early graduation

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
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<p>So I'm looking at the courses my school's got left. Senior year, I'd be taking multivariable calculus, ap bio, and ap lit (i'm not normally a lit person, the teacher's supposed to be amazing), of things I actually want to take. And at that, I don't really want to take bio, but at least it's a science. Other than that, there's also ap micro econ and gov, which are supposed to be jokes, orchestra, which I kinda want to take again (but it's instead of lunch, so there's that). So my question is, is it really worth going through an entire year of high school for two or three classes i actually want/will benefit much from?</p>

<p>So my two main options if I don't go to high school senior year are joint enroll at GT or apply early to caltech. </p>

<p>If I apply early to caltech, I think I'll have a chance at admission. I'll have completed calc BC, both physics C, ap chem, ap stat, and lots of humanities ap's. I think i could already get a couple recs, and hope to build more next year. I'm in touch with a gt prof (mr. lyon) who's going to try and set me up with some of his grad students to research with. I'm moderately involved in math and science and debate teams.</p>

<p>If i weren't accepted, would it hurt my chances of admission when I applied again senior year?</p>

<p>As far as graduating high school before applying to caltech, I know you don't need a diploma or GED. I could take (on level) courses online to finish up my requirements and get a diploma, but is that really worth anything? On level on line is...less than academically stimulating in my district. Do you think I'd live to regret it if I didn't graduate high school at all?</p>

<p>What are your thoughts in general on normal senior year with some extra humantiies to fill slots v joint enroll v apply caltech early (and if so, graduate high school or not)?</p>

<p>Thanks to anyone who actually managed to read all of that!</p>

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<p>What is GT?</p>

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<p>Georgia Tech. (me thinks)</p>

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<p>Skipping your Senior year, when there are AP or other challenging classes to take is a BIG MISTAKE, one that CT will not look upon positively, especially with so many other equally qualified students also applying for admission. Take as many AP classes as you can handle, or at least 4.</p>

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<p>Apply to caltech early and then decide what to do if you get in. It's nice to have more options.</p>

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<p>menlo- by senior year, i will have already completed, ap wise:
stat, physics c mech, physics c emag, calc bc, chem, world, euro, human geo, psychology, language, chem- 11 aps. From what i've seen, that's fairly competitive (no sarcasm). If i took the most i could senior year (meaning not joint enroll), i'd also have micro econ, macro econ, comp gov, gov, bio, lit, multi var calc (not actually an ap). And I'd have one more open slot, which I could fill with some ap that i'd like ok, but would mostly be taking to fill the slot.</p>

<p>korin- if i didn't get in, would it hurt my chances when i applied senior year? if not, then i'll definitely take your idea</p>

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<p>"if i didn't get in, would it hurt my chances when i applied senior year? if not, then i'll definitely take your idea"</p>

<p>No, it would not.</p>

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<p>ok, so assuming my parents don't say no (and they're still "talking about it"), i'll definitely apply end of junior year.
other input?</p>

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<p>Applying at the end of junior year sounds like a good idea. Could you tell us more about the "joint enroll at GT" option, like whether you'd be a high school student or college freshman, what kind of courses you'd be taking, etc.?</p>

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<p>I haven't done extensive research into it yet. I know that you take courses both in high school and at georgia tech. Short of special permissions, you only take math/science at GT, and I certainliy wont' pursue the paperwork, as I'd want them math/sci stuff. I would have the ability to choose like any normal freshman my courses, although I'm not sure what priority I'd be given as far as if they could only accept a certain number of people into a given course. Just given my interests and pre reqs, I'd love to take more physics classes or stat or chem. I'm not so much a math for it's own sake kind of person, but if i needed it for any of the above, i'd certainly do that.</p>

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<p>On the application they had a question asking for an explanation if you graduated early, so make sure your choice is well-justified.</p>

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<p>The lack of useful/interesting courses to take senior year would be my main justification. Do you think I'd need to justify applying rather than joint enrolling?
(I'm scheduled to talk with my counselor about this later in the week, and I'll post her advice)</p>

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<p>So you don't think multivariable calculus is an interesting course? What about biology?
Are you willing to tell Caltech that?</p>

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<p>nonononononono! sorry if i misrepresented myself, let me clarify. Multi and lit i really want to take senior year. Bio is a science, so that's ok, but i'm no really a bio person, i'm more a chem/phys person. I tried to hit that in my first sentence of the op, sorry.</p>

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<p>This summer i'll be at GHP, which is a state funded summer school program at Valdosta. You have to interview to get in and all. It's a pretty big deal on a local level, but not huge in the caltech app pool i imagine. So that's 6 weeks and will pretty nicely tie up the summer. The whole point of lit is to have the teacher. As to multi, I don't think, short of independent studying it the summer after junior year, i don't see a way. And that's possible, but i'll have to see schedule and ability wise if that's something I could do.</p>

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<p>LIke korinfox said, apply and then decide. If you don't get in, then whatever. Finish out your senior year and give it another try. It does look like you have a pretty strong app. I highly disagree with menloparkmom's comment as I feel that the number of ap's you can cram into your schedule mean's relatively little. I think I took 1, 3, and 2 ap classes soph, junior, and senior year respectively so I really don't think you need "at least 4". I think applying early would show that you are especially passionate but don't underestimate the benefits of an easy senior year before heading off to college.</p>

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<p>You just motivated me enough to make a CC account. I am graduating a year early, and got into Caltech -- I'm also graduating with a diploma, since it was fairly easy to finish up all the requirements for one at my school.</p>

<p>On the application I just made a point of explaining that there was not much more for me to do here next year that would interest or stimulate me, and that college seemed like the next natural step. I'm taking 5 aps this year, but didn't take any the years before, mainly because i spent sophomore year abroad.</p>

<p>My point is that, since you do seem academically qualified, as long as your app projects maturity and good focus, I don't think they'll look down on you for graduating early.</p>

<p>On the other hand, give it some good thought -- I'd always had more friends in the grade above me, so this didn't really affect me socially, but I imagine it would be strange to miss out on the <em>senior experience</em> or whatever. Plus, graduating early put a ridiculous amount of stress on me at the beginning of this year, a good part of which I wasn't expecting. Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, and start working on it early on.</p>

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<p>P.S. If you're going to bear through the college admissions process, don't just look at Caltech. There are a lot of other amazing schools out there, and they might mind even less if you apply without a diploma =).</p>

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<p>I'll definitely also apply MIT and almost definitely HM. I'll also look into other top tier schools for applying early, but I don't plan to look at anything below that for junior year. After all, I don't need a safety with an entire 'nother year of application if need be. My real safety type school will be GT, but I'd just joint enroll rather than fully enroll if I wanted to go that route - I think.</p>

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<p>All I can say is if you want your BEST shot at Caltech, don't skip taking multivariable calc and Bio your Senior year, as you are competing against many students who will have taken all the classes you did, PLUS MV and Bio. In addition many applicants have also done outside research/ academic competitions as well. And you have to consider that you are applying to colleges in the middle of the Baby-Boomlet, when there more applicants than ever before. Just some food for thought.</p>