Opinions wanted pros and cons of dropping out of school

Hmm.

In a hurry to get out of high school? Could be the time for some good memories that last the rest of your life. And how about getting to college and not really being old enough to get in the mix till you're a Junior? What a loss of excellent party years.

And how many Sophomores in High School don't have maturity issues?

 

High school was more social to me. I can't say I learned that much or put much effort into getting the A- average that I graduated with. Of course I attend a small lutheran high school.

To me many of the college courses I took the first two years at UH were the same as high school. College course didn't get interesting until my junior and senior years.

 

As an academic advisor at a 4 year college, I have to say that in my experience, MOST freshmen and a good percentage of sophomores aren't really mature enough to handle life in college. Coming to college at 16 would be a big mistake for all but your Doogie Howser types.

 

Friend of mine did this (skipped his senior season, anyway). I can't say that he ended up better or worse for it, just graduated college a year ahead of us.

 

This is very true.

It's not about mental capacity.. the majority of people I graduated with were pretty bright.. but they weren't mature enough.. they farted around, partied, blew off classes, and ultimately ended up dropping out of college.. or they're WAY behind.

Being book smart will get you the grades, but common sense is what keeps you in the game.. something a lot of people lack.. and most of the time it only comes with age.

A couple of people I knew pretty well decided to graduate from high school early, and take college classes while they were in high school. They acted like total snots about it, and it was really pathetic. I just laughed while they raced to the finish line. I knew the real world was coming, so I took my time, relaxed, and let it come to me gradually.. most of those people got burnt out, or just couldn't handle it in the end.

 

Academically: I'm a proponent of high school. But rationally, All the fundamentals for learning have been completed long before highschool begins. I think a student could adapt equally as well to college as they do highschool.

In the past, you might be able to say that college students are at a whole different level of education, therefor the competition is steeper, but I think that would be wrong, as more and more highschoolers pour into the colleges. There seems to be an equilibrium that has been reached. So that argument debunks itself. Especially when you realize that technology equals the playing field dramatically. The younger you are, the more you know about technology.

Emotionally: I would argue that you adapt. As an intravert in HS, I quickly became an extravert in college. I believe, like in the movie real genius, the student adapts fairly quickly. The Nba is proof of that same fact from a phycial and mental standpoint.

As far as missing out on some good fun: I don't believe it. You probably spend less time in academia in college than you do in highschool. I'm not sure. But its irrelevant anyway because the amount of fun does not seem to change until you get into a professional setting. Then is dissapears as fast the youthful reflection you once saw in the mirror.

Again, I'm a proponent of going to highschool for the duration, but I cannot rationalize it in my head. I see no difference.

 

Yep, I too see highschool (atleast the final years) as just a good time to socialize with your buddies whom you have grown up with and are about to leave.

I went to a boarding school in Switzerland, so my final two years there were more of going out and having fun and enjoying my time in the Swiss Alps.

Ofcourse, if you are taking the standard American Highschool system (diploma wise etc. ) then I do see it was a "waste" of time. When people take classes like AP classes or IB classes they are infact taking classes that count towards college credits.

 

you seem to be basing this on solely your experience, when actually, quite the opposite is true. In the latest Time, their cover story is about how young adults are waiting longer and longer to start their own independent lives. young adults (twixters i think is what they call them) are getting married later, securing jobs later, taking longer to graduate, and are living at home w/ the folks for longer after they graduate from college.

and i for one completley agree. i'm 23, about to finish my 5th year of college, my parents support me nearly 100% in terms of financing and the like, and i'll probably be back at home after i graduate. and i see this all around me with nearly all of my friends.

as a whole, we're taking longer to grow up. so your personal experience is definitely the exception and not the rule, IMO.

 

I kinda agree with Phillyrocket ... I graduated HS when I was 15, and started college at the same time. It was a little tough to adapt to the environment, esp since I lived on campus.

But it was also kinda cool, cuz everyone just took it upon themselves to look after me as the younger brother. It was weird that I got my full license when I was a senior in college, but whatever.

I think it depends on your perspective of where you want to go. If you have a set goal in mind, I think it's great to get the head start, but if you're not sure what your career plan will be, or you're not sure what the major should be, then staying in HS might be better, take various AP/IB courses to gauge your areas of interests, etc.

I think I turned out pretty good, so it was a good experience for me.

 

I think both of you are right. Which is even more interesting. It's a fact that we are asked to achieve faster, mature faster, and what not. The AP courses and technology courses are evidence of that. But it's also true that most college students live at home and get married later. That could be a fascinating study in itself. The hypothesis may be that forcing the poplulation to achieve faster utimately results in a dependent finanicial life and an independent love life.

 

The only thing I would argue on that point, and I do it lightly, is that most of us that went to highschool did not figure who or what we wanted to do until we were out of highschool. Or at the verr least we figured it out in the junior year of college. So it would seem improbable to me that the 2 years of highschool helps in that regard. From my viewpoint, most of us had no direction.

 

A good reason to stay your full time in HS is get as many AP credits as possible to make your college life easier (still take four years to get out but with an easier load).

A good reason to not stay would be to take a break between HS and college and go to Europe for a year. Similarly, you could do the exchange student thing. You could then start college with your age group.