You CAN move to Texas and not attend college till the Fall, when you’ll be eligible for maximum financial aid.
You want to have as muxh momentum as possible so that you can get there and stay there.
Note: if you want a lucrative career, relatively soon, forget about premed.
Aim for chemical engineering.
If you haven’t taken ap chem or ap calc, cover that content. Dual enrollment General Chemistry and Calculus I at a CC would work to prepare you for engineering. ChemE is extremely difficult and many give up, so being as prepared as can be is essential.
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Everyone wants you to reach your goal. Many kids want to move far away from their parents.
You say you are ready financially but it seems you need a full ride. You say you are going to work part time which worries me you haven’t been working at all and have no money saved.
Your likelihood of getting a full ride in spring is unlikely. Have you talked to your school guidance counselor about more affordable options?
Have you considered your monthly living expenses? 2k is a low estimate. Then add tuition.
I really hope this pressure to move quickly isn’t for some online love interest. If your dream is to end up on Texas, this will happen. Maybe just not spring 2022.
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@unknowncreature, You have come to the right place. Most of the people giving you advice here are some of the most knowledgeable people on this forum…they have been learning and posting here for YEARS. I’ve been here for several years and these folks were already the experts when I started. They have worked to put children through college and at least one poster is an experienced professional in the field of college admissions worldwide.
In short, they know their stuff and they want to give you correct advice. No one wants to see you flail and burn out. You seem smart and ambitious, but you don’t yet understand many things. Please don’t rush this all-important process until you have a better understanding of what’s involved on the money situation. PLEASE don’t get yourself into heavy debt that could be difficult to pay off for half (or more) of your adult life. And please don’t imagine you can be successful in a rigorous program like engineering while at the same time working enough hours to support yourself. Many of the classes are weed-put classes that require hours and hours of focused study. There simply aren’t enough hours in a day. I feel that if you attempted this, you wouldn’t even know you were in the state of Texas (or care) because you would simply be in the state of work, eat, study, and MAYBE catch a couple of hours of sleep once in a while.
Slow down, be strategic! Take as many free dual education classes as you can before you graduate…is there someplace in your town where you could live…with a friend maybe…if you need to leave your home? Look into Questbridge. OR move to Texas and simply work for awhile and try to save money, learn about your options. You won’t like this, but my advice would be to hold off the Texas dream, just for awhile. Apply widely, where there are ABET programs where you’d be a competitive applicant and could get stacking (need-based and merit aid, if need-based doesn’t cover enough). People on this forum can advise you about possible schools. As appealing as Texas may seem to you, Texas will wait. You will still be young when you graduate from college (as free of debt as possible) and Texas will be there.
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In terms of mental readiness, that’s a question better answer by you and those who know you.
But fwiw, I started college a few months after turning 17, and met others of the same age, and most of us were fine.
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let’s start at the beginning - does your high school allow for early graduation - it would not happen here. It sounds like you know it is allowed but just confirming since assuming isn’t the same as knowing for sure.
If you want to work and take some community college classes in the spring you are much better off doing that as a high school student since if you take them after graduation it will make you a transfer student
While I hope you get those scholarships, you need to think about what to do if you do not.
In general colleges don’t think look he graduated early he is mature - they think why didn’t he utilize his time to grow more.
Starting college in the spring can mean that you are not starting with many others and may lose out on some of the freshman getting to know you activities that can help make your college a fun experience.
Many engineering students will have already taken Cal 1 in high school or even Cal 2 (ap cal BC). It seems like you still can get more out of high school even if you have the minimum requirements to graduate. Most students I know technically only need math and English senior year but still take a full course load.
Just fyi - dual enrollment classes transfer into a ton of schools and have become increasingly common. This includes private schools. You really need to look at each school invidividually and not make broad assumptions.
This is from the website
Baylor University accepts dual credit (if completed while in high school) and transfer credits from regionally accredited and foreign institutions. To receive credit for a course, a student must earn a C or higher and Baylor must have an equivalent course. Credit will be given for these courses, but it will not apply to the Baylor GPA.
Dual/Concurrent or Early College Credit Earned in High School
You may earn Purdue credit from dual or concurrent high school coursework (courses you took in high school that also counted toward college credit – including [Purdue’s own dual credit program] To evaluate this for possible Purdue credit, we must have an official transcript from the college or university that administered the course
Submit your transfer coursework. If you have transfer coursework, including dual credit, submit your electronic college transcript(s) as soon as possible for review by the Office of Admissions in advance of your orientation. (IMPORTANT : High school transcripts that show dual credit coursework cannot be used to document transfer coursework—UH must have your college transcripts to make it all official.)
it sounds like all will accept dual enrollment credit (they just want an official transcript not just your high school trancript)
Have you met with your current guidance counselor and really gone over your thoughts? It sounds like you might benefit from someone who knows the system
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In your OP, you mentioned the Ron Brown Scholarship. That won’t be available to you as a spring admit, and is VERY competetive.
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Lamar University is in Texas offers chemical engineering and has quite a few scholarships, but for Fall 2022 incoming freshman- these are the kinds of opportunities you miss.
Rice, Prairie View A&M, Texas Tech also offer chemical engineering.
Did you file a FAFSA already? Another issue is that other need based aid is often reliant on that information, but those funds can be dispersed first come, first served and run out.
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
But, if you plan to attend in Fall 2022, that FAFSA application will be opening soon (Oct. 1) and you can be ready for it.
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thank you for the information
I’m working on my FAFSA right now.
okay thanks
Yes, I’ve talked to my counselor plenty of times.
I agree with everything you just said. So, I thought about something… I can apply to Purdue for chemical engineering but if I get rejected I can always apply as an undecided major and switch my major to chemical engineering. Graduate in 4 years and then get a job in Texas or attend Texas A&M, UHouston, or UT Austin for graduate school. I can afford the full cost of attendance at Purdue so putting off my dream of moving to Texas just for a few years is a hard pill to swallow but its worth it at the end.
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Hi Everyone,
Thank you for all of the advice and words of encouragement you’ve been giving me lately. And I appreciate the fact that you really care about my situation and contributing to this thread. So, I thought about something… I can apply to Purdue for chemical engineering but if I get rejected I can always apply as an undecided major and switch my major to chemical engineering. Graduate in 4 years and then get a job in Texas or attend Texas A&M, UHouston, or UT Austin for graduate school. I can afford the full cost of attendance at Purdue so putting off my dream of moving to Texas just for a few years is a hard pill to swallow but its worth it at the end.
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I agree with @aunt_bea
If you want to go pre-med then think about:
- The cheapest reasonable college so you/your parents can use the money for med school
- The college needs to prepare you for MCATs but still allow you to get a good GPA
- Access to volunteering opportunities (e.g., near a hospital)
- Success in graduates getting into med school
- Options if you don’t go to med school. You think you are going to med school, but less than 20% of pre-med freshman actually do.
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You have a good point… 
The universities listed don’t admit by major, so you should be good in studying whatever works best for you. UTSA and Texas State tend to offer the best scholarships. UTSA has a killer football team this year, and is named one of the best schools in the country for minorities. The popular majors are not too competitive.
Texas State is a very different campus vibe. It’s a very traditional “Greek” university and has a reputation of being a party school in a college town. And there’s no flat ground anywhere. You’re either walking uphill somewhere or downhill. Bring walking shoes.
U of H is much like UTSA as a commuter-type school. I’ve never been to the campus there, so I can’t say much about it. Majors, like engineering, are a lot more competitive than UTSA, and they don’t admit by major.
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Diving deeper into #1 of @bopper’s excellent points, did you explore staying in your high school for the remainder of the year and using dual enrollment to knock out some classes while it will be paid for by your high school/state? I know you said that was not your preference, but are you in a situation where you can consider that and save that money?
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Yes I am. But, I have to graduate early due to some personal reasons that I can’t share online.
By saying that you need to be graduated a semester early from high school, I am presuming that you need to leave home. Am I wrong, that home is okay, but you just need to get out of the high school ASAP?
I understand that you really want to move to Texas. But you won’t qualify for in-state tuition for at least a year after you move there, AND establish a domicile there, AND are no longer claimed on your parent’s tax return. If you really are planning to do this, then get a state ID, register to vote, get a job, and rent a place to live, all immediately upon arrival in TX. Then you will qualify for in-state tuition a year after you have done all this. So it’s very likely that you wouldn’t be able to start there until Sept ‘23, and even not then, unless you qualify for fin aid (which would be based upon your parents’ low income, and their willingness to fill out the FAFSA for you), or if you win scholarships. Otherwise, you probably would have to do the community college to state U route, which is pretty much the only way to get through on the 27K you can borrow from the federal government, plus your earnings from working part time.
If you can possibly stay in high school another semester, and start college next fall, you should. Take AP and dual enrollment classes, including English classes that will strengthen your writing skills. You should know that most public colleges will accept a ton of AP and dual enrollment classes for credit. My kid entered UMass Amherst with nearly two years’ of credit from AP and dual enrollment classes (which enabled her to be graduated after 7 semesters with two degrees). She probably could have been graduated even sooner had not Covid interrupted things, and had she not wanted both degrees.
If you do get into Purdue, that would be an excellent option for you. But you most definitely should also apply to Bloomington. The world you are planning to enter, that of highly educated professionals, is filled with people who are White, East Asian, and South Asian. You cannot write off your state’s flagship state U just because it’s 70% white! While the US is no longer 70% white, the world you aspire to enter most definitely is!
If the issue is that you need to get out of your parents’ home, is there a friend’s family that you can live with, or another trusted adult that you could live with, so that you can take advantage of that last free semester of education, chock full of dual enrollment classes? If the issue is that you don’t want to attend your high school anymore, then I agree, starting early at Purdue or Indiana Bloomington is probably your best option.
Good luck with the scholarship applications. I hope something pans out for you that enables you to start at a TX school in January. But make options for yourself in your home state, too.
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Based on the need for merit and need based funds and your statement that you said your stats are good, but not great you may want to apply for Fall 22 as well as this Spring. You could get settled and work in Texas in the Spring and Summer to save money and ensure you are going to be considered in state. You should research this. It may be better to transfer to a high school in Texas for semester 2. You could finish AP Chem and take Calculus Honors or CP.
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