<p>I am 14 turning 15 in May and am considering getting a G.E.D, because I am home schooled. I know the younger I am when I get it the better. I also have heard that the G.E.D is frowned upon by Universities... I want to get into the top tier Universities (Ivy's Cambridge etc) so I don't want to do anything that will hurt my chances... The reason for getting my G.E.D is because, I am planning on starting my Associates at the local community college asap. So I was wondering if any one could give me any insight to the way Universities look at people with G.E.Ds especially younger people like myself.</p>
<p>I’m not 100% sure, but in general in my circles a GED is frowned upon unless it’s from an adult who dropped out of school and opted to change their life around academically.</p>
<p>We did not go the GED route ourselves and I would never consider it. My boys have home-issued transcripts. We’ve only had issues with one university about that (Pittsburgh - I’ve heard Penn State is the same) and I think if I pressed the issue they would give in because of my guy’s stats. He’s opted to move them to the bottom of his acceptance list instead. (He was accepted with merit aid, Honors College, etc, but they want a third party official transcript… I typed out the letter in one of the recent threads.)</p>
<p>Make sure you get good SAT/ACT stats and any AP test scores you can. Those will say far more about your ability than a GED. Full time community college tends to be a negative rather than a positive if aiming toward top colleges. You might consider them for dual enrollment rather than full time for an associates. A couple of classes would give you profs for letters of recommendation, but preserve your freshman status for top schools. Then too, put some time and effort into the extra curricular(s) of your choice. Your application is more than academics.</p>
<p>In general, it could be a good idea to contact a college you think you would like and ask an admissions counselor their thoughts. Chances are their thoughts would be similar to those of other colleges with similar status.</p>
<p>ok thanks. I have one question. What age do you recommend applying? I heard that being younger isn’t really a plus. I still have a lot of work and studying before I take any tests but I thought Id ask anyway…</p>
<p>You may want to check what the age requirement is in your state for getting a GED. I live in California and the age is 18 so I wasnt able to get one. I ended up taking the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and got my diploma that way because its pretty much the same thing except that the age requirement is 16. I dont know where you live but if you dont meet the age requirement you can check for other options Also, if you end up having to wait until youre older, you can take classes part time at community college as a dual enrolled student and at least get a head start.</p>
<p>Anyway, I did what youre talking about doing. Was homeschooled for awhile, got the diploma and currently working on my associate degree and general ed requirements to transfer next year. I definitely recommend doing it if you can handle the school work . I assume you can if youre homeschooled. </p>
<p>As far as getting into top tier schools, or just transferring really, colleges pay closer attention to your performance at community college and less attention to your high school performance. This is good and bad depending on what youre looking to do. There are a few debates about this on CC, you just have to search for them. Most people will tell you to wait and finish high school but dont put too much weight on those because those people often have not done it, they stayed in high school kind of a biased opinion if you know what I mean. </p>
<p>Hope that helped you a little bit. Id be happy to try and answer any other questions you have too </p>
<p>nicole,</p>
<p>If you want to get into top tier schools, you don’t want to get your GED and then do community college because there are basically no transfer students accepted into these top tiers, so that wouldn’t really serve you in your goal.</p>
<p>I think age is irrelevant if you have the credentials to get into top schools. If you already have exceptional test scores, gpa, great ECs, college coursework, maybe some local, state, and/or national awards, great teacher recommendations, and can write great essays, then whatever age you are, colleges will like you. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good answers. :)</p>
<p>
No NO No No No Nooooooooo! Creekland and Sbjdorlo are right - you don’t want to attempt to transfer into top tier schools. In addition to being much more difficult, you also miss out on freshman scholarships.</p>
<p>My son got an associates degree WHILE DUAL-ENROLLED with homeschool. If you do it that way, the top-tier schools will see you as an able FRESHMAN, and freshman admission is way easier at the top schools. If, otoh, you decide to go to a state school for a scholarship or some other reason, the community college courses will still transfer in.</p>
<p>You really don’t need a GED (at least in most states) - a homeschooling transcript and diploma is acceptable. My son got accepted into several top-tier schools with a pre-HS-graduation associate’s degree and a mom-created transcript.</p>
<p>
Agreed.</p>
<p>
Why?</p>