Is it ever a good idea to drop out of high school?
I speak as a high-school dropout.I can mostly agree with all of the advice to not drop out of high school, however there are always reasonable exceptions. The conclusions drawn from years of data are incontrovertible though– if you drop out of high school you face a MUCH higher likelihood of being a teenage parent, living a life in poverty, and being incarcerated.A higher likelihood. There are always exceptions.I dropped out, got my GED, labored hard, learned a lot of hard lessons, got married young, started my own business, had kids, made lots of money, was able to keep my wife at home with the kids, never saw my wife or my kids, learned even more hard lessons, went back for my BA, got accepted to grad school, got my state teaching license and became an English teacher.As teachers we tell you to go to school, get good grades, get a high school diploma, get into a good four-year college, and then specialize BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR BEST BET, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, for a good life.Additionally, and I know this is a hard one to swallow, high school is teaching you how to achieve your objectives in spite having to deal with other people’s BS and society’s expectations. In high school you are dealing with the objective of getting a diploma in spite of teenagers’ BS, teachers’ BS, and the expectations of the warped society that is high school as well as the expectations of society at large.This does not mean that a high school diploma is the ONLY way to a good life.By not getting a diploma you are choosing to do things the hard way, and given the fact that most dropouts are looking for an easy way out of their responsibilities, this is rarely a good plan.Stay in school. Learn as much as you possibly can in the way of mathematics, language, how people function in groups, how you function in a group, and how well you deal with challenges and adversity. I promise, you will need all of it.
Is it a good idea taking a gap year after high school?
As other people said, it depends. For me it was a brilliant idea.I took a gap year because I was not clear on what to do and I didn’t feel like to start college.My parents were opposed obviously. After a lot of talking we decided that I would at least spend the year studing English and so I left for a year living in Arizona.It was actually very challenging for me as I didn’t know almost anyone there and I had to make a living somehow. I had a lot of great experiences, met people who I still have contact with after several years, learnt a new language and finally felt sure about what I wanted to study in college.I would encourage anyone to do the same if they are not sure about starting college. But only to do something else, something very challenging, and something that would help in the future at least as an experience.
Is it a good idea to join Army after high school?
I always encourage people to do their research before they enlist. However, your high school buddies aren't the best people to go to for advice. I still to this day can't understand how somebody can say that joining the military is suicide. If it was then so many people wouldn't be doing it every day of the year. If you compare the amount of people who died in the military in the last ten years to the amount of people who have served you'll see that it's not as bad as you would think. Some people act like we're getting slaughtered in the Middle East right now but that is not the case. People will always give bad advice about the military because they act like stuff like Call of Duty is what we do on a daily basis or they may think the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan is what we go through every day. Not in this conflict and our current technology makes it safer (I didn't say safe, but less likely to get hurt) for our forces. As for joining, if you already know you want to enlist you are only hurting yourself by waiting until you graduate before you enlist. You will get a lot more options if you enlist right now. Due to the sheer amount of people joining the military right now (thanks to the economy) jobs in the Army are getting harder to get for graduates. That doesn't mean it will change come summer of 2012, but enlisting at that time means you're competing for jobs with almost every other person who tries to join the Army at that time. On the other hand, if you enlist now you're only competing for jobs with other 2012 seniors who are enlisting right now, meaning you have a much better chance getting the job you want and you'll be able to leave for basic around three weeks after graduation. It's highly unlikely you'll be able to do split option due to the fact that it's almost the end of April and it may be too late to get it now. You still have to be 17 to enlist, so if you're under 17 you'll have to wait for now.
Is joining the US military after high school a good idea?
It can be, for several reasons:Learn skills that can translate into a civilian career, especially technical/professional jobs,Accrue funding for planned post-service education (GI Bill),The opportunity to gain managerial and supervisory skills and positions early compared to civilian employment,The option to start a second civilian career after 20 years while drawing a full pension immediately after retirement (under the current active-duty plan)The key is to join the military for informed, well-thought-out, valid reasons - not on impluse. Do research. The military is not for everyone, and likewise you might not be for the military.
Gap Year to Study Abroad after High School, good idea? ( Bad grades)?
I want to take a gap year after I graduate from high school and study abroad in Japan. So after I graduate high school in the U.S. I'll go to school again in Japan. (Any idea what grade I would be in? I'm assuming it would be high school and not a college that I would be attending.) Is this a wise idea? After I return I would like to attend an art school. I'm just a little nervous and I want to see if anyone had done something similar. Hearing others experiences gives me reassurance. I don't think it would be hard to catch up since it's an art school. I know I won't get all of the scholarships that I could as a senior and going straight to college. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also I think it's important to mention my academics. I'm a good student, it's just that I messed up really bad in freshman year and slightly in sophomore year. I got F's, D's, and C's for my freshman year. Sophomore year I got D's but stayed in the B-C range. Currently I am a B average. I only had one D this year. For my senior year I plan on working very hard to stay away from D's and raising my GPA. I have (sadly) a 2.2, but I've been watching it rise carefully and I'm hopeful that it will rise in the future. ( Planning on re-taking some classes I failed freshman year to take off those weights.) I can handle the workload and show that I can improve. Do you think I'm still qualified for studying abroad? I really want to do it and I'll do anything I can. What do you suggest? Thank you.
Is it a good idea to wait 2 years after graduating high school then go to college?
There is not an age limit but keep in mind that acceptance to college is easiest when you are fresh out of high school. Colleges choose students based on their performance in school, their likelihood to finish school and use their degree to earn money to pay back any school loans, and their likelihood of fitting into the school's culture (i.e., not dropping out). Usually someone who was just in high school ranks high in likelihood for these things, because their past education is fresh in their mind, they are motivated to get their degree to start working, and they probably have a bunch of groups and sports they recently participated in that they can put on their application. Someone who has taken a year or two off before starting college just has to be ready to paint that time in the very best light to appeal to a college. For example, your goal of saving money for college sounds great for you! But working in fast food for two years is not going to impress someone who wants to see what you'll contribute to their school. Try to find a job that is related to what you eventually want to do with your degree, or at least something mentally enriching (like working at a library, or theater, or even the college you want to go to if possible). If you can't find a job that doesn't make it obvious that you are simply doing it for the money, then definitely volunteer or participate in some groups that have to do with your future education! For example, if you wanted to go into environmental science, volunteering at your local state park or helping a conservation center would look great on an application! Try to do as many of these "enriching" activities as possible. Good luck! It is a little bit tougher to get into colleges if you've taken a gap year or two, but it is certainly possible. Feel free to work on your physical condition but unless you are hoping for a scholarship or to play on your school's team or something from playing those sports, I would just do that as a hobby.
Getting married after High School? Good or Bad?
Ok so me and my bf for 2 and a half years almost 3 months have been dating and we always jokes around about getting married. WE both don't see a problem with that, we love each other a lot. WE already made plans about where we would move and everything. Im a sr. and he is to. But i plan on going to a community college in the fall. But he need to finish up his other year of school. he missed a lot of days in school his sophomore year so he is going to finish that this summer. After he finishes his sophomore year again and a little bit of jr. year. *he got into a lot of fights over the first 2 months of his jr. year so he needs to finish that year to, we will both be attending south surban college and we both will transfer to Columbia downtown Chicago. We already know what we want to do. He wants to be either a art teachor or Music Teachor, and I want to be a TV Writer. *i know the economy may not seem like the best idea to major in those two things but we want to.* I think us would make as husband and wife, I do not see a problem with us wanting to get married after we are both done with High School. I was the first person to say i can see us getting married and he said "I do to." He said during our date night if i were to ever get pregnat in the last of sr year or when we go off to college he will help me out, but we both plan on us not being parents until we are done with school and we both have a stable house, and income. I plan on being on the pill when that time comes and he promises to use a condom to. Main problem is: Is their anything wrong with getting married in High School?
College or work after high school?
Personally, I think it's a good idea to work before college. It gives teens a level of maturity that they wouldn't otherwise have. The only downside is that you won't quite be starting college with everyone else and it can sometimes be harder to get accepted into a school if you wait too long. However, if you're willing to deal with that, you should definitely give working for a little while a shot.
Is getting married right out a high school a bad idea?
My GF and I have been dating for almost a year and a half and she moved to Florida 4 months ago and i live Indiana and im going to college there to study marine biology and were talking about how we want to get married after high school (we both are juniors) BUT CONTINUE college. We really love each other what do you think of the idea? p.s. i have stayed completely faithfull