As the first semester reaches its end, most seniors feel weary about spending four more months in high school. But for those graduating early, this is not the case.
A small selection of students are only a few weeks away from the end of their high school career – each homework assignment, every all nighter, carrying them one step closer to their uncertain but promising future.
Students who graduate early have received all the credits needed to obtain a diploma. They are able to go into whichever career or schooling path they choose much earlier than their other classmates. However, there are countless other reasons why an increasing number of teenagers are making this decision.
During her sophomore year, Senior Skylar Tewkesbury knew she needed to graduate early. “To pay for my future education at a university myself, I need to earn a lot of money. I work almost every day, but school takes up a lot of my time. By graduating early, I can use that time to save up money and go to community college for my core classes,” she explained.
Getting a head start on college and saving up money are a few of the biggest benefits. By taking community college Gen-Ed courses, Tewkesbury saves money that she would be spending taking the classes at a larger university. She also has more time to work and save money for tuition, ultimately decreasing her impending student loans.
“After first semester ends, I can work during the time we would normally be in school. This would make it possible for me to hang out with my friends and do things that I usually wouldn’t have time for after school when I worked at that time,” Tewkesbury continued.
Although Tewkesbury will finish high school soon, she realizes the importance of keeping up with her education. If she hadn’t planned on taking college classes during this time, it is more likely that she would fall behind on school work.
Most kids, however, just want to get out of high school. “I think the thing I’m looking forward to the most is to just not be here anymore,” Dan Starkenburg said, who is another senior graduating early. “It gets boring doing the same thing everyday and doing homework assignments even after I’ve committed to a school”.
Like Starkenburg and Teweksbury, seniors that graduate early get a chance to skip the senioritis and get a head start on their future. Despite missing out on second semester high school activities, it is evident that graduating early will become more and more popular as years progress.
