay for three or four years of high school, go out of your way to find interesting ways to enhance that experience. Good luck!
You can also look into Early Colleges like Bard College at Simon’s Rock. They are designed for students who are ready for college after 10th or 11th grade (you don’t even have to have graduated high school).
Pay attention to that rusty academic skills post. College requires focus and time- not like getting around to some fun learning when you feel the mood to do so.
I wouldn’t assume that taking a gap year will affect studying skills. My son took a gap year between high school and college and it didn’t hurt him academically at all. I started college 3 years after I graduated, and it didn’t bother me either. You have to know yourself, though.
If you need to improve your test scores, I’d stay in school and take dual enrollment courses. You can get college credits at reduced prices.
I really appreciate all of these responses. I believe that I am going to take the gap year. I have very good grades and have taken almost all of the AP classes that are offered. My test scores are also quite good, it’s more of a personal goal to improve them, not a necessity. Volunteering in these countries will broaden my horizon more than an extra year of high school will. Again, thank you so much for your opinions and advice.
Good luck!
I think that in the end you will be fine as long as you don’t have your heart set on a particular elite college.
Do you plan to apply to colleges next fall and then request a gap year after results are in?
Be sure you CAN do what you propose. Being a minor means a great deal when trying to go abroad. btw- you can do just as much good work in your home state so don’t assume those experiences will enhance your college resume. It takes a great deal of discipline to keep up with academic work when not in formalized settings.
If you think your test scores are fine why did you state trying to improve them? Sounds like your parents are rich and can afford to send you abroad. Legalities may prevent some of your proposals. We had it figured that our gifted kid’s options were limited to college to keep his mind intellectually active and away from home. Need to be 18 to do so much, anywhere.
There are quite a few organized programs for teenagers who want to spend time abroad, so I don’t think that will be a problem. However, the OP might want to consider costs of her plans-- she really needs to be sure that her parents are on board with the idea and willing to subsidize or assist with her gap year plans.