How to Decide if You Should Graduate Early

Graduating early might sound like most kids’ dreams, particularly for homeschoolers. It’s practically a badge of honor to claim that you graduated early, and, in some cases, is almost expected. However, it is not the best idea for everyone. Hopefully this help you to decide whether or not graduating early is right for you.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• people you can trust
• ability to examine your education
• realistic assessment of self

1. Determine how early you want to graduate. If it is only a year early, then you may not face the same difficulties you would as if you graduated at fifteen. The earlier you graduate, the greater the difficulties.
2. Ask yourself why you want to graduate early. There’s nothing wrong with wanting the laurels that come with this achievement, but if your only reason for wanting to graduate early is pride, you might want to reconsider. College does not only require a degree of academic understanding, it requires an amount of emotional maturity as well. Having spent a lot of time and spoken with many homeschoolers who graduated early (sometimes as early as at the age of fifteen), it seems that the downsides were far greater than the benefits in many cases. It’s more difficult to form relationships and sometimes the maturity just isn’t there.
3. Examine your education to see if there are any holes. Were there subjects that you didn’t do well in or things that you should understand better before you move on to higher education? This is an incredible opportunity for you to expand your understanding and hone your skills.
4. Talk to people you know you can trust about graduating early. Ask them for their unbiased opinion and be ready to listen. While this is sometimes hard, remember that it is not an insult to be told that you are not mature enough to attend college yet. It does not mean that you are not mature. It just means that you need more maturity before you tackle this new part of your life. On the other hand, they may tell you that you are mature enough. In that case, do not become overly confident. Ask them next how you can best prepare for entering college early.
5. Think outside the box in ways that you can expand your education. If you have completed all the materials required for highschool, then look at possible internships which you could participate in or pick something new and totally different to study. If you know what you would like to major in in college, check out internships specifically related to that or start brushing up on your knowledge of that field. Or get a job and start saving money for going to college. You can consider it work experience.
6. If you decide that graduating early is something you want to do, then don’t advertise the fact. Regardless of your intentions, it rarely endears you to others who will most likely think you are showing off. It is not something to be ashamed of or something which you should hide. Just use tact and common sense.