Is a high school diploma required to apply for college?
Or, can I apply as early as after 10th grade?
22-25, F
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SomeMichGuy · M
You can usually begin studies at a community college--sometimes referred to as a "junior college"; these are 2-yr colleges which offer a mix of vocational/technical certifications (non-academic training for jobs, such as auto body work, etc.), terminal degrees in some areas, or minor academic degrees (the associate's degrees)--basically whenever. They exist to educate their communities, and the "application" process is usually [i]pro forma[/i] and designed to cast a wide net/include people.
I took "adult extension" courses in 6th or 7th grade. Winter of my junior yr in high school, I took the first semester of calculus, and finished my senior year of high school with a lot of college courses (incl. 3 semesters of calc, 1 of ordinary differential equations, and a year of engineering physics).
The value of the community colleges in teaching courses which are often 500-student lectures even at smaller universities canNOT be overstated; instead of a lecture with the actual prof., but the one-on-one experiences mostly with the Teaching Assistants (TAs), "learning" can be harder at a 4-yr institution in the big lecture courses.
Get things like Psych 101/Economics 101/Sociology 101 (the intro courses to these fields, often required as part of the checklist of university requirements for a 4-yr--Bachelor's--degree) done at the cheaper rate, but ESPECIALLY take any of these, if you are interested:
Calculus
Calculus-based Physics
Basic Inorganic Chemistry
Basic Organic Chemistry
These can be much better learning experiences at a jr. college, and give you a firm foundation for a better 4-yr degree.
Most 4-yr schools will require a high school diploma, but a 2-yr degree from a good jr. college, with a great GPA and recommendations from actual college professors would put you in a class by yourself in terms of applying to colleges...
This is assuming that you may not have completed every course required for your state's high school diploma; of course, you could check w/your school's Superintendent about community college courses you could take to fulfill the remaining requirements, then get your high school diploma with doubly-counted credits.
For instance, I took Econ 101 at a jr. college and was not required to take a high school level course in it. Then my four-yr. university also waived my need to take THEIR Econ 101 course. So ONE jr. college course actually fulfilled TWO requirements, one at the high school level, one at the university/Bachelor's level.
That might be the way to go.
I took "adult extension" courses in 6th or 7th grade. Winter of my junior yr in high school, I took the first semester of calculus, and finished my senior year of high school with a lot of college courses (incl. 3 semesters of calc, 1 of ordinary differential equations, and a year of engineering physics).
The value of the community colleges in teaching courses which are often 500-student lectures even at smaller universities canNOT be overstated; instead of a lecture with the actual prof., but the one-on-one experiences mostly with the Teaching Assistants (TAs), "learning" can be harder at a 4-yr institution in the big lecture courses.
Get things like Psych 101/Economics 101/Sociology 101 (the intro courses to these fields, often required as part of the checklist of university requirements for a 4-yr--Bachelor's--degree) done at the cheaper rate, but ESPECIALLY take any of these, if you are interested:
Calculus
Calculus-based Physics
Basic Inorganic Chemistry
Basic Organic Chemistry
These can be much better learning experiences at a jr. college, and give you a firm foundation for a better 4-yr degree.
Most 4-yr schools will require a high school diploma, but a 2-yr degree from a good jr. college, with a great GPA and recommendations from actual college professors would put you in a class by yourself in terms of applying to colleges...
This is assuming that you may not have completed every course required for your state's high school diploma; of course, you could check w/your school's Superintendent about community college courses you could take to fulfill the remaining requirements, then get your high school diploma with doubly-counted credits.
For instance, I took Econ 101 at a jr. college and was not required to take a high school level course in it. Then my four-yr. university also waived my need to take THEIR Econ 101 course. So ONE jr. college course actually fulfilled TWO requirements, one at the high school level, one at the university/Bachelor's level.
That might be the way to go.
MysterySci · 22-25, F
@SomeMichGuy Wow, thanks for the lengthy response. I am not really looking for applying anywhere after 10th grade. But thanks anyway. :)
