<p>I started my senior year of high school 2 weeks ago and just today my schedule was completely rearranged as one of my classes was over the legal limit in terms of number of students. A counselor came in and drew 5 names out of a jar that would need to switch to a later class. I was one of the 5 chosen and my new schedule is pushed back 3 hours from my current one. This normally would not be an issue, but I have had a job that is already in the field I wish to be in after college (not an internship, I am a full member/employee of the company), and I had already adjusted my work schedule to be in line with school. This job not only will help me pay for college but also currently serves as my income towards car payments, gas, and food (mainly lunch), as well as for my own spending. I received a 2100 on the SAT and have a 4.16 GPA (weighted) and 3.85 (unweighted), with 5 AP classes in total. </p>
<p>I was planning to use this job as the centerpiece for all of my college essays, and I also was planning on making it appear in my college apps as much as possible. I have a legitimate business card, work e-mail, and am an important member of the company. I feel that this job is extremely important not only to my current livelihood but to future jobs even after I am out of college. My question to you guys is, do you think it is a viable and realistic option for me to take the GED and in the spring take a few community college courses? I would of course explain my situation in as much detail as possible to all colleges I will be applying to, my top two of which are the University of Oregon and University of Washington. I feel that my job and SAT score as well as my grades so far will carry a great deal of weight towards getting into college and I basically wanted to ask if it is realistic for me to take the GED, work full time, and take a few CC courses just for a semester, and still attend one of the above colleges in the Fall of '11.</p>
<p>Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much!</p>
<p>Do Not Take The GED instead of finishing HS… In some states GC recommend it to kids who may be starting to get into trouble (it keeps them off the HS dropout stats). Keep your job but see your GC tomorrow (Monday) and if that doesn’t work recruit the parents and see the principal, or bribe someone in the class to switch with you… Can you attend the CC through your HS and get both HS and college credit for the coursework? Just thinking…</p>
<p>Sorry I can’t believe I forgot to mention this, But yes I am in the process of setting up a meeting with my parents and the principal…I’m skeptical as to how well it will work though. Bribing is something that crossed my mind but I could not afford to bribe someone enough as to cause them to change their whole schedule for the year around. I should also mention that my school is in an extremely affluent area…So most of the students at the school receive enough money from their parents to the point where they wouldn’t have a need for more. I also figure this plays into my advantage at least a little bit because very few students have a job, and I’d wager even fewer have a job as important to them as mine is to me.</p>
<p>I am aware that the GED is not a good option but I also feel that my top choice colleges are not extremely difficult to get into and that if I were to portray my situation in a very convincing manner it may be enough to get me in. My school does not offer CC courses aside from a few that actually take place at my high school anyways.</p>
<p>I think if you present your case well enough they will let you go back to the original schedule, either by overcrowding the early class or by finding someone who wants to switch. There is bound to be teenager who’d rather sleep late.</p>
<p>OP, are you sure you need to take a full day of classes in order to complete hs graduation requirements? My son, who also had high scores/grades and a whole bunch of APs, found out at the start of his senior year that he only needed 2 more classes–English and civics–to graduate. He had automatically signed up for his usual 6 APs but reconsidered his options. He ended up taking AP English, AP government, and AP physics for half a day at high school, and then, in the time that was freed up, taking some college classes and working at a job in his intended major. It was a very good solution for him.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the replies! I think I will definitely contact UO and UW to find out what their take on this type of situation is. Jingle- At my school seniors need to have a minimum of 5 classes no matter what, and so before this schedule change all my classes were as early as possible in order for me to get to work on time, and now they are slated towards the end of the day, but not late enough that I can go to work before school. GeekMom normally I’d agree with your last statement but the counselor first asked if anyone was willing to switch and of course nobody volunteered.</p>