<p>I'm having a tough time deciding where I should apply/go. </p>
<p>I will probably end up applying to some selective schools. However, since I am going to graduate school for sure, I was thinking I could go to my state school or another relatively unselective school (top 100 still) and graduate early (2 years?) because I should have around 16 APs under my belt by graduation... </p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice for me? Would graduating early from college be worth it? Could I graduate 2 years early?</p>
<p>look for joint, dual or submatriculation.......grad degree while finishing undergrad degree. You don't seem aware that you can do graduate work while doing undergrad and also skip Masters going straight to PhD. I think if you look into program offerings more deeply you will find many opportunities.</p>
<p>How that would work out? Would I would get my PhD/Masters from my undergrad school? Because I would prefer to get my PHD/Masters from a relatively nice university (top 15).</p>
<p>While we're on the same topic, how does the level of education at an average state school compare to that of a private LAC/elite college? I've heard about how the gap is closing/there is no longer any gap at all... Is that true?</p>
<p>depends. yea u have 16 APs under your belt, but does your college waive general education requirements with the APs, or do the APs only substitute for elective credit? if they do waive GE's, then yes, it's possible, provided that your major itself can be finished in 2 years. if they only waive electives, then make sure you take into account your GE's in addition to your major requirements. another thing to take into account is whether or not you can actually register for all your classes in 2 years, especially in a big state college where classes fills up fast, and also remember that classes aren't offered every semester/quarter at most colleges, meaning you're going to have to do some very careful planning on course selection. </p>
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Would graduating early from college be worth it?
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<p>depends on your goals. remember that the true undergraduate experience can only be done once in your lifetime. in other words, many people would rather enjoy college life as you will not have another opportunity to have so many avenues for fun until you retire. </p>
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How that would work out? Would I would get my PhD/Masters from my undergrad school?
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<p>one possibility is to get your master's at your undergrad school but transfer elsewhere for the PhD. don't know if that's advised though. </p>
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While we're on the same topic, how does the level of education at an average state school compare to that of a private LAC/elite college? I've heard about how the gap is closing/there is no longer any gap at all... Is that true?
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<p>i see the level of education at top state schools to be very close to that of private LAC's and elite colleges. for the average state school though, it may vary. one thing to keep in mind is that you're going to need letters of rec if you're planning to go to grad school... it may be slightly tougher to get one if you're going to an average state school.</p>
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While we're on the same topic, how does the level of education at an average state school compare to that of a private LAC/elite college? I've heard about how the gap is closing/there is no longer any gap at all... Is that true?
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I suggest you spend more time investigating the differences because they are quite significant. Class size, attention from profs, people the school attracts (national vs in-state, for one), and so on. Read the book "Looking Beyond the Ivy League" by Pope to get a lot more info on LACs and smaller U's. </p>
<p>Also you should spend some time actually visiting schools of various types (LACs, large U's, urban, rural, etc) while school is in session to get a feel for what they're like and which works for you.</p>
<p>Don't do 2 years for undergrad, it's a bad idea. I had 14 AP's under my belt and I'm still doing all 4 years, but I'll end up with 3 majors I think. If you really want to leave early and move on to a better school, do 3 years, but never do 2, it's just not enough time spent in college life. As to your question regarding LAC's and state schools, it's way too broad, because there's such a range in the quality of each. The best public schools (Michigan, Berkeley, UVA) provide more academic opportunity than the best LAC's in my opinion, but it all depends on what kind of schools you could get into. I'm a big public school guy myself, but it depends on what you're looking for. The average state school isn't very good, but then again, either is the average LAC. The state school is also likely cheaper.</p>
<p>Careful. Most universities I've looked at, state and otherwise, put a cap on how many credits you can bring in from AP's. (Usually around 32-33 or so.)</p>